Storrs, CT 06269 January 10, 2007 Farmer and documentary filmmaker Ken Simon will show Working the Land:The Remarkable Story of Connecticut Farms and Farmers. Thursday, January 25, 6:00 pm, UConn Co-op, 2075 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT.

Sixty years ago there were 22,000 farms in Connecticut. Today, that number has dropped to 4,200. In recent years, Connecticut has lost “the highest percentage of its farmland to development of any state in the nation.” For those of us who live here, the loss of locally produced food, and our growing dependence on items that have been transported thousands of miles, is cause for concern.

Producer and farmer Ken Simon will show and talk about his DVD, Working the Land: The Remarkable Story of Connecticut Farms and Farmers in which he tackles these issues. Simon shows Connecticut farmers, past, present and future: the work they do, and the value they bring to the state. He points out that though the number of farms in Connecticut has plummeted, those that remain generate about two billion dollars annually and employ 50,000 people. These farms provide the local market with milk, cheese, eggs, wine, fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, preserves and meats.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A. Copies of the DVD will be available for purchase.

Learn more about Working the Land

The UConn Co-op is a member-owned independent bookstore serving the University of Connecticut and the wider academic community. We welcome everyone, young and old, through our doors and to our online bookstore.