Last week, I spent a few days working on an organic farm. I should admit right now, I use the word "work" loosely. I was probably more of a pest than a help, even though my intentions were good.

When I first got into blogging about food, I was primarily concerned with the foods we eat and how they affect our health. It was a bit of a revelation to me that our food actually comes from a farm, not a factory, and it grows in dirt, not plastic wrap. Agricultural policy is never something I thought I would care about, but I've learned that you can't separate issues of food consumption from the issues of food production.

Since I'm painfully aware of my ignorance when it comes to farming, I was eager (and a bit nervous) to spend a few days working on a farm. The opportunity presented itself when an organic farmer named Phil at my local market told me he participated in the WWOOF program (Willing to Work on an Organic Farm). He provides room and board in exchange for labor. After exchanging a few emails, the plans were in place.

Saturday morning, August 4, at 9:15 AM, YearlyKos will hold its first ever food panel! If that sounds good, keep reading - the news gets better and better!

I would be overwhelmed with joy if we had even ONE of the spectacular four panelists we've got. If you're standing up, sit down before you read the rest. The good news just doesn't end. (I'll add that I really DID fall out of my chair when I found out about one of our panelists. In my defense though, it was a barstool and since I've got short legs those things aren't always easy to sit on.)

After dishing about the panel, I'm also going to include other details about the presence of sustainable food and agriculture at YearlyKos at the bottom of this diary.