‘Why I Farm’ to be released by Tahoe publisher

On June 6, Meyers’ publisher Bona Fide Books will release “Why I Farm: Risking It All for a Life on the Land” by Sierra Valley Farms owner Gary Romano.

A book signing will be that evening from 6-7 at Campo restaurant in Reno.

In “Why I Farm,” third-generation farmer Romano speaks from experience about today’s most vital issues: how to live with purpose and how to protect our food supply. The author documents a disappearing way of life and issues a wake-up call, describing his metamorphosis from a small boy growing up on a farm to adult white-collar worker and his ultimate return to the land. He details specific issues that small farms face today, and how they will challenge our food future. This book is his attempt to educate and enlist farmers and consumers in a call to action.

Romano owns and operates the 65-acre Sierra Valley Farm in Beckwourth and hosts the state’s only certified organic on-farm farmers’ market each Friday from 10am-2:30pm from May 31 through mid-September. Romano also has “Dinners in the Barn” and can be found weekly at the Tahoe City and Truckee farmers’ markets. His next book, “July & Winter: The Growing Seasons of the Sierra for Farmers and Gardeners” is a how-to guide to growing in the challenging Sierra climate. It will by published in 2014 by Bona Fide Books.

Campo is located at 50 N. Sierra St. in downtown Reno. “Why I Farm” is available June 6 through Bona Fide Books, local bookstores and gift shops, at Romano’s farmers’ markets and on Amazon. Go online for more information about Romano’s market and other events.