Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

What’s Really Important?
September 26, 2011
http://www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com/what%E2%80%99s-really-important/

Sometimes I remember what’s really important when I am doing something that 
doesn’t seem very important at all. And I remembered it while manning the 
grill with Dave Zinczenko at Apple Fest 2011.

I didn’t ask him to help me cook organic hot dogs (generously donated by 
Applegate Farms) for my Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen stand, he volunteered. 
He joined an august group of dedicated helpers who I am extremely grateful 
to—Ethne Clarke, Kate Oswalt, Tony Hail (son-in-law), Dana Blinder, Heidi 
Rodale, Melissa Chuhran, and others—some of whom I had never met before. 
Since it was Apple Fest’s third year, we weren’t sure what to expect. All we 
knew was that whatever we did that day was to benefit the Rodale Institute, 
and that was the primary reward.

The festival began at 10:00, and by 10:01 there were cars lined up down the 
gorgeous country lane as far as the eye could see.  And that line of cars 
didn’t stop all day (the final count was about 4,000 attendees). I thought it 
reminded me of what Woodstock (no, I wasn’t there) must have been like. 
Others said it reminded them of Field of Dreams. We started grilling. We had 
four giant grills going at once. And we didn’t stop until 5:30.

While we grilled we talked to people. I pointed out to Dave people I’ve known 
for a lifetime and new people I’d just met. There were employees and their 
families. There were former employees and their families. Everyone had a 
story and a reason for coming, even if it was just to enjoy getting outside 
on a beautiful day.

As we hustled over the grill I thought back to the night before, when we had 
honored the 30th anniversary of the Farming Systems Trial and the organic 
pioneers who started it. Dr. Dick Harwood, the scientist who built the 
research study, told the story of how it all began and how critical the 
support of Rodale Inc. was to making it happen. But I also remembered from 
that time how many corporate executives within the company were opposed to 
the fact that my father was spending so much money on the institute and some 
crazy study. But through my father’s courageous generosity, he helped create 
the fertile ground where all sorts of new things grew. Businesses like 
Stonyfield Farm and Whole Foods grew out of that research. Organic farmers 
saved their family farms based on the research. Universities around the world 
expanded their research based on ours. And the company (which is a separate 
entity from the Rodale Institute) gained valuable insights that helped us 
become the information leader in healthy living on a healthy planet. And 
together we learned that organic farming can feed the world.

Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, spoke passionately about the role 
the institute has played in his business and the importance we all play in 
shaping and encouraging public action—which is the original beating heart of 
Rodale Inc.

One of the honorees, Maurice Small of Ohio, also reminded me what is 
important. His mission involves helping people in inner-city, underserved, 
and down-on-their-luck communities learn how to grow their own food. He asked 
me to sign my book. Of course I thought he meant Organic Manifesto, but he 
ran back from his car carrying my original gardening book (he also had a copy 
of J. I. Rodale’s Healthful Living Encyclopedia). These books helped him 
learn to garden organically and share his knowledge with others because the 
messages were simple. J. I. Rodale founded the company with the idea that we 
can take complicated information (whether it’s medical journals or scientific 
research) and make it easily understandable for people.  Maurice Small got a 
standing ovation for his acceptance speech, which encouraged all of us to 
serve others and keep the message simple.

What does all of this have to do with grilling hot dogs? Well, it’s simple. 
Rodale Inc., at it’s organic apple core, exists to serve other people, to 
help them learn and understand how to live healthier lives and take care of 
this precious earth that sustains us. That’s all. It’s that simple.

And doing that work is a pleasure and labor of love that has supported 
families, communities, and other businesses for decades. And when we do our 
work with that spirit and energy of service, the business flows in—the cars 
line up for miles, because people can tell it’s real. In fact, bringing this 
back to Apple Fest, the whole reason we can have a Pick Your Own Apple 
Festival is because people said growing organic apples “couldn’t be done.” 
Well, we did it. And now almost everyone in America can buy beautiful organic 
apples at their local grocery store.

So yes, times are tough right now for everyone—economically, politically, and 
emotionally. But we’ll get through it. Sometimes we can’t see where things 
will take us, and how it will all work out. But as long as we stay on the 
right course I am confident we will get “there.” And we will get through it 
because people and the planet need us more than ever and want us to exist and 
to serve. And there are still enough of us who love working hard, as a 
fabulous team, for the sheer joy of it, with love as the most valuable reward.

That’s what’s really important. And it’s simple.