Nathan Winters and His Bike Ride Across America

In addition to farmers like Thelen, Winters conducted an interview with Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary based in New York, who spoke with Winters about issues ranging from the importance of being a vegan to reducing our footprint on the planet.

Cattle ranchers in Montana first poked a little fun at the idea of riding a bike across America, yet after a little small-talk, they sat down over a drink and shared their frustrations about how nonsensical it can be that our food travels so far.

A local-centric attitude reverberated throughout those 4,300 miles, an attitude that seemed independent of region and maybe even politics.

“Somewhere between the belt buckles (of Montana cattle ranchers) and the dirty organic dairy farmer’s cap in the Northeast, there’s a lot of common ground that people don’t know about,” Winters says. “People are sort of afraid, or too stubborn to admit it.”

As a result of his cross-country experience, Nathan A. Winters wrote a manuscript about his journey, The Unconventional Harvest: A Journey That Yields a Fresh Voice for Farming, Food and Tomorrow, that he is currently working to publish. 

Just for fun – the best of the northern states:

Best Food – Tantré Farm in Chelsea, Michigan. Homemade flatbread pizza with veggies from the garden and local meat and cheese, which was “purchased” by bartering with vegetable produce. 

Most Local Food Culture – Vermont. Other areas along the way, particularly near academic presence – Ann Arbor, Michigan; Ithaca, New York; Missoula, Montana. 

Landscape – Driftless Area in Wisconsin. Southwest Wisconsin was “absolutely gorgeous.”

Friendliest People Encountered on Roads – Wisconsin 

Overall trend as you travelled west – “It got a lot more wide-open. When you’re in the Northeast, you’ve got these little villages all over the place. As you went west the landscape really opens up.”   

PEOPLE OF THE Heartland – “The nicest people you’re ever going to meet. Good folks, good people. People working and trying to do good.”