
Alternatives in Agriculture
Levi Lyle is a sixth-generation farmer and a poet in Keota, Iowa. Like most Iowa farmers, he grows corn and soybeans, but his aspirations to support more resilience in rural communities and our ecosystem have led to a vision for agriculture that is more diverse.
Levi has transitioned some of his family’s land to organic farming and has adopted regenerative agriculture practices on the rest of the farm. In this presentation, he will be discussing some of his current practices.
As a farmer, he is using regenerative practices that range from use of cover crops and roller crimping to weed zapping and eliminating chemicals. For inputs, reducing nitrogen use by substituting animal manure, but also making use of the benefits of compost are important ideas he will discuss.
Levi is an advocate for local food production, growing crops like aronia berries and tart cherries, and developing those markets.
As a writer, Levi shares his experiences as a farmer and offers a call to action for regenerating farming and rural communities. He will share stories from his book, So God Made A Farmer: A Retrospective on the Living Words of Paul Harvey by an Organic Farmer.
On Sunday, August 31, at 2:00, Levi will be visiting the English Valleys History Center in North English. All are invited to attend this event at no charge. Donations are accepted.