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History of Organic Farming in America
By Anneliese Abbott
Organic History
Blog


Is Kottman Hall a Fallout Shelter? Cold War Institutional Architecture
When I was a student at The Ohio State University, I always wondered why Kottman Hall had so few windows. The legacies of the Cold War...
Anneliese Abbott
Mar 133 min read
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"If an A-Bomb Fell Near Your Farm": Atomic Fears in the Early Cold War
As the Korean Conflict heated up in 1950, farmers were warned about what might happen in a nuclear war. “The crippled plane with its...
Anneliese Abbott
Mar 63 min read
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Nuclear Tourism: How I Got Interested in Cold War History
On the surface, this just looks like a ranch-style house. But what's underground could destroy civilization. September 29, 2011—Rapid...
Anneliese Abbott
Feb 273 min read
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Organic Ohio Veggies: Organic Farming in 1950s Ohio
Louis Bromfield advertised his Malabar Farm produce as pesticide-free in the 1950s. Thank you to the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming...
Anneliese Abbott
Feb 203 min read
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Organic Magazine: How J.I. Rodale Popularized Organic Farming
While there's debate over who first coined the term "organic farming," J.I. Rodale was the one who popularized it. The debate over who...
Anneliese Abbott
Feb 133 min read
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Who Came Up with "Organic"? Origins of the Term "Organic Farming"
This School of Living announcement from 1939 used the phrase "organic gardening" a year before Lord Northbourne. One of my favorite...
Anneliese Abbott
Feb 63 min read
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"Normal Agriculture" in New Jersey: Stahrland Farm
Alden and Ruth Stahr of New Jersey promoted organic farming in their 1950s newsletter, Normal Agriculture . Thank you again to NOFA-NJ...
Anneliese Abbott
Jan 303 min read
41 views
5 comments


The Big Ditch: Another Soil Erosion Landmark in Silver City, New Mexico
After the devastating flood of 1902, Silver City's Big Ditch joined the list of soil erosion horror stories. “Today the Big Ditch is a...
Anneliese Abbott
Jan 233 min read
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Soil Erosion Disaster: The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was one of the worst ecological disasters in recorded history--and the impetus for soil conservation I actually agree with...
Anneliese Abbott
Jan 163 min read
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Soil Erosion Landmark: Providence Canyon, Georgia
Providence Canyon, Georgia, was the soil erosion horror story of the 1930s. Now it's a state park. Natural erosion by wind and water...
Anneliese Abbott
Jan 93 min read
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New Jersey and Ohio: My 2025 Speaking Schedule
I'll be presenting on "Can Organic Feed the World?" at both the NOFA-NJ and OEFFA winter conferences Now that the holidays are over, tis...
Anneliese Abbott
Jan 23 min read
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The Center of Opposition: Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
The original headquarters of CAST was in Agronomy Hall at Iowa State University It’s the first week of November, and I’m on the road...
Anneliese Abbott
Dec 26, 20243 min read
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1 comment


Compost and Community: Biodynamic Farming at Threefold Farm
The Pfeiffer papers are in the basement of this building at Fellowship Community My final stop on my June research trip is in New York,...
Anneliese Abbott
Dec 19, 20243 min read
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Traveling to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania): The Rodale Archives
The July 1940 issue of You Can't Eat That contains the first article that J.I. Rodale reprinted about organic farming “But now you’re...
Anneliese Abbott
Dec 12, 20243 min read
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Cows, Horns, and Biodynamic Dairy Farming
It’s 6:30 a.m., the sun is shining, and it’s milking time in the Camphill Village Kimberton Hills dairy barn. I walk over from Sherry’s...
Anneliese Abbott
Dec 5, 20243 min read
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Off to Pennsylvania: Tales from My Organic Research Trip
What better time than Thanksgiving Day to look back with gratitude on all the amazing experiences I’ve had this year? I know, it might...
Anneliese Abbott
Nov 28, 20243 min read
15 views
1 comment


Blame the Americans: Why India Turned Away from Organic Farming
Up through the early 1950s, practically every Indian agricultural writer promoted composting according to Howard’s Indore Method as the...
Anneliese Abbott
Nov 21, 20242 min read
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1 comment


Gandhi and Organic Farming: A Little-Known Connection
Sir Albert Howard’s Indore Method of composting eventually founded the organic farming movement in the English-speaking world. There’s...
Anneliese Abbott
Nov 14, 20243 min read
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Compost or Chemicals? Fertilizer Experiments in Colonial India
One of the most famous experiments comparing chemical fertilizers and manure is the long-term study at the Rothamsted Experiment Station...
Anneliese Abbott
Nov 7, 20242 min read
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2 comments


The British in India: Colonial Origins of Organic Farming
Most people agree that organic farming started in India. That’s where Sir Albert Howard, often referred to as the “father of organic...
Anneliese Abbott
Oct 31, 20243 min read
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