ALBANY — The public is invited to a screening of The Last Crop, a documentary by Chuck Schultz, on Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 pm at The Madison Theater. This event is part of the Planet Talk series and is organized in collaboration with the Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) and the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC).

The documentary The Last Crop is an intimate exploration into the lives of small family farmers Jeff and Annie Main of California’s Central Valley. Woven in their story is a ten-year pursuit to ensure their productive farm’s future. That narrative echoes across our nation, as our aging farming population confronts the fragile balance of succession, affordable farmland and ultimately conserving their land for future farmers. The Last Crop captures the complex nature of sustaining family farms in the U.S. and the stake we all have in making certain these farms survive and thrive.

The challenges that the Main’s have faced are the same as farmers right here in the Capital District. ASA is delighted to share the story Laughing Earth farm, recently conserved by owners Zack and Annie Metzger. Their success is an example of how organizations in the Capital District are working to ensure that retiring farmers are able to transfer land to the next generation while keeping the land affordable.

After the film, there will be a Q&A panel with local farmers, Zack and Annie Metzger and Dan and Joanne Tilley, filmmaker, Chuck Schultz, ASA Executive Director, Teri Ptacek and NYFC Land Access Program Director, Holly Rippon-Butler.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available at www.themadisontheater.com

The Agricultural Stewardship Association was founded in 1990 by farmers to protect agricultural land and ensure a future for farming in our region. To date, ASA has helped protect 17,160 acres on 110 properties in Washington and Rensselaer counties. For more information about ASA’s work, visit www.agstewardship.org.

The National Young Farmers Coalition is building a sustainable future for American agriculture by ensuring all young farmers have the chance to succeed. As a nonprofit advocacy organization NYFC’s coalition includes thousands of farmers and consumers as well as more than 30 local chapters across the country.

Thank you to our generous sponsor, Honest Weight Food Co-Op for making this screening possible.

—Agricultural Stewardship Association

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