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50p

Sleuthing Sustainable Farming

8 June 2018
Ryangwon K, Whittall '21.
Around the second week of May, Dale F, Whittal ‘21 and I got an opportunity to visit Stacey Toews’ sustainable farm with Mr. McCarthy’s AP Environmental Sciences class for a research project in Ms. Richardson’s 21st Century Studies. Everything about that trip was incredible, including the crossword puzzles from Mr McCarthy on the bus ride. When we first entered the farm, we were given a brief tour around his entire property: the backyard, his animals, and rows of fruits and vegetables, just next to his driveway. The most interesting and important feature about his farm was that every single aspect of it was organic and sustainable. Stacey never used chemical fertilizers, weed killers, pesticides, and other common chemicals used to enhance growth. Instead, he opted for a more sustainable approach to small farming by using only organic material to supplement his crops. For example, he would fertilize his plants using organic fertilizer, made from a mix of grass clippings and soil, and use coffee bags and wood chips to inhibit weed growth. Even without using the help of chemical and synthetic materials, Stacey is able to consistently have great crop yields, while keeping his farm completely sustainable. What Dale and I learned from this trip is that synthetic and chemical enhancers are not necessary or even beneficial in the long run to farmers. Using too many chemicals to boost growth can have detrimental effects on the land and water. Not only small scale farming in the home, but also industrial farming, needs to make a change in the right direction by using a sustainable approach to farming. Ryangwon K, Whittall '21.

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