For most of the last decade, I assumed the direction of my life had a natural progression. I am a farmer, and although the details were sometimes hazy, having my own farm one day seemed like the ideal destination. I spent years building the skills I thought I would need: vegetable production, irrigation, hoophouses, equipment,… Read more: Wandering in Place

I have spent more than a decade farming, so when I tell people that I’m traveling through Asia by volunteering on farms, there is an obvious question: Why? I’m not WWOOFing because I need someone to teach me how to weed a row, transplant seedlings, run irrigation, harvest vegetables, or survive a long day outside.… Read more: Why I WWOOF as a Farmer

By the time I arrived in Korea, I had already spent more than a decade farming in the United States and three months working on farms in Japan. I wasn’t coming to Korea looking for someone to teach me how farming works. I was interested in comparison. Which problems are universal? Which solutions only make… Read more: What Three Months on Korean Farms Changed for Me

I spent about a month at Gucheungam Hermitage, a small Buddhist hermitage above Hwaeomsa Temple on the slopes of Jirisan in South Korea. Before arriving, I had shaved my beard. Between the shaved head, simple clothes, and the fact that I was living at a Buddhist hermitage, I kept getting mistaken for a monk. After… Read more: More Farmer Than Monk

I have a computer science degree, spent several years writing software, and have spent more than a decade working on small organic vegetable farms. Those two experiences have left me with a slightly inconvenient opinion: That probably sounds strange coming from someone who also helps farms and agricultural organizations with websites, technology, spreadsheets, and digital… Read more: Small Farms Should Use Less Software