A Place for Wonder

with Alyson Earl

How can we hold onto joy in a world that is so challenging? How can we keep the openness and curiosity of a child? Alyson Earl believes that connecting to nature is a great first step. Alyson is the executive director of the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. At the Horn Center, she is creating space of wonder, a place for wonder, and connection to the land and ourselves. She and her team are raising up a new generation of farmers and gardeners—helping people reconnect with the importance of soil health, biodiversity, and mutually beneficial relationships.

Among other things, in today’s conversation, Alyson discusses regenerative agriculture, the need for us to become producers (not merely consumers) and how we can hold onto hope as look at our lives and the land differently.

Notes:

Highlights from the conversation include:

How she got started at the Horn Farm Center
Why agricultural heritage is vital
The importance of regenerative farming in our modern day
How we’ve strayed so far from the wisdom of the past
How they’re helping get small, organic farmers up and running
What a “farm business incubator” is and how it works
What it means to replenish the earth and its soil
Why we need to be producers instead of consumers
Finding the balance between the beauty and brutality of nature
What this work has taught her
Going deeper into the spiritual aspects of farming
How we can build the kind of society we want to see (many ants can topple a giant)
The value of mutually beneficial relationships in agriculture
How we can give back to the earth instead of taking from it