THE RUSTY GEAR
Our logo is an old rusty gear, which we selected in memory of Charlie Koiner and the old rusty tools that he used. However, over the years, it has become a symbol for something more than old farm tools. The rusty gear now represents the way in which small farms operate within the context of the larger food system. Just like a gear in a large and complex machine, a small farm in a large and complex food system can have a big impact... one that often far outweighs its tiny size.
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Just like a gear, a small local farm can improve efficiencies by keep inputs and outputs cycling within the local system. For example, waste from a local restaurant can be inputs for the nearby farm's compost system. In return, the farm can grow fresh greens and herbs for the local restaurants. In this way, the farms act like gears that keep the local food system turning. A small local farm can also help other systems run more efficiently by working in with ecological processes.
Continuing with this analogy, lets imagine that a gear within a machine is damaged or removed. In this case, the machine will likely fail. Likewise, should farms within our food system become damaged or removed - say from infertile land, polluted water, unfair working conditions, suburban sprawl, loss of family farms and farm monopolization - the food system, in turn, will fail. We are experienceing this today!
Neither the size nor the location of the gear within the machine indicates its importance. Each gear, no matter how big or small, has a significant role to play in the functioning of the whole system. So too does each and every farm.
