'Facts and Faces of Our Farmers' in focus at ASU's West campus

“Arizona’s Food Production: The Facts and Faces of Our Farmers” will be in the spotlight during a panel discussion on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Kiva Lecture Hall at Arizona State University’s West campus. Representatives of dairy, egg, beef and pork producers will share their first-hand experiences and discuss the strength of sustainable Arizona agriculture through their generational farming and ranching traditions.

The event is free and open to the public. Visitor parking on the West campus, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, costs $2 per hour.

Panelists include James Boyle of Boyle Dairies, Glenn Hickman of Hickman Family Farms, Bas Aja of the Arizona Beef Council, and Don Davidson, D.V.M.

The discussion is part of the ThinK (Thursdays in the Kiva) series at the West campus. This year’s theme for ThinK activities is “Much Ado About Food.” Academic programming is being tied in with this theme, and incoming freshmen read Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, “In Defense of Food,” over the summer.

“We are pleased to have members of Arizona’s agriculture community join us for the ThinK series,” said Heidi Maxwell, events manager for ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

“By 2050, almost 75 percent of the world’s population will be urban,” Maxwell said. “And most of us, including Arizonans, are three or four generations removed from the farm and ranch, so we are isolated from our sources of food. The panelists coming to campus on Dec. 2 are looking forward to helping attendees gain a greater understanding of where their food comes from as well as farmers’ and ranchers’ strategies for feeding an ever-growing population in a sustainable way.”

For more information, call (602) 543-4521 or email ncevents@asu.edu.