WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?

I found myself this morning in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at an organic farming conference. (I will explain later!) You might find this hard to believe but the keynote speaker was absolutely fascinating.

His name is John Kempf and he managed to combine charm, passion, and science. And some of his claims just floored me. 

If they were widely embraced, they would shake up the farming industry here and around the world. Traditional nitrate fertilizer and pesticide companies would take a major hit. 

For instance, Kempf claims that if a plant is healthy (i.e. getting all that it needs from the soil where it finds itself), it will be naturally resistant to disease and insects. Fungus will not take hold. Beetles will not munch on the leaves.

Think of it - Kempf is saying that if farmers manage their soil well, they will have no need of pesticides!

And he has the experimentation and the data to back up his convictions. 

Interestingly, although this conference was as secular as can be, Kempf is a man of faith and, upon seeing a large number of Mennonite and Amish farmers in his audience this morning, took Christians to task for faulty theology that keeps us from properly caring for the earth as we should.

He said he meets too many Christians who believe

1. Man has dominion over the earth.
2. The earth is cursed.
3. It is all going to be burned up someday anyhow. 

And consequently even people of faith don't treat the earth as if it were God's property that we are simply stewarding. 

Even though I am not a farmer, I plan to check out his podcast. Food production and soil management practices affect each of our lives in profound ways, even though they are hidden from our daily consciousness.