Directed Movie
By LISA
WARREN
Staff Writer
A new documentary film by former Greenevillian Shelley Rogers
about the national organic food industry was presented to an enthusiastic local audience of some
50-75 people at Tusculum College's Behan Arena on Saturday evening.
Entitled "What's
Organic About Organic?" the film was written, produced and directed by Rogers, who now lives in New
York City.
The local showing was only the fourth time the new documentary has been shown
publicly.
Mainly, she said today, the film is being currently shown at film festivals and
at a few public showings such as the one here and one earlier this month in Asheville.
A
graduate of Greeneville High School, Rogers explained that she began the multi-year process of
producing the film as the thesis project for her master's degree in culture and communication at New
York University.
The subject was, she said, inspired by her interest in food politics,
public health, and environmental stewardship.
Through numerous on-camera interviews and
several illustrative graphics, the 74-minute film strives to explain:
• the traditional
origins of what is spoken of today as "organic agriculture,"
• the basic current meaning
of the term "organic" in the U.S. and elsewhere,
• and the fact that there continues to be
debate within the organic agriculture "industry" about what agricultural practices should be legally
allowed to use the "organic" label, which is increasingly popular with the public.
Rogers
herself is supportive of organic agricultural techniques, and the film suggests strongly that
becoming a consumer of food produced by "organic" methods - such as eliminating or minimizing the
use of pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics, etc. - is an action that benefits not only one's health
but also soil sustainability and other aspects of the natural environment.
Numerous
Interviews
In the film, Rogers presents the organic "story" through the eyes of several
individuals, including organic farmers and a conventional milk producer, scientists, activists and
government officials.
A Web site related to the film, www.whatsorganicmovie.org,
states: "While many folks can easily endorse 'organic,' the characters in the film take the
discussion beyond just shopping for another eco-label.
"As we glimpse into each of their
lives, we see how organic agriculture has the potential to solve many of our environmental and
health problems."
The film explores, the Web site says, "how organic farming can be used
as a soil and air protection system, a healthy solution to toxic pollution, and an innovative means
to combat global warming."
The Web site continues: "As the film moves from farm fields to
government meetings to industry trade shows, we see the hidden costs of conventional
agriculture.
"We also see how our health, the health of our planet, and the agricultural
needs of our society are all intimately connected."
"The film compels us to look forward,
towards a new vision for our culture," the site says, "and encourages us to ask, 'How can we eat
with an ecological consciousness?'"
Rogers' Background
A daughter of John T.
Milburn and Donna Rogers of Greeneville, Shelley Rogers is a 1998 honors graduate of Greeneville
High School. She also holds a bachelor's degree in art history from Smith College, in Northampton,
Mass.
Following her college graduation and before she entered the masters degree
program at New York University, she worked at Zambras Tapas Restaurant in Asheville and later at
City Bakery, also in Asheville.
She completed her masters degree at NYU in 2007, but has
continued to work on the documentary since that time.
The film screening was hosted by her
parents, along with John M. Jones Jr., editor of The Greeneville Sun, and actress Park Overall, as a
fundraiser to assist with both the film's post-production expenses and with the expenses of the
local non-profit sustainable-agriculture organization, Rural Resources, which lost its office
building to a lightning-caused fire earlier this year.
Panel Discussion
A panel
discussion, moderated by Jones, was held following the documentary's viewing.
In addition
to Shelley Rogers, the panel featured local farmers Rachel Bewley and Robert McSweeney, of Moon
Creek Gardens in Greystone; local beef cattle producer Richard Spain, of Graysburg Hills Farm, and
Sally Causey, director of Rural Resources.
Causey explained in her comments that "Rural
Resources has really grown over the years. What we're really interested in is local production -
with certainly organic being the ideal."
She also emphasized, however, that Rural
Resources works with all agricultural producers, conventional or organic, who are interested
in working with the organization.
Causey said there are barriers that often prevent many
farmers from becoming officially certified as U.S. Department of Agriculture "organic"
producers.
For instance, she said, there is a lot of paperwork to become organically
certified, and "it's not always practical" for farmers to do so.
Spain stated that he
hopes that the concept of eating locally-produced goods continues to grow.
"We need to start
eating what's in season and eat what's grown locally," he said.
Spain said that he
currently sells beef to two local stores, The Health Barn and Mountain View Bulk Foods. His beef is
also available via the Rural Resources Mobile Market.
A major barrier for many small farms
is getting their goods to a market where they can be sold, McSweeney said.
"It's hard to
have access to markets," he said.
He added that, for instance, there are not many local
options for selling the farm products that he and his wife produce at Moon Creek
Gardens.
"You can only sell so much at the Farmers Market," he said, a reference to the
local farmers market which moved earlier this fall from the downtown area to the Greene County
Fairgrounds.
The popular market is open on Saturdays during much of the
year.
John Rogers, Park Overall
The audience was welcomed to the event by
Rogers' father, John Rogers, who explained how his daughter came to address the issue of organic
farming.
"She decided to do a documentary as part of her thesis for her master's (degree)
and the rest is history. Several of you who are here have made sizable contributions to her
success," he said.
Park Overall, who is a long-time family friend of Shelley Rogers, called the
documentary "a marvelous little film."
She added, "As an actress, I have to tell you that
one of the hardest things in the world is to make a movie."
Overall said that her favorite
character in the film was the woman who raises organic produce in the heart of Harlem.
She
said that Shelley Rogers met the woman while traveling on the subway in New York City, where she now
lives.
"I'm very proud of you," Overall told Rogers.
Shelley Rogers herself
thanked those in attendance at the event, for which tickets were $10 per person.
"It's a
real treat to be able to bring the film back home. I want to acknowledge and thank my parents for
all of their support and influence.
"I thank also the local farmers who made this meal
possible."
Meal Served
Prior to the film's showing, a meal prepared
largely by Rachel Bewley was served in the theater lobby.
The beef served at the event was
from local beef producer Spain, and most of the vegetables, Rogers said, were from Moon Creek
Gardens, in the Greystone community. The farm is owned by Rachel Bewley and Robert
McSweeney.
Following the film, the crowd was treated to pumpkin cupcakes. Rogers said the
pumpkins came from Still Hollow Farm, located on Allens Bridge Road in southern Greene
County.
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