About

Welcome to the Jefferson Food Network, this is Renee Casterline talking about local food. I’m finishing my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Local, Sustainable Food Systems by working in the Adult Degree Program at Prescott College, in Arizona. This website is part of my exploration of the local food system in far Northern California and Southern Oregon, an area often referred to as the (mythical) State of Jefferson. At this time in early 2010 the information I am sharing will primarily come from Siskiyou County in California and Jackson County in Southern Oregon.

A little bit more about me…

I’m lucky enough to live in the town where I was born and only 15 miles from the town where I grew up. I’ve got lots of family in the area, and the spot where I got married last year was the site of an old family cabin they used during cattle drives when my Dad was a little kid. All of these local connections have led to an emerging passion for locally produced food.  My husband and I are hoping to return to the family farm in the Shasta Valley and begin farming ourselves, learning from my Dad and developing a relationship with the land.