Alumni of the Month
Stu Say, Chi '96
Four years ago, my wife and I made a decision that
altered the course of our life. We went to a Fourth of July party at my
wife's uncle's house and he is an organic farmer. As soon as I saw his
land, the produce growing in the hoop houses, I knew that I wanted to be
an organic farmer. So, we sold our house and bought some land. We knew
that the journey to be farmers would be full of challenges. That said, I
continue to work my full time job and my wife stays home with our three
children. We work in the field when I get home from work and on the
weekends. This year we are selling our produce at a Farmers Market and
to a store that sells local produce. We grow a variety of produce
including potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, eggplant,
blackberries, lettuce, and much more. There have been times when I
wonder if we are doing the right thing and if we will ever get to a
point where I could quit my job. In the end, neither my wife nor I could
give it up. It is who we are and we love it. Our children enjoy working
in the field...some of the time. When they are not helping, they enjoy
playing around us with each other. One of the challenges for us is
finding enough time to weed, pick bugs off the plants, and continue the
planting schedule. Our favorite part of being organic farmers is being
outside-enjoying a peace in the garden that we have not found anywhere
but in nature.
When I think of my time at Hanover, my first thought is always of my fraternity brothers and the good times we had together. My second thought, however, is always about the beauty of the campus and the hikes we would go on all around Hanover. Even at that time in my life, I found some peace being outside. My enjoyment of nature fuels my desire to be an organic farmer. Through this type of farming I work to preserve nature. We do not use chemicals on our plants and we do all the weeding ourselves. We use crop rotation and cover crops to replenish the soil and help keep bugs away. During the winter, we add nutrients to our soil by putting shredded leaves onto the soil to decompose. It is a lot of hard work, but the work is very rewarding.
My goal is to share my love of nature that I found at
Hanover with my children.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Have a suggestion? Send it to webmaster@hanoversigs.org!
Past Sigs of the month:
Ian Arnold