Joel Salatin keynotes the 2011 Small Farm Summit at SUNY Old Westbury College.

It was standing room only at the first Small Farm Summit at SUNY College Old Westbury to hear keynote speaker Joel Salatin, a self-described environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer, or, as the New York Times calls him, "The high Priest of the Pasture."

Joel Salatin is among the nation's most influential farmers and is one of the most sought-after voices in the local food movement. He rose to international fame when he and Polyface Farm, his family farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, were featured in Michael Pollan's bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma and in two subsequent documentaries, the Academy Award nominated Food, Inc. and FRESH. Salatin has authored seven books on food and farming and has received numerous leadership awards in recognition of his ecological and local-based farming advocacy.

Having developed a truly sustainable farming method, Salatin has long been a role model for alternative farmers. On his 550 acres, Salatin produces high-quality "beyond organic" meats from animals he raises in a manner that is environmentally responsible, ecologically beneficial, and economically sustainable. Salatin's philosophy of farming emphasizes healthy grass on which animals can thrive in a symbiotic cycle of chemical-free feeding. His cows are moved from one pasture to another to graze and chickens in portable coops are moved in behind to dig through the dung for protein-rich fly larvae while further fertilizing the field with their droppings. Year after year, the fertility of Polyface Farm continues to increase and the topsoil continues to grow deeper.