Episode 136: Erik Andrus of The Vermont Sail Freight Project

Erik Andrus is farmer, writer, and inveterate tinkerer living in Vermont’s Champlain Valley. A lifelong student of traditional approaches to farming, craft, and community life across cultures, Erik has devoted his career to the discipline of creatively reintroducing skill and sweat to areas of the food economy not commonly considered. Erik, with his wife Erica and two young boys, farms at Boundbrook Farm, which showcases integrated rice and duck farming in irrigated rice paddies and is a leader in commercial-scale ecological rice production in the Northeast. Erik initially conceived the Vermont Sail Freight Project as a one-off demonstration to raise awareness of regional food and energy issues while also having a great time with friends on the water. Over time this seed of an idea has grown and now the project includes a capable team of partners and collaborators who share the hope of creating an economically-viable zero-emissions distribution and marketing model, owned and operated by farmers, and powered by wind and tide. This program has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch. “I’m interested in rice because it’s proven to be one of the most positive returns for energy in food considering energy invested.” [12:15] — Erik Andrus on Greenhorn Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.