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Fred Kirschenmann - Soil: From Dirt to Lifeline
Fred Kirschenmann has been involved in sustainable agriculture and food issues for most of his life. He currently serves as both a Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, and as President of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York. He also still provides management over site of his family's 2600 acre organic farm in south central North Dakota. He was recently named as one of the first ten James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards which recognizes visionaries in creating more healthful, more sustainable, and safer food systems. He is the author of a book of essays which track the development of his thought over the past 30 years; Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays by a Farmer Philosopher, published by the University of Kentucky Press.
5 Comments so far
Show AllWe seem to finally be beginning to break free of the linear advertising mass hypnosis that Dupont Monsanto et al are deities. Here swan, here swan - c'mon black swan... we're calling you....
Great little talk. Crisp, informative and inspirational. Makes me wish I had my own little plot of farmland right now!
You do. It's called America, remember. That abundant cornucopia your ancestors nicked from the guys who were doing a fairly good job of maintaining the balance of power between Man and the Rest of the Universe. Now go back and apologise to them and maybe they'll teach you something about humility. Then, and only then, will you get to enjoy that feeling of fertile earth (not 'dirt' as you insist on calling it) squeezing between your naked toes. Hey, if you figure out renewable energy before the whole system crashes, you can even take your Playstation with you - but by then you might have figured out how intensely boring they truly are against the fascinating wonder of watching earthworms at play... But that's the difficult choice isn't it; working the land sounds very romantic, but is in fact a bit of a mission. It's back-breaking, dirty, sweaty work that is ultimately rewarding, but probably not the way you think it is. There are no rewards other than watching your children grow up healthy and happy. There are no other benefits other than reducing your risk of disease, obesity and morbid self-reflection. The benefits are too numerous to mention, but you gotta work for it buddy.
"...still provides management over site of..." that would be 'management oversight', one word, as in keeping an eye on the site, as opposed to 'management over the site'.
except for perennial grain development, this was also the teaching of the great japanese natural farming master, masanobu fukuoka. he added the broadcating of seed--no straight lines, and the nn-tilling of soil..to plough or hoe is very destructive, and weakens the plant..