| February
16 , 2007: One of things I enjoy most about working
for The Rodale Institute is the opportunity I get to interact
with people. Not just any people, but the finest people you
can imagine.
On a daily basis, I’m involved with the rest of the
Institute staff. There are many folks here you never get a
chance to meet or hear from: research staff, farm operations
folks, administrators, office support—people with all
sorts of talents and skills, all working to move the concepts
of regenerative agriculture forward.
I also get to visit with farmers. And not just any farmers—farmers
like you who share a common interest in the way we farm and
a curiosity about how to farm more sustainably. Some farmers
I get to meet on their own farms, and others visit us here
at the Institute. Some I meet far from home.
I was in Texas recently and visited three farms around Dallas.
Again, I had the opportunity to meet some of the nicest folks
in the world. That’s seems to be true no matter where
I get to travel. Organic farmers who keep on learning, farmers
looking at new ways to be sustainable and farmers seeking
out the path that matches there unique situations are a joy
to meet.
I also have the opportunity to meet—and often work
with—the best ag scientists in the world. There’s
a tremendous number of really talented people pooling resources
to work on the issues that confront us on a daily basis on
our respective farms. From plant nutritionists to soil scientists,
and from crop geneticists to manure management experts, all
put their efforts into helping make your farm and mine more
sustainable biological and business models.
And I get to meet lots of folks like you—readers of
New Farm. Some I encounter when I attend events around the
country. Others I “meet” only through the questions
you ask via the website in “Ask Jeff” in that
yellow box at left. You can see
the recent questions here.
And this is where things really get interesting.
I get questions on every subject you can imagine—and
then some. That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy each
and every one of them, because I do. Some are just way out
of my league.
For example, I received an email regarding a small backyard
chicken flock that was apparently disturbing the neighbors.
Roosters like to crow in the morning—not once or twice
but all morning long. Well, the reader reported this bothered
the neighbors, who didn’t think it was time to get up
at 4 a.m. But the person who owned the roosters couldn’t
bear to part with them, so they wanted to know if there was
any way to surgically remove the voice box of a rooster—like
I said, way out of my league.
Then there was the question asking for an organic method
of removing grass stains from a dress. I hate to admit it,
but I don’t even do my own laundry, let alone give advice
on how others might do theirs. And I don’t do dresses,
especially.
However, most of the questions I get are right on target:
questions about the essentials and adaptations of cover cropping,
composting and practical crop rotations. Or questions regarding
soil organic matter, tillage and haymaking. I enjoy answering
them all. In explaining these soil health practices, I have
new opportunities to create a bridge to better biological
farming for someone who’s exploring their next step.
The Internet has opened up a whole new way to meet people.
Sure, I’d still rather be standing in your field or
here in my own back yard. But through the e-pages of New Farm
and through your questions, I get to expand the list of the
great people I know far beyond what was possible only a few
years ago.
I hope you’ll all continue
to send me your questions, tell me your stories and come
to visit me in person here at the Institute. I—and the
rest of the staff—look forward to meeting you in person.
And now I have a question for you: As I take time out to
write this column, I’m always wondering what you’d
like to hear more about. What topics would you like to see
me cover in this space?
I’m really looking forward to hearing from you on this.
From One Farm to Another
Jeff
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