Slow Food group to air Sierra Valley video

The Lake Tahoe chapter of Slow Food will present the short video "Is Sustainable Attainable?" at its January meeting next week. The show is another opportunity to spread the word about a series of videos promoting the rural culture in Sierra Valley, Calif., produced as part of the UC Davis "Art of Regional Change."

The project, called "Passion for the Land: Personal Stories from the Sierra Valley," is a collection of 12 stories, told on video through narration and photos, about the challenges to agricultural viability and rural community life in Sierra Valley, according to an article in the Sierra Sun. The series was a collaborative project involving Jesikah Maria Ross of Art of Regional Change, Holly George of UC Cooperative Extension in Plumas and Sierra counties and Sierra Valley farmers and ranchers.

The "Sustainable" segment is the story of Gary Romano, who in 1990 purchased a 65-acre portion of his families' former 3,600-acre cattle ranch in Sierra Valley to establish an organic farm.

"I want people to understand that you don't need 5,000 acres to make a living; there is a need for farmers with 5, 10 or 60 acres," Romano was quoted in the story. "And just because the land isn't being used for farming now doesn't mean it can't be in the future. We need to preserve open space."

Gary Romano and his family on the Sierra Valley farm.

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