Meet the Yoder Family (continued)

"Irv was part of a movement that returned the focus to soil health. It really wasn't a new concept. Irv would often quote William Albrecht, who goes back to the 1900's. We were blessed to be reminded of the value of biological farming. It made so much sense. We started spraying preparations that contained live bacteria and lime that contained micronutrients in the fall and early spring. The response we saw in the soil was dramatic. We saw the root systems of the crops improve, and the earthworms returned."

Kore recalled one farmer's visit to the Yoder farm. "This farmer's land was moist river-bottom land, and we had experienced a very dry summer, so I was reluctant to demonstrate our progress, but when I dug up a stalk of corn to show him, he was amazed. He said he never in his life had seen a corn stalk with such a healthy root system! Sometimes you need someone to come in and point out the difference. His perspective reminded me of all the things we are doing right, which reinforced our commitment to biological farming."

"There are thousands and thousands of farmers that still don't want to hear about organics. There is so much more information available today for us to learn from than ever before," says Kore.

"Now the cattle's health is the least of my worries. Our herd health has totally changed. The year before I sold my cows, nine had severe stomach illnesses in one season, but since we've been organic, I've only had two sick cows in almost six years. It's just not an issue anymore. Not pushing the animals provides a low stress and healthier environment for them, and is a more sustainable way of doing things. Now that we've made the transition, if someone told me I had to go back to the conventional way of raising cattle, I'd quit farming. I just wouldn't go back at this point," states Kore.