By Dave Renn, Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program Manager
Farmers market season may be a month away, but for a lot of America, spring officially kicks off today with Major League Baseball opening day. In an exciting announcement, this season the Oakland A’s are bringing local food into the ballpark with the latest Coliseum attraction: The Farm.
Raised beds have been installed near the Coliseum’s right field flagpoles, and they will be managed by youth crews from Bay Area nonprofit, Acta Non Verba. Much like Missoula’s own Garden City Harvest, Acta Non Verba works to create safe and creative outdoor space for children, youth, and families. Maybe Missoula’s Youth Harvest Project will be cultivating the outfield fence line at Osprey stadium soon!
In an exciting announcement, this season the Oakland A’s are bringing local food into the ballpark with the latest Coliseum attraction: The Farm.
Sports and agriculture are two things very close to my heart. I am drawn to both for a lot of the same reasons:
- Both are active pursuits that build and reward healthy lifestyles;
- They both rely on a community of ‘players’ and supportive ‘fans’;
- You learn about the hard work it takes to succeed;
- And sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just don’t get the win.
The biggest difference is that in sports, there is always one winner and one loser. In local agriculture, everyone wins. The proceeds from everything sold out of The Farm will go towards the college educations of Oakland students. They will have chefs demonstrating nutritious cooking and fans learning firsthand about where their food comes from.
In local agriculture, everyone wins.
So let’s all give the A’s a “Play Ball!” today as we look forward to our local food opening day, May 5th. Any sports fan will agree that the farmers market has that game day feel, and while there are fewer home runs, you still get the gasps from the crowd when the Dixon Melon Truck shows up!
[…] This is part 2 of Dave’s blog series on the intersection of sports and local food. Read part 1, Oakland A’s “The Farm” is a Home Run, here. […]