I visited Paul Gebhart on his land East of Edinburg IL this last Tuesday and met a man gifted with a passion for the land. And in exhibiting his passion he offered me many enlightenings. One enlightening occurred when he invited me to munch lamb’s-quarter and pigweed. I did. I liked them both and found the pigweed sweeter. He explained to me the fact that lamb’s-quarter made a better silage than corn and yet is still considered a weed. I was amazed. I was also amazed at what he shared with me in the two to three hours that I was with him. He cheerfully explained to me a few of the results of the changes that he has been through in the last some twenty-seven years.

In the early 70’s he was at U of I studying animal science, working towards a degree with an emphasis and interest in breeding. He came home to his parents' farm in Edinburg taking with him the standard methods of farming at the time. The 70’s were a grand time for farmers. Paul and his dad bought more land. And easily did well. Times were easy. Then the 80’s came…and times turned hard. Paul saw his dad die from cancer at the age of 53. Cancer also took his grandmother. These events and others brought him closer to questions and then changes.

At a family reunion in Kansas he picked up ACRES USA, a magazine devoted to alternative farming and read it with skepticism…for the most part...but some parts made sense. He started making some changes and liked the results. He’s continued to read the magazine for the last 26 years and the skepticism is gone and a lot of changes are in. The old consumptive methods of farming are gone.

Today one of the new methods he is concentrating on is intensive pasture management. He chose this by looking at the original wealth of the earth 150 years ago. Farmers arrived then to begin mining the earth’s organic ore. These farmers mined the organic ore using the seeds of corn and wheat. Then the earth had some 7-8% organic matter in it year after year. This the result of yearly deposits from prairie grass and flora both above and below the ground. Today we limp along with about 3% organic matter. Paul decided to bring the land back to the 7% figure. He began to copy the old ways.

Buffalo herds would come through the land and intensively graze. Then they would move on leaving cut grass and manure. They would not return for many months if not for a whole year. The roots grew new stems, grass and seed and in the process their valuable roots made new nutrients by decomposition and new root growth. And the wealth of that earth was as deep as its roots. The grass was 6-8-10 feet tall and the roots were just as deep. Huge depth of organic wealth.

Paul imitates that buffalo herd pattern by moving his cattle every day via a portable electric fence to a new paddock. He uses some 30 paddocks allowing the grass to grow back and the roots to make their changes and enrich the soil. The 30 day cycle also breaks the 20 day worm cycle greatly lessening that problem found in the feed lot mode.

Paul is now planning for a busload of chickens - I am not making this up - to follow the cows. The chickens will be moved in via an old bus and let loose. They will scratch through the manure and the grazed-down paddock to spread the manure and to dry it out. Drying out the manure will keep the fly larvae from forming and the fly population will be greatly reduced. I suggested that the busload of chickens was something out of Gary Larson’s The Far Side. Paul chuckled.

In 1996 Paul was certified fully organic. So his beef, chicken and pork are all organic. As a matter of interest, every week five organic pigs are loaded into a $300 minivan converted to carry them to Iowa for slaughter. The loins are sent to the Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, CA. There Alice Waters, local girl made good, international chef and huge supporter of organic food serves them up. Note - if you want to eat there, make your reservation 6-12 months ahead of time and bring a couple of credit cards. The rest of the pig goes to the natural meat market, the next grade down from organic. Paul gets a fixed price of $65 per 100 pounds of live weight; this compares to $40 - 50 for standard hogs, and he is guaranteed a $15 spread if the price gets above $50.

I stood out in the yard finishing up with Paul, as he gave me that little lesson on lamb’s-quarter, and I was anxious to hear more from Paul. But that’ s another date.