Suzanne Nelson Karreman is a first-generation farmer who told her mother when she was 12 years old that she would never touch a raw chicken from the grocery store because it was slimy and gross, and now she regularly teaches others how to go about the final act of bringing pastured poultry to the plate on her 400-acre farm in North Carolina that she farms with her family. A passionate breeder of Jersey cows for the express purpose of harvesting solar energy to produce rich and sweet milk, she has also learned that the relationship at some point has to end, and make room for new life. The only preparation for this job was a degree in English literature, which was surprisingly illustrative in understanding her new line of work, and a burning desire to eat well and create a space for others to eat reverently, too. She enjoys sharing with others her love of the land, its life and hope, and the great possibilities animal agriculture has to transform a degraded planet into a renewed eden, but first we must come to terms with the death that is required in all life.

As Suzanne says, "After all of the husbandry, at some point it's time for the harvest. But what then? How do you look animals in the eye whose lives you are about to take? This is an issue that I've decided to stare boldly in the face rather than avoid, and what's on the other side of the precipice is humility, grace and connection with life itself. This will be part sharing, part conversation and all open discussion about how I've come to understand what it means to take life with purpose and reverence and how I continue to come to terms with it in the context of animal husbandry."

Come to the Sterling College Common House at 6:30 on Wednesday July 11th to join in a conversation with Suzanne!

Nov 19, 2024, 3 to 4 PM

Nov 20, 2024, 5:30 to 6:30 PM

Nov 25, 2024, 5:30 to 7 PM