Big ag book chosen as finalist for state’s best

The book targeting big agriculture in Dodge County is in the running for one of Minnesota’s best books.
Sonja Trom Eayrs, who is the author of Dodge County, Inc., received notification last week of being selected as one of four finalists for the Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota nonfiction.
The winner will be announced as part of the 37th annual Minnesota Book Awards during a live ceremony on April 22 at the Ordway Center in St. Paul.
“Not only does this designation raise the profile of my book, it also helps to raise awareness regarding the serious issues relating to corporate agriculture,” said Trom Eayrs, who grew up in Dodge County.
The Minnesota Book Awards is a year-long program that connects readers and writers throughout Minnesota with the stories of neighbors. The process involves submissions and two rounds of judging.
Trom Eayrs’ book exposes the antics of corporate farming targeted at those who she sees as being involved in the demise of rural America.
Since its release last November, Trom Eayrs has received considerable praise and recognition from individuals and organizations across the state and country. Among them is Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. He said, “Sonja Trom Eayrs rings the alarm in Dodge County, Incorporated, speaking poignantly from her personal experience about how the American dream in southern Minnesot has been taken away from so many. It also reminds us that the people have the power to fight back and reclaim our broken food system for farmers, rural communities and all Americans.”
She held a book signing last weekend in Rochester.
Over the upcoming months she will take part in many events sponsored by media outlets, churches, libraries, state land organizations and national farm groups.
For more information about the book, go to www.sonjatromeayrs.com.