From Astroturf to Carolina Dirt | August 2022

Our Story WHO WE ARE...

From 2007 to 2012 we, the Millers, adopted our first three children, a preschooler on the autism spectrum and two babies with Down syndrome.

We published our first issue of Plain Values in 2012 to highlight Biblical ministries, share the beauty of adoption, and to cultivate anchored community. In 2018 we welcomed our fourth child in a surprise adoption, this time a baby with Mosaic Down syndrome. We homeschool our family and enjoy working together to grow and raise food on our twelve acre homestead.

WHAT WE BELIEVE...

Our values are plain values, steeped in the rich traditions of yesterday. We enjoy the simple things in life. Gathering eggs from the coop, getting our hands in the dirt to grow food, and cooking meals from scratch. Sometimes we sit around a fire and share life. We strive to walk humbly to strengthen authentic relationships with our families and neighbors. And, yes, we have taken a fresh pie to a front porch and surprised a friend… we didn’t even text them before! We just stopped by, walked up the steps, and knocked on the door! Just the way our grandparents used to do on a Sunday evening. They called it living in community.

We seek to serve our neighbors. Plain Values began with a prayer, hoping to play a small role in connecting a child with Down syndrome to his or her forever family. We have checked that box nearly a dozen times in the last ten years, and we will not stop until the orphanages are empty! We will rest in Heaven!

HOW YOU CAN HELP...

Join us as we pursue a more authentic life. By subscribing to Plain Values, a portion of each subscription goes directly to Room to Bloom, our non-profit that supports children with special needs.

Our Team PUBLISHER

OFFICE

WRITERS

Marlin Miller

Nic Stoltzfus, editorial manager

Nic Stoltzfus, Serving Our Neighbor

ADVERTISING Matt Yoder, sales advisor - Ohio Aaron Stutzman, sales advisor - Michiana + Pennsylvania

SEPTEMBER AD CLOSE

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Sabrina Schlabach, quality assurance

Sabrina Schlabach, Golden Family Adoption

Bethany Troyer, bookkeeping

Bruce Barlow, Whispers of Hope

Jan Schlabach, customer service

Rory Feek, Roots + Wings

Isaac Hershberger, production manager

Shawn & Beth Dougherty, Homestead + Roots

Seth Yoder, graphic artist

Joel Salatin, Confessions of a Steward

August 8, 2022

Ferree Hardy, The Widow's Path Elam Stoltzfus, Our Heritage

Plain Values is published monthly by Plain Target Marketing, LLC. Please contact us with any questions.

Jim Zumbo, All Things Outdoors

a: PO Box 201 /2106 Main Street, Winesburg, Ohio 44690 // p: (330) 601- 6106 // f: (330) 601- 4099 // e: reachout@plainvalues.com // w: www.plainvalues.com This publication and its contents are © 2022, Plain Target Marketing, LLC. Individual copyrighted items, trademarks, etc. contained within are the property of their respective copyright holders. No part of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed by any means without authorization from the publisher. Publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ offers, products, or services, and publication neither expresses nor implies an endorsement.

Join us for Porch Time every third Friday from 1:00pm – 4:00pm During this time window, you’re invited to stop by, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, sit on the porch, and visit for a while. We'd love to get to know you!

2106 Main Street Winesburg, Ohio 44690 3

JULY 2022

contents

August 2022 // Issue 110

serving our neighbor 13

FROM ASTROTURF TO CAROLINA DIRT The Story of Jason Brown and First Fruits Farm words by: Nic Stoltzfus Jason and Tay Brown never intended to be farmers — he was a pro football player, and she was a dentist. But this was the call that God had for their lives.

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ANDREW & CASSEY GOLDEN'S ADOPTION STORY The First Year words by: Sabrina Schlabach The incredible story of a family who's adopted a set of adorable twin boys with Down syndrome.

simple living 37

HOMESTEAD + ROOTS God's Will column by: Shawn + Beth Dougherty Shawn and Beth provide a transparent look into their lives at the farm and how God has provided for them.

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CONFESSIONS OF A STEWARD Honest Horse Keeping column by: Joel Salatin Joel shares his unique insights on keeping horses that "buck the trend" of traditional stalls and bedding practices.

resources 10

WHISPERS OF HOPE by: Bruce Barlow

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ONE MINUTE WITH MARLIN

ON THE COVER

PRAYERS FOR THE NATIONS

Thoughts and ramblings from Marlin Miller, publisher of Plain Values.

The transition from NFL to farmer is even more stark when placed side-by-side.

This month we take a closer look at the country of Mozambique.

community 31

ROOTS + WINGS Sowing Seeds column by: Rory Feek Each spring, we still till the ground in the same spot where my wife Joey always had her garden, and I continue to sow seeds and grow vegetables there even though I’ll never be as good at it as she was.

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THE WIDOW'S PATH Life's Valleys column by: Ferree Hardy You might not understand the road you’re on. That’s OK. God understands it.

You might not be able to see where you’ll end up. That’s OK. God sees.

history 51

OUR HERITAGE Printing the Ausbund

(part eight)

column by: Elam Stoltzfus The final installment of Elam's eight month series on the history behind the printing and usage of the Ausbund hymnbook.

outdoors 54

ALL THINGS OUTDOORS Salmon column by: Jim Zumbo For many reasons, the salmon has millions of admirers across the country. They’re terrific fighters on rod and reel, some subspecies attain great sizes, and they’re a culinary delight with beautiful bright orange meat.

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one minute with Marlin

63 MILLION. That’s how many babies have been killed because of the Roe vs. Wade decision 50 years ago. My dad and I attended a pro-life event in Washington DC many years ago where more than a million people gathered… it was an ocean of folks!

Like many have said recently, they didn’t believe they’d live to see the day Roe vs. Wade was struck down, and yet it happened on June 24, 2022. The only thing I can say is Praise the Lord!

As joyful as the decision makes me, it leaves me with a question. Several actually. Will the Church at large, those same people waving their pro-life banners or shouting slogans, be willing to step up to the plate today, next week, and next year? Will the Church be willing to extend grace and mercy to post-abortion women? Will the Church open their arms and homes to women who want to raise their babies but need support to do so? Will Christians be willing to put aside their own fears, questions, excuses, etc., and adopt children who are being placed by their birth families?

We are staring opportunity in the face to be salt and light to a drowning culture unaware of the reality of what they are part of and where it leads.

It’s time to stop talking and get to work. We know where God stands on this. Now is not the time to condemn. Now is the time to extend grace, step up,

MARLIN MILLER

publisher, always looking for more friends

and stand in the gap. Eternity watches, and souls hang in the balance.

As always, may you find joy in the simple things. //

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whispers of hope

SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO FOSTER + ADOPT

HOPEFUL DESPERATION column by: BRUCE BARLOW

WE KNEW HE HAD BEEN DRINKING more than we

fears to God. I recognized my powerlessness to change

were willing to admit. And we knew he had more

him or his heart. I shifted to a parental posture of

of a problem than he was willing to admit. We had

hopeful desperation.

A pastor friend preached, “Desperate Parents Make

challenged him countless times and had come within

the Best Parents.” Do the right things as a parent:

an inch of throwing him out of our home many times.

But, we were loving parents, deeply involved in our

•

Read the Bible with your children.

•

Have family devotional times.

our persistent love and advice, and surely we would

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Send them to youth group.

see a breakthrough.

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Be faithful at church.

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Learn memory verses.

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Encourage them in their academics and

children’s lives, and deeply committed to the gospel and serving Jesus. Surely our child would respond to

Then the phone call came. He told us “the rest of the story.” He had been arrested on his way to a drug buy. He said he wanted to get through the withdrawals

interests.

and then go to a Christian residential addictions program for men. That was the start of the journey to

But all of that will not matter if the Holy Spirit does

freedom for him, and for us as parents.

not do a work in their lives. He taught us that our best

I remember the fear those first few nights. Was

work as parents, though all those other things are right,

he “sick of being sick”? This is key for anyone dealing

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is on our knees in prayer. That is hopeful desperation.

with substance abuse and addiction. Would he make

On the third day of his recovery, as my son was

it through the withdrawals? I had tried so hard to be

reading his Bible, he called and shared Philippians

a good parent and not a failure as a father. I did not

3:13-14 with me. He said he was eager to forget what

want to fail my son as my father had done. That meant

was behind and strain toward what was ahead. My

more to me than anything. But that meant being a

heart was hopeful, yet I knew the difficult battle that

“successful parent” had also become my idol. So, the

lay ahead to defeat the addiction. Hopeful desperation.

second night was my surrender. I cried, opened my

We started reading Ed Welch’s book Addictions:

hands, and said, “OK God, he is yours.” I handed my

A Banquet in the Grave. It was a challenging and

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scary read but good for our hearts. Then, I called and talked to Mark Shaw, the author of The Heart of

"He taught us that our best work as parents is on our knees in prayer."

Addiction and several other Bible-based books and resources for parents and people seeking freedom from addiction. He warned about relapse, and that re-surfaced our deep fears. But, Mark also affirmed that idols in the addict’s heart could be torn down and freedom in Christ is possible. We were growing

I have had to process through lots of anger: anger

in hopeful desperation.

at the devil, anger at the power of the drugs, they are

We prayed for new ruts in his mind. The rewiring

such a cruel prison, and anger at my son for sinful

of the brain in substance abuse is real. Thought pattern

and enslaving choices. All the anger served little

ruts had been created. We prayed desperately for new

purpose except to distract my heart away from hope

ruts in his mind. We prayed that the time in God’s

and desperate prayer. I repented often, and still do, to

Word and biblical community he was experiencing at

get back to hopeful desperation.

rehab would develop new habits and mental ruts.

God has been so faithful and strong. My son never

Many people worried I would beat myself up as a

turned away from God, and his faith is stronger now

father failure. They feared we would not be willing to

than ever. It doesn’t always turn out this way, I know.

let others help us. But the desperation broke through

I have often been faced with this choice: do I trust

any reticence. God gave us amazing friends, some

that God is going to do His work in my son — OR — am I

with experience in addictions and some without, but

going to force my will on the situation, trying to make

all willing to listen, love, and pray. They bolstered our

things turn out the “right” way. Hopeful parenting is

hope.

choosing to trust God’s will for my son. //

Bruce Barlow is the board chair of Lost Sparrows. They can be reached at P.O. Box 751, Winona Lake, IN 46590.

Learn more about Lost Sparrows at www.lostsparrows.org.

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FROM

TO

CarolinaDirt words by: NIC STOLTZFUS

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Jason Brown and the Story of First Fruits Farm honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

P ROV ERBS 8 : 9 -1 0 N I V

HAS GOD EVER TOUCHED your heart, encouraged you to take a leap of faith and do something big? What if it meant completely giving up your job, starting a new job in a different field, and relocating your family to a completely different state?

Jason Brown did just that. He was a starting NFL center making millions of dollars, praised by millions of people. But God touched his heart, and Jason decided to walk away from the NFL to become a farmer, a career he knew next to nothing about. How did this man switch fields from AstroTurf to Carolina dirt? This is the story of Jason Brown and the founding of First Fruits Farm.

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Roots Jason’s grandfather Jasper Brown was a farmer in Yanceyville, North Carolina. For generations, his ancestors farmed North Carolina’s rich loam.

During the ’60s, when schools were desegregating across the US, Jasper enrolled his children in a former all-white school in hopes of providing a better education for his children. This angered the local white community, and they reacted by harassing the Brown family: a noose was hung in a tree outside their farm, dynamite exploded their fields, and two cars full of white men tried to run Jasper off the road and kill him. This was too much for the family to take: Jasper, his wife, and four children fled to Washington, DC. Jasper’s son Lunsford grew up in DC, over a hundred miles away from his North Carolina farming roots. But he held onto them how he could: he married a girl from North Carolina and became a landscaping architect.

However, Lunsford and his wife were worried about raising a family in violence-ridden DC, so his wife and the children left Washington, DC to be closer to her family in Henderson. Lunsford remained in DC at his job, so his children grew up not spending a lot of time with their father. His son Jason was born in Henderson, North Carolina, on May 5th, 1983.

Growing up, Jason and his older brother Lunsford II (known by the family as “Ducie”) spent summers in DC helping with their father’s landscaping business. Jason said, “Over those summers, I learned how to make things beautiful. I learned how to landscape and garden on a small scale.”

The rich farmland of Yanceyville, North Carolina where Jasper Brown made his living

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"When he was thirteen, Jason figured out the priorities he valued most in his life: faith, family, and education.

These three things were the roots that gave him strength and stability."

When he was thirteen, Jason figured out the priorities he valued most in his life: faith, family, and education. These three things were the roots that gave him strength and stability. Faith, family, education.

In middle school, Jason was a chubby kid who enjoyed books more than working out. But in high school, he discovered he had a knack for lifting weights, and he excelled on the football field.

Brown graduated high school in 2001, top ten in his class. That fall, he was accepted on a football scholarship to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Jason did well at UNC: he was ranked several times as the top center in the nation and set several school records in weightlifting.

During this time, Jason’s older brother Ducie married and enrolled in the US Army. Jason was skeptical about his brother’s decision and questioned the risk involved. Ducie responded, “Before you can help somebody else, you first have to help yourself.” He told Jason that he wanted to dedicate his life to service.

Uprooted

Jason and Tay got married on July 25th, 2003.

It was in Chapel Hill where Jason met Tay.

Less than two months after one of the happiest

Tay was paying her way through college at Duke

days of his life, Jason was hit with horrible news:

University, and she was committed to her goal of

his brother Ducie was dead.

becoming a dentist and making a better life for

On September 20th, a mortar round exploded

herself. She was born into a single parent home,

in the tent where Ducie and members from his unit

and life growing up for her was challenging. Jason

were located in an Iraqi prison outside of Baghdad.

admired her faith, hard work ethic, and quiet

His body absorbed the blast, saving the lives of his

determination. The day after their first date, Jason

fellow soldiers. After the funeral, Ducie’s widow

called his parents and said, “I’ve found the one.

Sherrie gave him one of his brother’s shrapnel-

God sent me the woman I’m going to marry.”

shredded dog tags. Jason wore Ducie’s dog tag for

"Less than two months after one of the happiest days of his life, Jason was hit with horrible news..."

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Jason Brown on the field as the center for the St. Louis Rams

every game for the remainder of his college career.

It symbolized to Jason his brother’s sacrifice and

life had been uprooted by his scramble for more

commitment to living a life of faith and purpose.

money; living the high life of glitz and glamor; and

After Jason finished his four years of college

yearning for more, more, more.

at UNC, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens to play as center in the 2005 NFL draft. At the same

This is not what God had planned for Jason’s

time, Tay was accepted into dental school at UNC.

life. On his twenty-seventh birthday, Jason was

Unfortunately, this meant that they would be living

given a vision. When he looked in the mirror that

apart during this time. Jason and Tay’s first child

morning, he saw his brother Ducie’s reflection, and

JW was born when Jason was away for a football

these words were laid on his heart: What are you

game. This was hard on Jason — he was reminded of

doing with your life that’s so great?

Jason felt convicted, but he didn’t change his

his father’s absence growing up, yet he was doing

life right away. Even though he was at the pinnacle

the same thing with his son.

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In 2009, Jason was recruited by the St. Louis

of worldly success, his family life was crumbling

Rams in a multimillion-dollar deal. By this time,

around him. Tay had consulted a lawyer about

Tay was finished with dental school, so they no

filing for divorce. When Jason asked his oldest son

longer had to live apart. The couple bought a

one day if Jesus was real or just a story, JW told

twelve-thousand-square-foot mansion in St. Louis

his dad, “Jesus isn’t real. Jesus is make-believe.” His

and stuffed it full of the trappings of success,

son’s answer troubled him.

right down to two stocked bars, one with a fifteen

Faith. Family. Education. Adult Jason wondered

hundred dollar bottle of cognac. Even though

what had happened to that thirteen-year-old boy

Jason valued faith, family, and education, his

whose heart had chased after God. How had he 16

"He decided to dig in and reconnect with those core values.

No sooner had he recommitted his life to God, he heard His voice: Pour It All Down the Drain." become so uprooted? He decided to dig in and reconnect with those core values. No sooner had he recommitted his life to God, he heard His voice: Pour It All Down the Drain. Jason listened to God’s voice. He dumped all the alcohol in his house down the drain, including that expensive bottle of cognac. He was put on Earth for a greater purpose and began to discern what that was. Jason prayed, fasted, and read the Bible. He recorded his prayers and listened to them repeatedly. He trained as hard on the spiritual field as he did on the football field. He sought a faith that wasn’t weak but gridiron strong.

Jason started to listen to God’s call in his life, and the story of Joseph in the Bible resonated with him. Even though Joseph’s jealous brothers tried to kill him, he practiced forgiveness and generosity by providing food for these brothers and the rest of his family during a famine. In his book Centered: Trading Your Plans for a Life That Matters, Jason quotes Genesis 45:5, where Joseph says to his brothers, “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

At first, Jason thought God wanted to feed his family, so he went to the local Sam’s Club and stocked his pantry. But he soon realized that that wasn’t what God wanted from him: God wanted Jason Brown to be a farmer.

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sold their mansion in St. Louis and began the search for a farm. After looking for several months, in late 2012, they bought a twelve-hundred-acre farm in the heart of NC’s research triangle and named it “First Fruits Farm.” Firstfruits is used several times in the King James Version, including in Proverbs 3:9-10, which reads, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Jason and Tay agreed that they would donate the first part of their harvest to those in need; that was the mission of First Fruits Farm. But there was a catch: Jason and Tay weren’t farmers! Why did God call them to do this? And how would this all work out? Jason did what he knew how: he took the same discipline he had brought to the football field and the spiritual field and brought it to the dirt field. In football, players repeatedly watch videos to learn from their mistakes and spot patterns in their opponent’s plays. So Jason turned to YouTube and began watching farming videos.

After doing hundreds of hours of research, he devised a plan: he didn’t want to grow cash crops like tobacco, corn, or cotton— instead, he landed

AstroTurf to Carolina Dirt

on the humble sweet potato. It is a nutritional powerhouse; these vibrant orange veggies are

In 2012, the Rams cut Jason Brown. He was

rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In addition,

offered contracts by the San Francisco ’49ers, the

with a long shelf life, it doesn’t spoil as quickly

Baltimore Ravens, and the Carolina Panthers. Jason

as some other crops, which is great for storage

declined all three offers. Tay was confused and

in food pantries. And these copper-skinned root

didn’t understand why her husband had rejected

tubers love North Carolina’s rich soil: over 60% of

all those high-paying offers, especially the one in

America’s sweet potatoes are grown in the state.

San Francisco, close to where her mom lived. At

With money saved up from his career in

first, Jason was worried about sharing God’s vision

professional football and his newfound knowledge

for his life with Tay; after all, the world saw him

of how to be a farmer, Jason was ready to get started.

as Jason Brown, one of the NFL’s top-recruited

Unfortunately, his financial advisor mismanaged

athletes, not Farmer Brown! When Jason shared his

his money — his fortune, worth millions, was gone.

new calling with Tay, she first thought he was crazy.

Jason cried out to God for help, which came in the

But then she felt the Spirit move in her heart— she

form of folks reaching out to a neighbor in need.

had noticed a positive change in her husband. This wasn’t just crazy talk; Jason was finally aligning his

Branches of Support

life with God’s vision for him. Tay agreed to stand

Despite the financial setback, Jason and Tay

by her husband, even though neither of them knew

were determined to continue onward. In 2014,

what the future had in store for them.

they were ready to plant their first batch of sweet

Jason felt that God was calling him to return to

potatoes. They decided to start by planting a five-

his homeland of North Carolina, so Jason and Tay PLAIN VALUES

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acre plot. Jason reached out to his neighbor Len Wester, asking for advice. But Len went a step further than giving his new neighbor advice: he got his friends David and Allen Rose to donate sweet potato transplants, and Len and his crew planted all five acres.

As the sweet potato vines burst through the soil and the tubers grew larger and larger, Jason and Tay were faced with a new problem: who was going to harvest them? First Fruits Farm was just them and their three children, all under seven years old. They were looking at thousands of pounds of taters to be harvested by only five people. Again, Jason prayed to God for help.

This time, help arrived as a phone call from a stranger.

The person on the other end of the line was Rebecca Page, the regional gleaning coordinator at the Society of St. Andrew. She had heard about what Jason and Tay were doing, and she was calling to offer to help with the harvest.

Rebecca told Jason that the mission of the Society of St. Andrew is to bring people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishment to hungry neighbors. Since 1983, the Society has donated over 800 million pounds of food to America’s hungry. One of the main ways the Society gathers this food is through the Biblical practice of gleaning (Deuteronomy 24:19). Gleaning is when someone gathers the leftovers from the harvest. Today, the leftovers are crops left in the field because they aren’t “grocery-storeperfect” and have bumps and dents. The Society of St. Andrew’s Gleaning Network coordinates volunteers to salvage the crops left in the field and donate them to folks in need. According to the Society, “each year, 35,000 to 40,000 people glean with us to pick over 20 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food for their hungry neighbors.”

The first harvest of sweet potatos at First Fruits Farm

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When Rebecca called Jason, she offered to have volunteers glean his five-acre field. But Jason didn’t want to give the poor and the hungry just the undesirables. Jason told Rebecca, “We’re not going to have any gleaning opportunities at First Fruits Farm.

We’re going to have harvesting opportunities. You’re not just going to pick up the leftovers. You’re going to have the best. In fact, you’re going to have it all.”

Astonished at Jason’s generosity, Rebecca began coordinating volunteers for this jubilee of a harvest.

When it came time to harvest the sweet potatoes on that small five-acre plot, six hundred volunteers pulled up over 120,000 pounds of sweet potatoes. What a bounty of a harvest! Volunteers with the Society of St. Andrew distributed this food across the region, feeding thousands of hungry families.

Today, First Fruits Farm is nearly a decade old and has donated over a million pounds of food to the hungry.

Jason and Tay’s faith has been tested during this time; like many farmers, they deal with years of bad crops, faulty equipment, increased costs, and other trials. But during the good and bad times, God continues to watch over them. Jason, Tay, and their eight children abide by the values of faith, family, and education as they tend to the farm they’ve been blessed with. The goal of the Brown family is “to have a light that shines brightly, and we encourage others to do the same by joining in our mission to ‘Never stop giving! Never stop loving!

Never stop growing!’ It’s that simple.” //

First Fruits Farm welcomes volunteers throughout the year on Saturdays from 9 to 11 am and certain available weekdays.

For more information on volunteering:

First Fruits Farm Mailing Address: 421 S. Garnett Street, Henderson, NC 27536 Farm Address: 2805 E. River Road, Louisburg, NC 27549 Website: www.wisdomforlife.org

Nic Stoltzfus is the editorial manager at Plain Values magazine. He and his new bride Jen live in Reading, PA and enjoy gardening, canning, and cooking (especially food from other countries!). He is currently working on a novel about the immigrant Stoltzfus family.

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Andrew & Cassey Golden's Adoption Story

The First Year words by: SABRINA SCHLABACH

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AS THEY STOOD in their bathroom, Andrew and Cassey Golden were surprised to learn that they were pregnant with their third child. However, there would be a nine-year gap between the baby and the next oldest. Andrew and Cassey wanted their newest addition to have a sibling close to his own age. For Cassey, this cemented the idea that they were meant to adopt. “Adoption was something that had been on our minds when we first started our family, but as Ava and Aiden grew older, and life got busier, that thought became fleeting,” said Andrew.

Andrew and Cassey originally decided upon international adoption. They began the home study process for adopting a child from Colombia through the special needs program. “While special needs may not have originally been on our minds, God took us on a journey to seeking it out,” shared Cassey. One day they had a conversation with a friend who had adopted domestically through NDSAN (National Down syndrome Adoption Network). The Goldens decided to move their home study from international to domestic adoption, also through NDSAN. They were approved for two children, which meant they could adopt siblings or twins.

In July 2021, the Golden’s profile was shown to a family looking for parents to adopt twin boys. Not just any twin boys: identical twin boys both with Down syndrome, a very rare occurrence. They knew the timing was crazy to adopt two children. Andrew was in the middle of a fellowship at school, and Cassey was caring for their three children, the youngest of which she was still nursing. However, they didn’t want to pass up an opportunity God gave them just because of timing. So Andrew and Cassey said yes.

On July 13, the Goldens were scheduled to have a phone conversation with the biological family to help narrow down their choices. But the unexpected happened. After receiving a phone call stating that the mother was in the hospital due to complications, the phone call was moved to the next day, July 14. Cassey and the children were visiting family, but they still had the phone call, with Andrew joining in from home in Texas. A few hours later, the Goldens received word that they were chosen to adopt the boys. Cassey was preparing to drive down to Alabama the next day to be present for the birth of the twins. Seven minutes later,

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another call came stating that one of the boys’ heart rate

Cassey commented that Andrew was good at making

had dropped and the babies would be born immediately.

her get out of the hospital and take a walk, get fresh

Cassey shared, “We hadn’t even told the children that

air, and eat something other than hospital food. One

we were chosen. I quickly explained the situation to the

weekend the whole family converged in Birmingham.

kids: we were chosen to adopt. Oh, and there’s not one

While Andrew spent time with Jude and Asher, the

baby, there’s two, and they are being born right away. I’m

children spent some time with their mom. Cassey did go

leaving immediately for Alabama.”

home a couple of times, most importantly on Ava and

Cassey arrived in Birmingham to meet the biological

Aiden’s first day of school. “This was a big deal because up

parents and the newborn boys. Jude and Asher were born

until this point, I had homeschooled. We had just recently

on July 14 at thirty weeks and five days, weighing in at

made the difficult decision to attend public school.”

2 pounds 4 ounces and 2 pounds 5 ounces. Because of

As Jude and Asher were in the NICU, Cassey worked

their prematurity and Down syndrome, they faced several

alongside the nurses to get the twins used to bottle-

hurdles. Jude and Asher were born with BPD (Bronchial

feeding. “It was such an isolating situation. I became very

Pulmonary Dysplasia), both had small holes in their

close with the nurses, the staff at the Ronald McDonald

hearts, and Jude possibly has PVL (This means he has

house, and the lactation consultant. I’m so grateful for

some brain damage from birth, and as of now, they’re

their comfort and support,” said Cassey. “Many people

unsure the extent of the damage. It typically means some

that have a baby in NICU are trying to wrap their heads

delays in learning and development). The boys would be

around the medical diagnosis, what their lives will look

in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for a while,

like now. That wasn’t the case for us. We pursued this. So

which complicated things for the adoption.

that side of things wasn’t difficult; it was the separation

The following two-and-a-half months were difficult

PLAIN VALUES

from family and everything normal.”

for the Golden family. Cassey lived at the Ronald

After Jude and Asher graduated from NICU, Cassey

McDonald house one block away from the hospital and

still needed to remain in Alabama because of adoption

spent most of her time with Jude and Asher. Andrew

paperwork. Thankfully, one of those wonderful nurse’s

flew in every other weekend; when he wasn’t there, he

mother offered a place for them to stay. Cassey’s mom

was in school, working, and trying to keep the house

came down to help as well. “The boys were on and off

going. Andrew said, “We had family and friends that

oxygen, and now every feeding and diaper change was

were taking shifts, staying with the kids to help keep

all on us. It was a learning experience,” Cassey said, “but

everything going. It was a uniquely humbling situation

in the end, it was good to have that little bit of time to

to see how God brought all the pieces together.” Cassey

get used to it before heading home and jumping into

added, “We’re both type A personalities and like to have

caring for five kids.” It was three months in all before

things organized and in control. This was very outside of

Cassey brought the boys home to Texas. “I was worried

our comfort zone.”

especially how Kai would handle it since he was only 18

26

months old and much of my attention would be diverted

apply for, no strings attached! There are grants available,

in caring for two very needy babies.” She needn’t have

but the paperwork is daunting, especially when we were

worried. Kai is absolutely enamored with Jude and

already filling out tons of paperwork for the adoption. It

Asher. Often, when Cassey wakes Kai from his nap, he

had been such a hard day; then we received that call. I

will hear the boys and immediately say, “Babies. Babies,”

just cried.”

looking for them. “It is so fun to watch that bond develop,

Reflecting on Room to Bloom’s gift, Andrew said,

knowing that they are close in age and will go through

“That made us a part of another vibrant and robust

life together,” shared Cassey.

community...we are grateful for the people that support

“It has been an exceptionally hard year, but we

Room to Bloom and actively make choices to support

can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Andrew will

orphans through adoption, being the hands and feet of

graduate from his fellowship, and a week later, Jude

Christ.” //

and Asher turn one,” said Cassey. “It doesn’t mean that everything will suddenly be easier, but it feels like such a milestone, like we’re through the hardest part of it.” The twins are doing very well. They are no longer on oxygen, and the holes in their hearts have closed.

Jude and Asher are gaining weight (although it is still sometimes a struggle to get them to take in enough calories), and therapists come out twice a week for physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

While this year has been full of upheaval, the Goldens see and appreciate the glimmers of hope they’ve

Never doubt that your generosity has an impact: your

received throughout. “God has kept me grounded, and

giving has directly blessed the Golden family’s adoption

I’ve recentered on family and family values,” Andrew

of Jude and Asher. We would love to bless more families,

shared. The friends, family, and church around them

like the Phillips family. The Phillips are adopting baby

have been such a blessing. “That first weekend when we

Andersen who has Down syndrome, club feet, and

were in the hospital, there was so much mystery about

AVSD (which means he has no chambers in his heart,

what was happening. Then we received a phone call from

requiring open heart surgery at 5 months old) and is still

Marlin Miller. While we had never heard of him or Room

in the NICU. They still need $11,000. Please make your

to Bloom, they were sending us a check to help cover the

donation to Room to Bloom and put “Phillips Family”

cost of the adoption,” said Andrew. Cassey added, “Do you

in the memo. Mail to: Room to Bloom, PO Box 201,

know the hope and reassurance we felt when we got that

Winesburg, OH 44690.

call? Here is this unexpected money we didn’t have to

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AUGUST 2022

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AUGUST 2022

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column by:

rory feek

LAST NIGHT, Indiana and I spent the evening in the garden

sowing seeds

weeding, watering the many rows of vegetables, and checking on how the seeds we’ve sowed this spring are doing. The broccoli and cabbage that were abundant a month ago are almost gone, and Brussels sprouts will be soon. Most of the other warmer-weather crops are just coming in. In the last week, we've been harvesting zucchini and squash, we'll be picking okra and cucumbers soon, and hopefully tomatoes and corn a short time after that.

august 2022

Each spring, we till the ground in the same spot where my wife Joey always had her garden, and I continue to sow seeds and grow vegetables there­— even though I’ll never be as good at it as she was.

"I THOUGHT OF ALL THE SEEDS THAT GOD HAS SOWN HERE IN THE LAST TWENTYSOMETHING YEARS AND THE INCREDIBLE FRUIT THAT HAS COME FROM THEM."

That little patch of land here on our farm was and will always be ‘her garden.’

As the sun was setting and Indy held her little hoe and I used mine, I couldn’t help but look all around and think about how in another way, this whole farm is a garden. I thought of all the seeds that God has sown here in the last twenty-something years and the incredible fruit that has come from them.

When we first bought our farm in the summer of 1999, the old farmhouse was in bad shape, and most of the land around it was overgrown, all in desperate need of some love and attention. The farmer who had lived here for the sixty-plus years before us was in his mid-70s and ready to hand over the skeleton key to the front door and the responsibility of the place to someone younger. Someone with more years and ambition in front of him than behind.

Rory Feek is a world-class storyteller, songwriter, filmmaker, and New York Times best-selling author. As a musical artist, Rory is one-half of the Grammy-award-winning duo, Joey+Rory. He and his wife Joey toured the world and sold nearly a million records before her untimely passing in March 2016.

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AUGUST 2022

Honestly, it would’ve made more sense for me to buy a smaller place in town or a little subdivision.

Instead, way back in ’99, God planted the idea in my mind that I should find an old farmhouse and put down roots there for myself and my children. And that idea — that thought — that seed — somehow took root. A few months later, my teenage daughters and I were scraping and painting and trying to turn this old house into a home. The work was hard, and I was soon overwhelmed, worried that I had made a mistake. But over the next couple of years, God would put people into my life to speak into me when I thought of giving up, reminding me that if I stick it out, this will be a wonderful place to grow old and one day pass on to the next generation. Like watering and weeding, I believe God provided those people and experiences to help me weather the storms of doubt. They were there to keep the weight and worries of the world from choking out the work that He had begun in the soil of my heart so that I would press on and trust that He knows what the fruit of that labor will be, even if I couldn’t yet see it.

That was 23 years ago, and the harvest has been nothing short of miraculous. Quite often, when people come to our place these days and look around at the farm, the schoolhouse, the concert hall, and all that has come to be, they will ask, “How did you know to create all this?” And I tell them the best way I know how; by saying, “There was a master plan… it just wasn’t mine.” Of course, I have poured my heart and soul into the work, but the real growth that has happened, what it has become, and is still becoming, is all His. Most of the time, different than the seeds

"...we don’t know what fruit will come from the seeds God plants in our hearts and lives, and sometimes that fruit even changes over time."

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we plant in our vegetable garden, we don’t know what fruit will come from the seeds God plants in our hearts and lives, and sometimes that fruit even changes over time. Our big red barn across the driveway began in 2006 as a shop — a man cave where I worked on old cars and stored the tractor and tools. A few years after that, we pushed those things out of the way and turned it into a tv studio, and I remember thinking, “Well look at that! Isn’t that amazing.” And then it became a place where we held square dances, family get-togethers, and

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weddings. My nephew even had his prom there. And

one-room schoolhouse where Indy goes to school.

I was elated. Again, smiling and saying to myself,

God planted a seed and something beautiful has

“Look what God has done!” And then, one day, it

come to be. My job is to water them with lots of love

was where we held a funeral — my wife, Joey’s. All

and hope and keep the weeds of doubt and despair

of a sudden, I was disappointed in what we’d built.

at bay the best I can.

But then, another part of me was in awe of what He

All these years later, I have come to realize that

had done, realizing that somehow God had known

life itself is much like a garden. We are each given

to plant a place here at home to hold something so

the opportunity to sow seeds into others’ lives just

special and give us the opportunity to say goodbye.

as God sows them in ours. And so, these days, I

Now, all these years later, that red barn is called

try to plant seeds and nurture them in the people

"Homestead Hall" and it's where I perform concerts

around me. To see what God might do with those

for people who travel from all over to spend an

seeds; what fruit might come. And honestly, I think

evening filled with songs and stories. It’s a place

it’s what I’m probably best at.

where I can walk across our driveway 10 minutes

When it comes to having a green thumb, my

before the show, walk back during intermission,

wife Joey and many other folks I know are much

and tuck Indiana into bed. Who could’ve known that

better gardeners than I will probably ever be. But if

when God first planted the seed in our minds to

there is such a thing as having a green heart, I like

build a barn, He had all those things in mind?

to think that maybe I’ve got one. //

Stories like that have happened again and again here at the farm in the last two decades, from meeting my wife Joey, to our family cafes, to the

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rory

PLAIN VALUES

36

h +r

homestead roots

GOD'S WILL column by: SHAWN + BETH DOUGHERTY

SOMETIMES KEEPING MILK COWS isn't about the cows; sometimes, it's about weddings, cancer, and love.

For example: One morning almost exactly four years ago, a girl arrived on our farm. She came with her brother, who wanted some farming experience and had been doing some work around the place. That day Ashley helped in the garden, planting late carrots and cabbages, and weeding the onions; in the evening, she helped milk the cows. It turned out that she loves cows: she'd studied veterinary science in college and later worked at a dairy in Pennsylvania.

She moved among our cows confidently and asked many intelligent questions about how we managed them. Secretly she was wondering if we weren't crazy­— keeping just a few cows, milking in a simple shed with a dirt floor, by hand, no milking machine­— but she was too polite to show her thoughts.

Her questions were mostly practical: what do you feed the cows (grass), how do you pasteurize the milk (we don't). “What do you do about mastitis?” she asked. We told her we seldom see this condition since it mostly arises in cows that are fed grain, whose udders are usually full to bursting, and is often transmitted through mechanical milking equipment. Hand-milked cows that eat only grass don't often get mastitis. But if a cow does, we just milk her more carefully for a few days, and it clears right up.

We didn't know it then, but that question was going to change all of our lives. Because in commercial dairy farming, mastitis is almost ever-present, an ongoing nuisance that costs hours of time and trouble. First in college, then at the dairy farm where she worked, Ashley had seen how mastitis compromised the well-being of the cows, even of the farm. But she'd never understood why it

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AUGUST 2022

Ashley with her heifer, Honeysuckle

was so common. Now we were telling her some cows, grass-fed cows, weren't liable to it. She decided she had to hang around and learn more.

Ashley began showing up at milking time, then

has no unhealthy habits. How could such a thing be

earlier, helping out with whatever work we were

possible? If there had been more time, we might have

doing, joining us at the table for meals. She was

been overwhelmed with shock, fear, and grief.

eager to learn and brought a lot of information and

But there was no time because Ashley needed

experience of her own. It was often interesting to

surgery right away. And there was no knowing if,

compare our methods with the University-approved

when the wedding came around, she would be able

wisdom she had learned. She fit right into our

to walk up the aisle and say “I do.”

community, too, attending our local church, and

So the young couple decided to get married

jumping in when neighbors had a need or there

immediately. They were so delighted with the gift

was a job to be done. And she loved the farm food,

of being united even sooner than they had planned

especially the dairy products that are so central to

that there just wasn't room for fear or grief.

our diet.

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With the wedding suddenly so imminent — and,

Three years went by. Ashley opened a pottery

six days later, the surgery — time was getting tight,

business, bought her own small farm, and began

and Ashley needed to shorten her chore list. So, her

milking two cows of her own. Best of all, she and

two cows, Gracie and Honeysuckle, were brought to

our fifth son, William, got engaged. The wedding

the home farm, where they joined Delphinium and

was set for June.

Rosa in our milking string. Milk still poured into

Then Ashley was diagnosed with cancer.

both households; just the chores changed hands

Young and vibrant, Ashley seems the least likely

a little. Ashley missed her cows — and they missed

candidate for such a diagnosis: she does lots of hard

her! We had to give them extra love at milking time

work out of doors, eats healthy farm-raised food, and

when they looked for Ashley and couldn't find her.

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Almost all the family were able to come a few days before the wedding, so the celebration began early. The young folks took over the farmhouse, cleaning, cooking, and moving furniture to make room for dinner and dancing. Furniture and carpets were taken out to the barn, and tulle and lights were hung up to make the house festive. The house buzzed with activity. On the day before the wedding, the girls went out into the woods and fields and brought back flowers — lilac, bush honeysuckle, Russian olive, azaleas — to make bouquets for the bride and the maid of honor and lovely arrangements for the tables.

Rescheduling the date meant the wedding would be even simpler than originally planned: no church decorations, no big reception, just a beautiful service with lovely music. But even though the ceremony took place on a weekday, lots of friends made it to the church to help us celebrate. Afterward, we stood on the steps for a long time, visiting, congratulating, and admiring the lovely bride.

Mixed with all the rejoicing was the thought of the surgery so soon to follow, and the long recovery, and our prayers for a good prognosis. Events like this draw our community together more tightly, and the young couple's unquestioning acceptance of their trial was an example to us all of faithful

we lit sparklers on the lawn, and the young couple

confidence in God's love and power.

got into their truck, duly decorated for the occasion,

Family, and a few neighbors, gathered at the

and headed off to Wooster for a BnB weekend.

farm afterward for a wonderful dinner to celebrate

Six days later, Ashley was in surgery. It was

our newest member. Candles and flowers made the

successful; her recovery is going well, and this

tables beautiful; the good farm food is always a

week she's back at work on the farm. After months

celebration in itself.

of living on mostly milk and yogurt, she's eating

Even on wedding days, cows must be milked!

almost normally again. We're so grateful for her

At four o'clock, Mom and Dad changed into chore

health, something it seems we'll never again take for

clothes and headed down to the dairy. Ashley got a

granted. And in two weeks, Gracie and Honeysuckle

quick hug from her new second father as he crossed

are going home to William and Ashley's, where in

the yard, and Maggie, daughter-in-law number four

September, Gracie will give birth to the first calf

and maid of honor, snapped a picture that captures

born on Mt. Tabor Farm in more than fifty years. //

something about this life: always a combination of work and celebration, joy and labor, beauty and dirt.

When the milking was done, we moved the

Shawn and Beth Dougherty live in eastern Ohio, where their home farm is 17 acres designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’. Using grass as the primary source of energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of their food, and feed, on the farm.

tables out of the way and danced for hours, the children joining us or slipping outside to play on the porch. There were many wedding cakes, brought by guests and family for the celebration. After dark,

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PLAIN VALUES

40

Confessions of a Steward JOEL SALATIN

COLUMN BY:

Honest Horse Keeping I DON'T OWN A HORSE. I don’t keep a horse. That’s precisely why I’m qualified to address the issue — I don’t have preconceived notions about keeping horses. I have thought and yakked about it quite a bit, though, because one of the most common questions people ask me is about keeping a horse.

Whether for recreation or work, in my experience, some of the worst ecological abuse is in horse lots. Many of my friends keep horses, and I’ve been to many places that keep horses, from full-time equestrian outfits to the honeymoon-is-overseldom-ridden situations.

More than 30 years ago, Equine News, a leading equestrian magazine, carried a front-page article about deep bedding and horses. In my short history with Plain Values, readers are already familiar with my basic pitch that the only honest way to house animals is on deep bedding. I mean deeper than 12 inches and preferably 24 inches or more.

Furthermore, I’ve already introduced readers to the necessity of animal movement. Not only is that foundational to hygiene and sanitation, but it’s also the only way to keep the ground vegetated with lush, healthy forage. The problem

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SEPTEMBER 2021 AUGUST 2022

is that almost no one adheres to either of these

Remember that nature sanitizes only two

principles — deep bedding inside; rest and rotation

ways: rest and sunshine or vibrant decomposition.

outside — in horse keeping.

Please see earlier articles to get the background

Stables use a skiff of sawdust, shavings, or

on this if you need to refresh your memory. In

other carbonaceous material in the stalls and

a lightly bedded stable and a denuded exercise

use a special fork to clean out the road apples

yard, neither of these sanitation principles

every day. Mucking stalls is the number one labor

happens. Thin bedding doesn’t offer enough

requirement in conventional stable operations.

depth to support decomposing microbes, and the

The bedding is never more than a couple of inches

outside paddock doesn’t get rested. In fact, it gets

deep, often covering some sort of expensive

pounded every day.

cushiony mat to keep things softer for the hooves.

This is a real dilemma for the horse keeper.

Whatever outdoor access the horses have

What can we do to rectify this debilitating

is a denuded lot with a few hardy thistles or

situation? The study cited in that old Equine

other unpalatable weeds. The hard soil does not

News article focused primarily on hoof health.

absorb rain; over time, the paddock resembles a

Next to mucking out stalls, the next biggest horse

moonscape more than a verdant prairie.

expense is farrier expense. With deep bedding,

The single biggest problem with horses,

according to the study, hooves respond to the

compared with all the other livestock species, is

microbial and fungal exudates and stay healthier.

that they are harder to crowd into tight outdoor

For hoof health and reduced farrier costs,

spaces. With an electric fence, you can put 400

therefore, deep bedding is the best approach.

cows on an acre for a day, and they’ll be content — I

But whose stable is built to handle bedding 24

know because I’ve done it. But 400 horses on an

inches deep, let alone 36 or 48 inches? This idea

acre for a day would not be content. They’d be

requires a complete re-think of the conventional

agitated and hard to keep in with the electric

stable/stall design. Yes, it requires retaining

fence. Even 50 would be hard to do.

boards, a retaining sill at the gate entrance, and

42

tall enough sidewalls to accommodate a horse standing 24 inches above ground level. Lest anyone thinks this idea requires far more carbonaceous bedding material, it actually doesn’t. Rather than mucking out stalls every day, the absorptive carbon composts as the urine and manure fall on it, creating vibrant decomposition with its incumbent health benefits.

Yes, the initial 12-inch bedding blanket will be a lot of carbon at once, but as the pack builds, the decomposition reduces its mass, just like in a compost pile. The actual take-out material is half what was initially put in, and that procedure only needs to happen once a year. Forget the daily clean out. Abolishing the daily mucking makes the one-day clean out seem like a picnic.

Now how about outside? Horses do respect electric fences quite well, which means they are compatible with cows on a single strand or sheep with electric netting.

I don’t know how much room a horse needs to feel comfortable, but from what I’ve seen, a quarter acre is probably acceptable. As long as the horse is trained not to chase the cows or the sheep, it could live in the flock or herd and move along with them. That way keeping a horse doesn’t require any additional infrastructure. And no additional time.

The problem is when no compatible flock or herd offers

$10,000 per stall due to peer dependency. A stall

a complementary and compatible keeping alternative.

doesn’t need tongue-and-grooved walls. In fact, a stall

With just a horse or two, the outside paddock is a real

could be a roomy pole structure with some cheap uncut

problem. The fact is no place on earth grows vegetation

pole timber (straight, small-diameter trees) around

fast enough for a one-acre paddock to adequately house

the outside to control the horses.

a horse and be divided into enough paddocks to offer

No horse cares if its stall costs $10,000 or $1,000 as

vegetation and pathogenic relief with long enough rest

long as it offers shelter, a clean, enjoyable lounge area,

periods. It’s just not ecologically possible.

and enough space to move around. If you get rid of the

So what’s a horse keeper to do? Normally horse

expensive cushiony floors, go to deep bedding for the

keepers use their horses for riding or towing things.

softness, and get rid of the tongue-and-grooved solid

Horses normally aren’t just wall candy. That means the

walls, the horse can enjoy commodious accommodations

horse should routinely receive necessary exercise and an

for pennies.

outdoor exercise paddock is not necessary. Generally, the

Many horse businesses create the worst of all worlds

outdoor paddock is simply part of the keeping model; it’s

with run-in sheds placed strategically in their outdoor

there because that’s what horse people do. It’s no more

paddocks. Unfortunately, the run-ins don’t have deep

necessary than roosts for chickens or heated doghouses

bedding, and the horses eat the paddocks into the

for Fido.

ground. In these situations, the horses don’t win; the ecology doesn’t win; the owners don’t win. The ones who

It’s just accepted practice, and nobody questions

win are the farriers and the veterinarians.

it. I’m questioning it unless and until someone figures out how to have one without it being an ecological

Cheap pole structures can offer expansive housing at

and pathogenic disaster. The alternative is roomier

extremely low cost. When combined with deep bedding,

housing. Many stable builders spend more than

this housing reduces vet bills, farrier care, and daily

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AUGUST 2022

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44

mucking labor. That’s a win for the horse keeper. A

breakthroughs have often been found in advice

covered loafing shed for horses certainly doesn’t

from strangers. Perhaps one day I’ll mention

need weather-tight walls. At our farm, we don’t

several of them, but they are profound. The

even have sides on our barns. An open-sided shed

problem is that when we’re in the midst of our

is actually healthier for the animals because it’s

situation, it’s hard to imagine a different situation.

almost like being outside but under protection.

But when someone waltzes into our context

That offers the best of all worlds.

without all the baggage, the assumptions, the

Finally, I’ll offer one more twist. If I were in

"we’ve always done it this way" encumbrances,

the stable business, I would use deep bedding

they can bring a fresh perspective we wouldn’t

in the stalls and keep one empty each day,

ever consider.

advancing the horses each day to another stall

To this day, I solicit advice from visitors. I’m

and vacating one. Two pigs would live in the

just reporting how I would adapt our livestock

vacated stall, of course also advancing one stall

handling and housing for the many horse-

a day. The pigs would stir the bedding, adding

keeping folks I’ve visited. I’ve seen those denuded

oxygen, picking out bits of feed and fermented

paddocks. I’ve heard the complaints about

waste, all stimulating vibrant decomposition.

mucking. And farrier bills. Why not try something

Clients would soon enjoy and befriend the

out of the box for a change? //

two working pigs (pig-aerators) as much as the horses. I submit that such a stable business would attract new clients due to the novelty of the patrons also being able to enjoy pigs. Where

Joel's Upcoming Speaking Events

do you get that diversity at a conventional stable outfit? For the one-day-a-year clean-out, I’d get all my clients to come with forks and wheelbarrows and have a pork barbecue, turning a daily chore

August 25-26

Polyface Farms (Stockman Grass Farmer)

into an annual celebratory shared-work day and

September 3

Hudson Valley, NY (Health with Max Kane and Abby Rockefeller)

shindig. This would put an exclamation point on a

October 7-8

Front Royal, VA (Homesteaders of America)

differentiated, unique horse boarding experience.

October 18-19

Jackson, MS (Stockman Grass Farmer Business School with Steve Kenyon)

At this point, I can imagine lots of raised

October 20-21

Jackson, MS (Stockman Grass Farmer Marketing School with Sheri Salatin)

March 7, 2023

Warwick, RI (Rhode Island Women in Agriculture)

eyebrows and legitimate questioning of my credentials to discuss horses. But with our farm, I’ve found that over the years, my biggest

Joel co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. When he’s not on the road speaking, he’s at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.

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AUGUST 2022

T H E W I D O W 'S PAT H

Life'sValleys column by: F E R R E E H A R D Y

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46

ON SOME DAYS, widowhood feels like being lost in the

surroundings, I saw similar pathways between all the

wilderness.

trees! And all the trees looked alike: brown trunks with

I almost got lost once. It was the year we

sparse brittle leaves clinging to scrawny branches like

homeschooled, and I took my three children on a field

broken fingernails. Mounds of gold and red leaves had

trip to Mohican State Park near Loudonville, Ohio. I

quickly resettled over our footprints. The hills looked

love the hills there. It was autumn and a good time to

the same, the gullies were identical. It was a place so

identify leaves, nuts, mushrooms, and any animals we

confusing that if you turned at all, you didn’t know

might spot.

which direction you’d come from.

Have you ever taken a path in the forest and then

I tried not to panic, but my heart began to pound.

found out it led to nowhere? That’s what happened to

We were in over a thousand acres of a state park, inside

me and the kids. The “path” we followed took us up one

thousands of more acres of a state forest! We could be

hill and down another. Then, when we turned around

lost for days! What kind of mother was I?

to go back, it wasn’t a path at all. We’d just followed

Confusion and fear encircled me like a flurry

openings from one tree to another. Looking back at my

of milkweed seeds and cobwebs, snagging my soul.

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AUGUST 2022

"The one comment I hear most of all, rising up from hard-earned wisdom, is this: “Where would I be without the Lord?”

If you have the Holy Spirit alongside, you have

I couldn’t brush them away fast enough. I had no

comfort for your weary soul.

compass or map to help me, and dull gray clouds blocked all sight of the sun’s direction. My good

If you have God’s Word, you have God’s “GPS;” it’s so

intentions spilled and ran out like marbles dropped on

much better than man’s. While regular GPS is dependent

a hard stairway. Fight, flight, freeze — the three choices

on the strength and availability of cell phone signals,

of an adrenaline rush—tightened my throat. Thoughts

God’s navigation system never fails. He knows where we

of “What am I going to do? What am I goingtodo?

are! He guides us through life’s trials and tribulations.

WhatamIgoingtodo?” blurred through my brain.

You might not understand the road you’re on. That’s OK. God understands it.

About ten years later, when I suddenly became a

You might not be able to see where you’ll end up.

widow, those feelings hit me all over again, except much,

That’s OK. God sees.

much worse. Widowhood was a land of no boundaries, no fence lines, and no way to walk back to where I used

You might be very afraid of the twists and turns

to be. The only way out was through. When I was lost in

in the road ahead. That’s OK. God is faithful, merciful,

the woods, I wished I’d had GPS, and I wished there was

loving, and more powerful than anything hiding behind

a GPS for widowhood too.

those twists and turns.

Don’t be afraid to start the journey.

You may have heard of GPS — Global Positioning Service. NASA’s definition is that “GPS is a system of

four or more GPS satellites, it can figure out where you

yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

are.” With GPS on your phone, you can see your location

~ PSALM 23:4 ~

more than 30 navigation satellites circling Earth. We know where they are because they constantly send out signals. A GPS receiver in your phone listens for these signals. Once the receiver calculates its distance from

on a map and can find directions to other places.

Get in your proverbial car (or your buggy) and

I’m thankful I found my way out of Mohican

get started. Here are some tips from other widowed

soon after I felt so lost. And I’m thankful that since

travelers:

widowhood, many widowed people have traveled the

Bring some good friends along with you, but only

path with me. They agree that it’s very much like being

the good ones. If some friends turn out to be negative

lost in the wilderness at times; they agree that the only

and toxic along the way, drop them off as soon as

way out is through. But the one comment I hear most of

possible. They do not want to go the same direction.

all, rising up from hard-earned wisdom, is this: “Where

If you get too tired to drive, if you feel you can’t take

would I be without the Lord?”

another step, let someone else help you for a bit.

We don’t have a GPS for widowhood. God’s given us

If you think you are going backwards, let me

something so much better. He’s given us Himself.

assure you that you are not. You are just on a highway

If you have Jesus as your Savior, you have strength

cloverleaf, an intersection where you have to circle back

for the journey.

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in order to set a new direction. “New direction” is a good

There will come a day when you find contentment

way to re-frame and look at our loss.

in the Lord. The two little words “trust” and “obey” will

Check your Bible every day, sometimes every minute!

eventually bring you deep joy.

It’s like a roadmap for your life. I guarantee you’ll get

So keep your eyes on the amazing path ahead, dear

lost without it. I guarantee that with it, you’ll not only

widows, widowers, and all who are grieving. Yes, it is

survive, but someday you’ll thrive.

full of dark, painful valleys, but it is also full of clear and

Set your “compass” for these two points: Trust God

breath-taking beauty. Deep joy we cannot even imagine,

and Obey God. They are the best directions you’ll ever

awaits us.

receive.

With Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit as your

Listen to good Christian music that feeds your soul

Comfort, and God’s Word as your roadmap, you will have

and uplifts your heart.

a perfect navigation system through the wilderness of widowhood—this valley of the shadow of death. //

And if you burst into tears sometimes, that’s OK too. We all do. I dare to say we all should! Just pull off

Until next month,

the road and let them flow. The widow's path requires

ferree l

plenty of rest stops and buckets of tears for some folks.

To learn more about widowhood, order a copy of Postcards from the Widows’ Path—Gleaning Hope and Purpose from the Book of Ruth. It’s a gentle, biblical guide for widows that has many saying, “This is the best I’ve ever read!” Mail a check for $14.99/copy (paperback, 248 pgs.), along with your address to: Ferree Hardy, 76 Grace Ave., Ticonderoga, NY 12883. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Free shipping for all Plain Values readers!

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AUGUST 2022

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O U R H E R I TAG E

Printing the Ausbund ORIGINS PA RT E IG H T

column by: ELAM STOLTZFUS

BACK IN 2019, I had our old family Ausbund repaired. The person who was recommended to me for the repair was Aaron Petersheim, a well-known historian and book collector among the Lancaster Amish. When I took the old tattered Ausbund to Aaron for repair, we connected over more than just the book. We discussed family connections (freundschaft) and the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead.

Aaron has been a volunteer there since the early 2000s and was the board’s first chairman; at the time, my wife and I were working on moving to the Homestead as on-site caretakers.

When our conversation returned to the Ausbund, he opened up his metal filing cabinet and handed me a list of all American printings since 1742. I was amazed at how many books had been

(left) The Amish Book Committee visiting the printing press in Chelsea, Michigan

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printed since then. From 1742 to 2021, over 400,000 hymnals have been printed in the US. Aaron also gave me the small book: History of the Amish Book Committee by Benuel M. Fisher.

Later the present-day Amish Book Committee gave me the original journals and ledgers from Steffie F. and Jacob Lapp. I visited Aaron several more times and discussed the Committee with him. Through reading and discussion, I gained a better understanding of the importance of the Amish Book Committee. I realized that these early members from 100 years ago — Steffie F. Stoltzfus, Christian L. Fisher, Jacob Lapp, and others—were visionaries.

Their

early

work — and

continued

grassroots efforts of Committee members through the years — to preserve German books has been key for the Plain people in maintaining their heritage.

In one of our conversations, I mentioned to Aaron that I wanted to see the printing of the Ausbund for myself and write a story about it. We started making plans.

On July 20, 2021, a group of us left Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and headed to Chelsea, Michigan, to see the printing press for ourselves and discuss the upcoming 65th edition of the Ausbund with printer Rinck Heule. I drove my SUV; my passengers were Allen King, Eli King, Jacob Lapp, and Aaron Petersheim. Allen is the Committee’s current chair, and Eli and Jacob serve as members.

On the trip, I shared about my travels to Passau, Germany, with Aaron and the Committee members.

It was an honor to tell my stories of visiting Veste Oberhaus, where imprisoned Anabaptists wrote about half of the Ausbund hymns.

When we arrived at the printing plant in Chelsea, the five of us met with Rinck and toured the facility. We were all in awe of its immensity and the large quantity of material it takes to keep a large printing operation going. One interesting discussion between the Committee members and printers was about strengthening the binding on the spine. One of the press supervisors knew the Ausbund hymnals were subjected to a lot of wear and tear and said, “Maybe the children shouldn’t play with the hymn book or be more careful in handling the book!”

The process of printing a new batch of Ausbunds PLAIN VALUES

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"Next time you open your Ausbund songbook, think about all that went into that book. Think about our Anabaptist ancestors and how their songs are a record of crying out to God amidst imprisonment, suffering, and martyrdom."

The shipment of the 20,000 Ausbunds was

even then, it’s assumed they were printing around

originally scheduled for delivery at the end of

1,500 songbooks.

October 2021. But because of the slow delivery of the

Juxtapose that to today: only a few months after

paper, ink, and other items for printing, the delivery

the 2021 edition was delivered, the Committee placed

date was delayed. The Committee didn’t know when

another order for 20,000 Ausbunds. Hopefully, this

the books would arrive. When the binding process

shipment will be delivered before the end of this

began, the black leather-style cover that had been

year. That means 40,000 Ausbund songbooks will be

featured for many years was unavailable. The

printed, sold, and shipped in 2022.

Committee had to choose a different material for

If there is a lesson to be learned from the

the cover. Hopefully, the black leather style will be

thread of stories about the printing of the Ausbund,

available when they go to print the next edition. In

it is this: a person with vision, determination, and

the meantime, you may want to hang on to your

desire to serve God humbly can leave a legacy for

Ausbund printed in 2021; it could be a collector’s

generations to come.

item one day.

Next time you open your Ausbund songbook,

The Committee had hoped the books would

think about all that went into that book. Think about

arrive by the end of the year, but all of the printer’s

our Anabaptist ancestors and how their songs are a

Christmas orders were delayed, so the first shipment

record of crying out to God amidst imprisonment,

didn’t arrive until the beginning of January 2022.

suffering, and martyrdom. Reflect on the many

Finally, a white and green R&L transport truck

people who valued these songs so much that they

arrived in Lancaster, hauling 10,000 books — half of

kept them in print, even at the risk of death. And

the original order. These books were packed into 36

as you sing, contemplate the importance of godly

boxes of 1296 books per skid and stacked onto eight

worship in staying true to our faith heritage.

large skids. A skidloader unloaded all these books

In next month’s article, we will look at the back

from the truck in less than half an hour.

part of the Ausbund, Ein Wahriftiger Bericht (A

As I watched the skid loader deftly zipping

True Report), which features a few of the Anabaptist martyr stories. //

back and forth with the books, I thought about the earliest printings in America 250 years ago. The books then were printed in a small family-operated

Sources: History of the Amish Book Committee; Benuel M. Fisher, research and

shop less than 100 miles away. Documents suggest

preface; Stephen F. Stoltzfus Journal & Ledger; Jacob Lapp, financial ledger.

that folks traveled to Germantown (likely by

Elam Stoltzfus currently serves as caretaker of the Nicholas Stoltzfus

horseback or on a wagon) to purchase their hymnals

Homestead in (Berks County) Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. In 2018, he traveled to Germany to document the history of the Stoltzfus family—this

from Christian Sauer. And because there were fewer

research is documented in German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The

people than today, the first 1742 printing lasted a

Stoltzfus Family Story. To order a copy of this book, you can mail a $30

decade before the second edition was printed. And

check to Elam Stoltzfus, 1700 Tulpehocken Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610.

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AUGUST 2022

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SALMON IMAGINE A FISH that is born in a stream, often swims a thousand miles or more to a place where it lives a few years, and then swims exactly back to its birthplace, spawns, and dies. That’s the salmon, an amazing nomad that inhabits the northern regions of the U.S., Alaska, Canada, and other parts of the world.

This fish has a unique lifestyle that is very different from others. Most fish don’t die after they spawn, as salmon do, and very few navigate their way back to the very spot where they were born. I’ve been to fish hatcheries where young salmon are raised and released into small streams at the hatcheries. After they swim to the ocean, which can be hundreds of miles away, they remain for several years. When mature, they will swim back to the hatchery to spawn. At that point, fish are captured by hatchery

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AUGUST 2022

employees who extract roe from the females and milt

red (sockeye), pink (humpback) and dog (chum).

from the males. The results are newly fertilized eggs

However, there are other important species including

which will produce millions of young salmon. However,

the Kokanee and Atlantic salmon, both found in the

Mother Nature allows only a small number to survive to

U.S. A freshwater version of the Atlantic salmon is the

maturity. This is true with all species of fish. To me, the

landlocked salmon, mostly found in the Northeast.

ability of a salmon to find its way back to its birthplace

Salmon that are born in freshwater streams and

after being gone for years is truly amazing, but so is

then swim to the ocean are called anadromous. They

the homing instinct of the tiny wren that’s born in my

may spend four or five years in the ocean, feeding

birdhouse. It flies away to distant areas for the winter,

heavily

and returns in the spring to the same birdhouse where

typically prefer certain areas in the ocean. It’s said

it was born. These instincts and other peculiarities of

that the longer they spend in the sea, the bigger they’ll

wildlife behavior are awesome and reinforce my love of

grow. Salmon that inhabit freshwater lakes and cannot

everything natural.

swim to the sea are incapable of spawning, therefore,

For many reasons, the salmon has millions of

until

fully

grown.

Interestingly,

salmon

hatchery fish are introduced regularly to ensure that

admirers across the country. They’re terrific fighters on

there are adequate populations.

rod and reel, some subspecies attain great sizes, and

In many areas where salmon spawn in the wild

they’re a culinary delight with beautiful bright orange

and are also stocked by hatcheries, the adipose fin on

meat. Limits are often liberal, and your fishing trip can

hatchery fish is clipped off before the fish is released

result in plenty of fish to cook, can, or smoke.

to swim downstream. When the fish grow to catchable

When you discuss the salmon species, you are

sizes, anglers must release all salmon that still have

generally considering the “Big Five Pacific Salmon,”

an adipose fin, which means it’s a wild fish. However,

which include the king salmon (chinook), silver (coho),

if the adipose fin is missing, that means the fish was

adipose fin

spawning colors

King Salmon (chinook)

Red Salmon

Silver Salmon

(sockeye)

(coho) PLAIN VALUES

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raised and released from a hatchery and can be kept.

As you can imagine, there’s a great deal of excitement when someone is fighting a salmon, and everyone is straining their eyes to see if there’s an adipose fin when the salmon finally comes into view. If the fin is present, there’s usually a large collective groan. But if the fin is missing, there’s a lot of fist-bumping and high-fiving, which indicates the fish is a candidate for the skillet.

Anglers catch salmon in the ocean, in large rivers such as the 1,250-mile Columbia, smaller rivers and streams, and large lakes. Many years ago, salmon were introduced in the Great Lakes. The results were highly successful, and anglers enjoyed excellent fishing. Some of those salmon will make spawning runs in freshwater tributaries, but most are stocked. Salmon have also been introduced in other large Northern reservoirs.

Though you can catch salmon off the coast of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, and inland tributaries, Alaska is typically considered the top destination with many famous rivers. The Kenai

requiring us to chase them up and down the river in

River, for example, is famous for its huge king salmon as

order to maintain line on our reels. If the salmon was

anglers from around the world try their luck. I’ve had the

strong enough to quickly strip line off the reel until there

good fortune to have fished the Kenai many times and

was no line left and just the knot, you could usually be

caught kings weighing almost 50 pounds. (I finally caught

assured that the fish would “spool” your reel and break

a bona fide 50-pounder, but that was in another Alaska

off. On that trip, I also had the chance to pan for gold in

River.) I recall a memorable adventure when I floated the

a small tributary. I found some, and it was a great thrill.

Talachulitna River in Alaska for 80 miles with several

Luckily, we never ran into any brown bears, but we saw

friends. Our mission was to catch a record king salmon

plenty of evidence when they left huge paw prints almost

on a fly rod. We went on several rafts down the river,

everywhere we fished.

camping every night in brown bear country. We caught

You can fish for salmon from shore, but early arrivals

several big kings, some up to 40 pounds, and enjoyed

in popular areas quickly claim prime spots. Ethics and

terrific action as the huge fish made long powerful runs,

consideration for others are always necessary because

Pink Salmon

Dog Salmon

(humpback)

(chum) 57

AUGUST 2022

disagreements can lead to problems when anglers are

fish ladders aren’t effective, and some dams have no fish

crowded together. Likewise, boaters who fish rivers and

ladders at all. This is why hatcheries are so important in

on the open sea should also be considerate of others.

augmenting salmon numbers.

I recall an incident when I was fighting a huge

Salmon have other problems. Along with humans, a

salmon on the ocean at the mouth of Oregon’s Rogue

variety of birds, animals, and other fish find their flesh

River. I was in a small boat with two of my buddies, and

delectable. In some areas of the Northwest, sea lions

this fish was battling mightily. At one point, another

and seals may have profound impacts on adult salmon.

boat was headed right toward us. Despite our yelling that

The northern pike minnow is notoriously famous for

we had a fish on, they kept coming. Unfortunately, the

preying on salmon smolts. In fact, the pike minnow’s

propeller from their boat cut my line. In their defense,

impact is so critical that a bounty has been placed on

the two occupants of the boat were very old and were

them. Anglers are invited to fish for them and are paid

hearing impaired. They didn’t know I was fighting a fish

for their efforts based on the size and number of fish

and couldn’t hear our shouts. In every case, when an

they catch.

angler yells “fish on,” everyone around him on shore

If you purchase salmon in a store, you’ll learn that

reels in their line, and boaters change courses.

you can buy wild salmon that are caught by commercial

The famous salmon fisheries enjoyed by Native

fishermen, or you can buy farm-raised salmon. There are

Americans and early settlers have been affected by many

often concerns over each. Some believe that overfishing

dams that have been constructed on major rivers and

is detrimental to wild salmon populations. Others worry

tributaries. Dams will obstruct the passage of migrating

that farm-raised fish not only lack the rich flavor of wild

salmon traveling upriver and young smolts swimming

fish but can also cause health issues among humans

downriver. Fish ladders have been designed to allow fish

because of the artificial environment they’re raised in.

to navigate through the dam; however, some of these

You can resolve the discussion by heading north and catching your own salmon. You’ll not only enjoy some breathtaking scenery, but you’ll also have some of the most action-packed fish battles you’ve ever had. And, of course, a big reward is sitting down at the family table and feasting on those beautiful bright orange filets.

They are a culinary delight and full of Omega-3, which is extremely beneficial to good health. //

Jim has hunted all fifty states for deer, has fished in most states, has hunted elk in all the major western elk states, and has hunted on four continents. He worked for fifteen years as a forester, game warden, and wildlife biologist. Jim draws on these experiences for his monthly column “All Things Outdoors.” For more information, visit www.jimzumbo.com.

PHOTOS FROM OUR READERS We'd love to feature hunting, fishing, and other outdoor photos from our readers in Jim's column. If you'd like to contribute photos, please email them to: reachout@plainvalues.com This photo, from 1988, is from Marlin Beachy who caught this enormous salmon while living in Alaska. As you can see, it was larger than his son, Ryan!

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