Amanda Freund raises awareness of ecological advantage of farming

By Colleen Gundlach

The future of the farming community, and of northwestern Connecticut farmers in particular, was brought into the national spotlight when Amanda Freund of East Canaan had the opportunity to question a potential Democratic presidential candidate about his thoughts on the matter. Freund, whose family owns Freund’s Farm was selected to be one of 33 people from across the country who would be allowed to question the candidates appearing at a town hall-style meeting on climate change, sponsored by television network CNN on September 4.

A few weeks before the production, Freund received an e-mail from the American Farmland Trust announcing that CNN was looking for people with good questions for a selected group of Democratic hopefuls who would be participating in a nationally broadcast forum. Because climate is of such importance to farming, she submitted a question and received a call from CNN about a week later, telling her she had been chosen to attend the event and ask her question.

According to cnn.com, the audience was drawn from selected “Democratic and independent voters and stakeholders interested in the issue” of climate change. Freund explains that the audience was comprised of academics, activists and leaders in the non-profit sector. Freund was the only farmer in attendance. She and the other people who had been pre-selected to ask questions were assigned seats and advised to stick to the question they had submitted. Freund was given a seat in the front row, in close proximity to the candidates.

Of the ten Democratic candidates chosen to appear, Freund was assigned to direct her question to Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. She questioned him on his plans for agricultural support, should he become president. “The average American farmer is 58 years old,” she said. “I’m 34. My family is discussing the transition of the dairy farm to the next generation. But we’re experiencing unprecedented weather events, economic and environmental challenges. And so I am wondering what you can do and what your plan is to bring stability back to the ag sector so that farmers like me can actually meet the environmental regulations that will be put in place to combat climate change and stay in business.”

Buttigieg replied that farmers “have the most to lose” relative to climate change and that “rural Americans can be such a huge part of the solution.” He went on to say that “the quest for the net zero emissions cattle farm is one of the most exciting things we might undertake as a country.” He advocated federal involvement in terms of “more investment in USDA, the Department of Agriculture’s R&D” and “investing more in things like the Conservation Stewardship Program for growers to make sure that we’re doing the right things with soil management.” He ended by suggesting to Freund that a net zero emissions cattle farm might become a symbol of the fight in the climate crisis, “and it might also be helpful at coffee after church with folks you know in your rural communities who maybe are hesitating to embrace Democratic visions of climate, because it sounds like we’re telling them they’re part of the problem.”

While Freund felt that Buttigieg didn’t fully answer her question, she said the event was a “fantastic experience” to be in such close quarters with potential presidential candidates. She believes strongly that farmers are actually a huge boost to cleaning up the environment. She points out that cows consume waste by-products such as beet and citrus pulp, cotton seed, wheat midds, cranberry mash, and bakery waste. They turn these plant by-products into protein in the form of milk and beef.

Addressing the methane gas issue, Freund, a Cornell University graduate, points out that for more than 20 years her family has heated their home with methane gas produced by the cows on their farm. The cow manure is dumped into a methane-digester holding tank where naturally-occurring microorganisms digest the waste, producing methane. This gas is captured and burned as a biogas. “There is a huge potential here, to utilize the byproduct of animal agriculture for producing renewable energies. says Freund, “but this requires policy change and state and federal incentives to make it financially feasible.”

In addition, Freund points out that farms also utilize cows to provide nutrients for the soil, eliminating the need for expensive chemical fertilizers, and on Freund’s farm they also produce CowPots, the nationally-known pots made of compressed cow manure for growing plants. “It is a natural alternative to plastic pots and it’s biodegradable,” says Freund.

There are also real economic drivers to keep farms active. “We need to engage people more in our community,” she says. “Our farm alone is maintaining 600 acres of open space. In Connecticut, 80 percent of the farmland is used specifically to grow crops to feed the cows,” she says, “and there are lots of reasons to maintain open space. If that land were to be sold for development, it would become a lot of houses or some big stores.” 

“People think they are helping the environment by drinking almond beverage[a1] and eating oat burgers instead of beef,” says Freund. “That’s not the case. That almond beverage and the oats are being transported across the country. Dairy and cattle farmers are local, and the cows are part of an ecological cycle. We need to engage people with more credible information. People want to know about the environmental footprint of their food choices. In my experience, animal agriculture has an important role in a balanced diet and can be produced in a way that is part of the climate solution and not contributing to the problem.”

Regarding the CNN event, Freund says, “Farmers need a seat at the table relative to any discussion on a climate crisis. I was excited to have a momentary opportunity to represent farmers on the national stage.” 

For a full transcript of the CNN discussion, go to http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1909/04/se.08.html

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 [a1]ecause this is a quote, I revised it to say beverage instead of milk, as I actively avoid referring to plant based drinks as milk.