FARMINGTON – Mark Muller from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis will speak on “Food without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity” at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, at the Nordica Auditorium at the University of Maine at Farmington..

Two-thirds of American adults are considered overweight. Since the 1970s, the obesity rate has more than doubled for children ages 2 to 5 and adolescents ages 12 to 19, and more than tripled for children ages 6 to 11.

Co-author of “Food without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity,” Muller is director of the environment and agriculture program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minnesota.

The program promotes policies that support agriculture, forestry and other rural economic development opportunities, while also providing consumers with healthy, regional foods.

Part of the Eat Smart – Eat Local Conference organized by the Western Mountains Alliance, the talk is free to conference registrants and open to the public for a $10 admission. For more information, contact the Western Mountains Alliance at 778-3885 or [email protected]. For more information on the institute, visit www.iatp.org.