Cass County Reads events announced

(Atlantic) The Atlantic Public Library will host a panel on Farm-to-Table Sales on Monday, August 5th. The panel aims to explore the process of local farmers selling their products directly to consumers. Panelists will include representatives from local farm vendors Brun Ko Farm and Noble Provisions, as well as Gilbert and Ardyth Gillespie, retirees raising sheep for local consumption and knowledgeable about our food system. Maria Miller will moderate the panel discussion.

This event is the first in a series of three, focusing on the topics addressed in this year’s Cass County Reads selection called “Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America” by Beth Hoffman. The Cass County Library Association (CCLA) selected the nonfiction book for its ties to Iowa and agriculture. They encourage anyone interested to ask their library for a copy of the book. It is also available as an e-book or downloadable audiobook on Hoopla and Libby. Multiple copies of the book set are available in Atlantic for July and August.

Other upcoming events include an author visit in Griswold on September 14 and a workshop on farm succession planning at Anita Public Library (date to be determined).

About the book: “Bet the Farm” provides a first-hand account of the challenges of farming today and explores more just and sustainable ways of producing food. Beth Hoffman and her husband decide to leave the city and farm his family’s land in Iowa. They face numerous difficulties, including convincing her reluctant father-in-law to hand over control of the land, financial challenges, and logistical nightmares related to crop production and animal processing. The CCLA comprises libraries in Anita, Atlantic, Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis, and Massena, and collaborates to provide excellent library services county-wide.