Eradication By Mastication

Eradication By Mastication. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box to come up with a great idea. Tom Kaye is the executive director for the Institute For Applied Ecology.

KAYE: Eradication by Mastication as we’re calling this general program is a way to engage people in a conversation about invasive species and the impacts they have on our economy as well as on our eco-systems and bring more people to the table literally by having an event where we can even dine upon some of these species that are edible.

There is a wide range of invasive species that are actually good eating including Asian Carp, Bullfrog, Garlic Mustard, Himalayan Blackberry, Japanese Knotweed, Kudzo, Nutria, Wild Boar and Wild Turkey.

KAYE: A lot of really tough competitors that when they get into our ecological and economic systems really play havoc with our infrastructure and cost our economy over $100-billion dollars a year.

The annual fundraiser event will take place Aug. 25 and feature a guest chef preparing various dishes, a live band, auction and top chefs competing for the next best dish.

KAYE: It gives us this chance to think about the effects of these things while not having it be just an uncomfortable or unfortunate conversation. It’s a good thing in my opinion to mix having a good time with talking about difficult topics.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.