Guest Blog

You may not need to force your kids to eat their vegetables – the backlash against veganism is here. With the rise in popularity of vegan, plant-based diets, people are discovering that plant-based diets are not healthier.

I stood in the bright August sunshine, looking into a pole barn filled with crop farmers as they listened to a no-till guru tout the benefits of cover crops and soil health.

Ten years ago, I made the three-hour trek to State College, Pennsylvania, to begin my college career. I was pretty sure I was armed with everything I’d need: photos of my family and friends, appropriately sized sheets, a little dry-erase board and a shower caddy. I was completely prepared, or so I thought.

I am writing today with a slighter different tone and feel than posts of the past. We are finishing off one of our more challenging summers here on our farm – a “lost summer” in the words of my brother and farm partner. Let me provide some background to bring us to Sept. 1, 2018, and the feeling of a lost summer.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was first published in the Delmarva Farmer.

Breaking out of our “silos” or “dairy bubbles” is a topic I’ve written about before. It’s crucial to explore other things than just what we do on a day-to-day basis on our farms.

When I returned to my family farm a couple years ago, my mother gladly gave up her role of managing employees. Since I had the opportunity to work off the farm for several years, I thought I knew what to do. I mean, I was a new hire myself in a new place with no previous experience.