Education

Education is the key to reversing the staggering and disastrous effects of GMOs on the environment, human health, and small farmers.

Knowledge is the most powerful tool we can provide, and that is the goal of the August West Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. We will provide people, farmers, and communities with the tools they need to make the right decisions for the present as well as for the future. We can change the lives of thousands of people, given the right tools.

Educating Children

The August West Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture will educate children at their schools through "grass-fed beef chili" lunches, informative presentations, social media, and local hands-on education at local farms. We will provide nutritional guidance and the ability to decipher what each ingredient in their food is and what it means to their health. We will also help trace food back to its original source to ascertain whether or not it is healthy.

Children can have an enormous impact on getting their parents to grow and buy far healthier food and crops that are far more environmentally friendly. Children are the key to the future of our agricultural system in this country.

Educating The Community

Communities don't exist without the help and health of individuals in the community. By providing a way for small farms to thrive, we will help build stronger communities with more resources to educate and provide for its citizens. The August West Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture will provide communities with information and resources for promoting sustainable, all-natural, clean food sources for the future.

Educating The Farmer

John Ubaldo, AWF's Founder and Chairman, has been involved in successfully helping farms double and triple in size in just two years. John has helped farms grow by introducing them to customers in larger markets through his contacts and introducing them to the best practices developed from successes on his farm. AWF will provide an increasing number of farmers with sustainable farming information and marketing expertise, allowing them to expand their business and offerings while utilizing all-natural, clean, GMO-free farming methods.

Educating Livestock Producers

AWF will buy grains from farmers committed to our program of producing all-natural, non-GMO grains, and then we will produce high-quality feed to supply livestock producers committed to our program.

AWF will certify to the customers of the livestock producers committed to our program that their livestock was only fed all-natural, non-GMO grains and that the animals were raised naturally and humanely.

AWF will market the products for the livestock farmers committed to our program in the big city areas, providing them access to markets they would not normally reach.
Grain-Feed Business: The grain-feed business will supply farmers in our "network" with non-GMO grain at a competitive price. Livestock farmers will purchase the grain, use it to feed their animals, and we will help them sell their products in the larger markets. The grain-feed business will also serve to educate young farmers on how to make grain for their livestock. They will be taught to calculate how much of each ingredient is necessary to obtain the right profiles of nutrition for proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Seed Depository

The AWF seed depository will consist of one conventional depository and one unconventional depository. One goal is to save seeds destined for extinction with our focus on those being genetically modified or directly impacted by genetic modification. Various heirloom wheat, alfalfas, and corn will be stored along with many other heirloom seeds from zucchini to melons. Heirloom types of maize dating back thousands of years will be stored to protect their genetic heritage. We will source seeds directly from farmers around the world, cultivate them and use the seeds to grow more seed stock and add to the seed depository. One example of this is ancient Mayan corn we had sent to us from Guatemala. We will grow our own for the first time this year and continue to grow it every year while adding to our supply in the seed depository. There are many seed banks and seed libraries in the United States to source from as well.

The unconventional aspect will be our "revolving" seed depository, which will consist of "verified" grains such as corn and soy for our farmers to plant. Verified means the seeds will be tested for genetic contamination. AWF's goal is to have everyone planting the same corn seed, knowing it has been tested and does not contain any genetic mutations or foreign DNA. This will help us grow a substantial base of non-GMO corn to be used for grain and seed as our farmer base grows.

The value of a local seed depository is priceless. It has been proven over millennia that seeds from certain geographic areas grow best in those areas. The seeds get accustomed to the weather and soil and develop natural resistance to bugs and weeds. Those characteristics are essential to the future of successful crop harvests.