By Meridith Ford Goldman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- Tim and Alice Mills don’t seem like the kind of couple who disagree often, but they can’t seem to agree on how old their mule, Mr. Luke, will be this June. Tim says 18; Alice says 17.

The number is important since a mule’s work life ends at about 22 years, and Mr. Luke provides much of the muscle on the Mills Farm in Athens:  From March to November, the gentle animal powers their soil tiller, water well and most important -- their gristmill.

It’s sunny and warm for February, and about 30 people on a farm tour -- part of the two-day, 13th annual Georgia Organics Conference and Expo -- are listening and watching as Tim tells the group how the mill works. When Mr. Luke walks, he grinds the grist -- creating Red Mule organic grits, cornmeal, polenta and porridge. The Millses wanted an alternative power source to conserve energy, and Mr. Luke is it.

“We never intended to do this,” Mills explains with a deep Southern drawl, “but the good Lord showed me the way to use Mr. Luke, and I feel like we ought to incorporate what He gave us to help out.”

Red Mule grits have become, like Mr. Luke, a celebrated part of the organics movement in Georgia; the grits are served at some of Georgia’s finest restaurants --  like Five & Ten, just down the road from Mills Farm -- and many of the people on the bus are here to learn more about the Millses’ story.

It’s a great way to kick off a conference that will last nearly all weekend, and includes everything from cheese making workshops to the keynote address given at the “farmers feast” on Saturday to ceremonially close the festivities. Last year, the address was given by Michael Pollan, who penned “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” (The Penguin Press, 2006, $26.95) and has God-like stature among foodies, farmers and gastronomes.

It seemed a card too difficult to trump, but this year the address was given by Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement. The only thing that could surpass that, some members feel, is Michelle Obama at next year’s conference.

The draw of internationally recognized members of the food community is a coup for a movement that has grown exponentially in Georgia the past few years, and it’s a testament to Georgia Organics’ and Slow Food Atlanta’s tenacious members. The first conference numbered in the hundreds; this year thousands came from across the country to support and learn more about organic farming and sustainability.

But the problems of high price and limited availability of organic products remain an issue, especially in Georgia. Many people would like to eat local, organically grown foods, but they can’t afford them.

Petrini believes the issue of waste is key to cost. “In Italy, we throw away 22,000 tons of food everyday,” he said in an interview Friday night, through an interpreter. “And yet 1 billion people still suffer from hunger. When waste is eliminated -- food wastes, energy wastes, distribution wastes -- the price of food will come down."

Petrini continued: “Agriculture translates to a love of environment; a love of our history; and a love of spirituality. But we have become disconnected from our food sources. Integrated industrialized farming is based on the notion that food is nothing more than a commodity without understanding its values. It devalues food, and those who eat food -- which is everyone. We are not only consumers. After all, the first human act is eating.”

Petrini is quick to point out that many of the most exciting things in regard to sustainability are happening in the United States -- and in Georgia. “We must build a new humanism,” he said, “and we must make food education a vital part of our initiative.”

An education that may start with a mule.