u. a. f. road trip

Exploring and documenting the current state of agriculture in America in 2020

why hit the road?

Everything is up in the air.

The food systems we have relied on for decades are showing cracks and shaky foundations. It’s no surprise for those of us working in them - we’ve been passing the note of resisting corporate food from one small farmer to the next.

Whole system agriculture cannot be understood from a distance. We must use all our senses, immerse ourselves in the system, to truly understand it.

So we hit the road, in search of farmers, foragers, mycologists, writers, activists, herbologists, homesteaders, fermenters, and seeds people. We hope to find those who are preserving past knowledge and culture, and those who are innovating in the space, so that we may share stories that educate and inspire us, and you, to participate with joy in a whole food system.

who we are

Trisha Sutton

I founded Urban American Farmer in Austin, TX in 2017. After growing up at the intersection of conventional agriculture + subsistence farming, I understand that food is an opportunity for community and connection, to both people and place. My passion for the farmer and the chef comes from my belief that they are each artists and craftspeople, who need an educated consumer to fully practice their trades.

I am no expert on any subject. I share from a place of obsessive search for knowledge and truth, the world of food is my playground. If I haven't yet touched a corner of it, I will be there soon.

U. A. F. launched out of a desire to build a pathway between grower + consumer. It has evolved into a movement to discover our way back into communion with our food systems, the earth, and ourselves.

Richard Casteel

I was brought here by food - by my mother’s garden. More specifically her tomatoes, which I subsisted on for a summer in between semesters of university. I often wonder if the people at the grocery store have ever tasted a fresh garden tomato - for me, it makes it nearly impossible to buy a factory farmed tomato. Aside from the lack of taste, there is a lack of reward and a lack of nutrients both for the body and for the soul.

I was brought here by the staleness of academia and the cold corporate nature of environmental firms. I decided instead to follow my love for photography rather than use my MS (and almost PhD) in hydrogeology. Before I even started I let go of the guaranteed comfort of a salary for the hustle of art. For me, growing a photography business is like my mother’s garden - more reward, more taste, more soul - and that is how I try to live my life.

So I take to the road with Urban American Farmer - another step into the unknown, which I do out of passion for sharing good food - because I deeply care that other people can learn to experience the life of eating garden tomatoes - with all their unknowns, with all their dirty fingernails, with all their sunset waterings, with all their quiet contemplation and slower life; which brings about their taste, their soul, their connection to nature.

the route

Aug 2 - Austin to New Orleans
Aug 3 - Southern Georgia
Aug 4 - Charleston + Savannah
Aug 6 - Virginia
Aug 8 - Eastern New York
Aug 9 - Connecticut
Aug 10 - Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts
Aug 11 - Western New York
Aug 12 - Illinois
Aug 14 - Dallas
Aug 15 - Return to Austin

This is a loose itenary - we've built in time for detours, new inspirations, and communities at the recommendations of others - the destination is wholly open to the shape the story takes.