Organic farming to be discussed

A national leader in organic agriculture, Fred Kirschenmann, will be discussing “Faith and Sustainability” at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Zion United Church of Christ of Medina.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Foundation for Agricultural & Rural Resource Management & Sustainability as one of its FARRMS Forums. It will also be one of Zion UCC’s periodic “Dialogues in the Fith Community,” which explores current faith issues and concerns.

Kirschenmann, a native of Medina, will be discussing his new book, “Cultivating an Ecological Conscience,” which was published earlier this year by the University of Kentucky Press. Kirschenmann currently serves as the president of the Stone Farms Center for Food and Agriculture at Ponticao Hills, N.Y., and is a distinguished fellow of the Aldo Leopold Center Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University at Ames, Iowa.

He serves as an honorary director of FARRMS, a non-profit educational and informational organization based in Medina. Kirschenman was an organizer of the organic farming movement both in the state and nationally. When he returned to the family farm south of Medina, he began farming using biodynamic and organic principles. He was a founder of Farm Verified Organic, now known as International Certification Services, and served on the initial National Organic Standards Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prior to returning to the family farm, Kirschenmann taught at various seminaries. He was ordained as a minister of the United Church of Christ in his home church, the Zion United Church of Christ in Medina, where he will be presenting the evening program.

“At a time when we are facing serious worldwide environmental problems, we have to consider how we respond to these crises from both a faith and stewardship perspective,” said Zion UCC pastor Karl Limvere, who will be moderating the discussion. Limvere also serves on the FARRMS board of directors.

Tags: life, religion, farming, organic, faith, zion