Growing a Revolution, No-Till Babes, & Frith Farm Workshop

Growing a Revolution

Farmer Jesse and I have been listening to David Montgomery’s new book, Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life. We’ll do a more in depth review later, but you should absolutely read it (or listen to it on Audible, it’s still audiobook season ‘round here), you’ll be glad you did. There is a lot going on at the grass roots level within agriculture to be hopeful about, both large and small, here and abroad, and it’s capacity to not only stop being so vulnerable in the face of climate change, dependent upon expensive inputs, and downright unprofitable, but be a major part of the climate solution, become more self-reliant, and more profitable while doing so. Spoiler alert: no-till farming and it’s handful of principles are mentioned repeatedly throughout.

No-Till Babies

There is a chapter in the book dedicated to the changes going on at the ground level in the mid-West. More farmers are adopting no-till strategies on a large scale and doing more complex crop rotations to decrease their use of fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides and increase organic matter. What stood out to me, personally, was an anecdote about one of the older sons of an early adopter being perplexed at seeing a farm till a field for the first time. One of the greatest barriers to a no/low-till future is cultural, the sentiment that it’s just not the way it’s been done for the last few generations, or that is just can’t work (i.e. feed the world). A common theme through the book is that the greatest change has not come from the top down, but from the bottom up, and has even greater potential for the upcoming generation. It’s particularly powerful for myself, having just welcomed our third child into the world two weeks ago, to know that the work we are doing today to promote these ideas may become common sense for our children who go on to farm, or for those we apprentice and send out to farm.

Frith Farm Workshop

The best way to spread no-till principles, contrary to popular belief, is by example. And the best way to learn is from fellow no-till farmers and farms. Farmers, generally, are risk-averse and conservative for good reason. Having profound examples of no-till farms within each region—within reach—where others who are not quite convinced by books, podcasts, or YouTube can see it work in real time, will be where the lion’s share of the work is done. Admittedly, Farmer Jesse and myself are still relatively new to no-till farming, but we’ve put together an amazing opportunity to learn from one of the most experienced no-till veg growers in the country, Daniel Mays of Frith Farm (gloriously pictured above). We’ll spend the morning of October 29th going over the nuts and bolts of no-till at Frith Farm and the afternoon touring Rough Draft Farmstead. It’s cliche, but it’s time to be the change, folks. Details on how to do so below.