White Buffalo’s Roots of the Future: Celebrating the Culture in Agriculture

Eighteen months ago, White Buffalo Land Trust (WBLT) celebrated the culmination of its year-long pilot of the organization’s Artist in Residence program. The program represents the dipping of a toe into expressing – through fine art – the Trust’s work to restore the ecosystem by practicing, promoting, and developing systems of regenerative agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch. One of the results of its Artist in Residence program was a series of 12 gouache paintings at downtown gallery Sullivan Goss. The “Farmer Almanac Series” was created by Santa Barbara artist Holli Harmon, who produced one painting per calendar month, these featuring scenes of the livestock, native flora and fauna, and ecological sites found at Jalama Canyon Ranch over the changing seasons. The works are painted on old almanac pages and mounted on cyanotype prints Harmon fashioned from the native plant materials of the ranch. 

It was a small but creative expression of how WBLT is thinking outside of the box as it works to restore the ecosystem. Re-imagining of our agricultural and food systems involves an evolution of the land stewardship model, and the redesign of our food system to address the climate, biodiversity, public health, and food security challenges facing the world today. The nonprofit is committed to radically shifting how we grow our food, our fiber, and our medicines, so that these processes that are so critical to human survival can be done in ways that are in service of ecological function, of community health, and of planetary resilience. 

With its upcoming major fundraising event known as Roots of the Future: The Art of Agriculture – just the fourth iteration of the benefit held every 18 months – the concept of art will be more of a metaphorical one. The theme is meant to celebrate the artistry inherent in regenerative agriculture; the creativity and care that go into all of WBLT’s efforts.

“We’re really excited about demonstrating and bringing people into the experience and conversation around how every act – from the planting of a seed, to the processing and the branding of a product, to actually putting it on the shelf – can inspire the human spirit and really foster this cultural shift towards a more resilient and bountiful future through generative agriculture,” said Ana Smith, White Buffalo’s Director of Programs. “This form of agriculture can enter into your daily life in everything – from the food that you cook to the napkins and tablecloth that you use to the bedding you sleep on and the clothes that you wear. We’re focusing on highlighting the craftsmanship, the skill, the vision that elevates this form of agriculture into an art form.” 

Roots of the Future IV, slated for May 17, is shaping up to be a magical affair held on land overlooking the biodynamic vineyard and shimmering expanse of Lake Cachuma at the majestic Grimm’s Bluff. The evening’s exceptional wine pairings will feature wine produced from grapes grown at WBLT’s vineyards, as well Grimm’s Bluff’s varietals. These will pair with the courses of the sumptuous, seated dinner whose ingredients will be fashioned from WBLT’s network of regenerative farmers and ranchers. The occasion will of course also feature creative cocktails and live music. The event’s programming will highlight those innovative collaborations with the pioneering farmers
and brands. 

“It’s all about illuminating those transformative possibilities of this form of agriculture and getting to enjoy that through the food and the environment that we will set up on site,” Smith said. “The theme each time around, the Art of Agriculture this year, leads the food, leads the decor, and everything else.”

In fact, that theme extends to auction items that will be available at the event, which include physical art in many different mediums – both to express the Art of Agriculture keynote, and to serve as the official launch of WBLT’s Artist in Residence program. The official announcement of the launch, including the identity of the artist, will take place during the event, as will the chance to snap up some of the special artwork. 

“The role of art in our understanding is that it inspires and connects us emotionally to the things that we eat and wear,” Smith said. “It helps develop that relationship to the things that sustain us, highlights and potentially makes us care in a different way. The artistic component is a piece in how we redevelop and redefine and reimagine our relationship with agriculture.”

White Buffalo Land Trust generally sells out all of the available tickets to Roots of the Future – this year only 240 total – through sponsorships even before individual tickets go on sale. Sponsorships, which are already available, include a variety of exclusive benefits; from bottles of Limited Edition WBLT Wine and acknowledgment in print and online materials, to special WBLT swag and a VIP Experience of Jalama Canyon Ranch. More importantly, support of the event provides essential funding to ensure the legacy of White Buffalo Land Trust and the Jalama Canyon Ranch as a global hub for regenerative land stewardship. 

“It helps fund all of our general operations, from our land stewardship to education, research, and enterprise development,” Smith said.  

Visit www.whitebuffalolandtrust.org/attend-courses-events/roots-of-the-future-iv-the-art-of-agriculture