“I think our approach is: making it better–improving the land every time we have a chance. We are benefited by the sweetness of the maple, right? So, that’s a source of sweetness for us and for the people to come after us. And hopefully the pawpaws will be. One of these days, somebody can enjoy that fruit. Yeah.”
This week on the show we continue our celebration of 15 years of Earth Eats. This week, we explore what it can look like to have a vision for your land that extends beyond yourself and even your family. We speak with Larry Gillen and Helen Vasquez about their decision to gift their farm to a tribal college in South Dakota.
And Josephine McRobbie visits with Rachel Herrick a regenerative farmer building soil in the sandhills of North Carolina with the help of some four-legged(and winged) “teammates.”
A Visit to "The Crossing"
To get to Helen and Larry's farm in southeastern Indiana, you head south out of Paoli on a two-lane farm road. Eventually you hit a gravel road. The landscape is hilly and wooded and at some point on their driveway, you encounter the Patoka River.
If the river is dry, you can drive across it and up the hill to their house. If the water is up, you’ll need to take the foot bridge. On the day I visited with Marie O’Neill, the water was up. So we parked the car and grabbed the packs with the recording equipment.
Everything on their land seems to be well tended and that’s in keeping with their philosophy of land management. They see themselves as caretakers of the land rather than owners. They’ve planted hundreds of trees over the years, they manage invasive species (though not obsessively) and they grow a lot of food. They prioritize crops that preserve well for the winter months, and they give away what they can’t use themselves.
As Helen and Larry age, they are looking to the future and thinking about who will care for this 160 acre patch of land once they’re gone.
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Photo Credit: gettyimages-eugenesergeev
Categories: Indiana, Crops