I am doing my part to maintain healthy farm land and top soil.

I have 12 acres.

2 in forest.

8 in cut pasture

2 mowed seasonally

I have lived here 15 years.

There have been no pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides used on my property.

My property is almost completely enclosed by large trees.

My field has never been plowed.

It gets bush hogged twice a year.

I never rake my leaves.

I have all kinds of natural plants and bushes that feed the bees and birds.

I have wild turkey.

I have deer.

I have very large and small birds.

My bushes attract humming birds.

Honey bees, bumble bees,and wasps are plentiful.

The downed trees are used in my living room fire place.

The sticks I pick up are used for kindling.

I grow tomatoes.

I have a cistern.

Rainwater supplies all my needs. (no monthly bill)

I have a septic tank. (no monthly bill)

I wash and reuse aluminum foil.

I wash and reuse plastic food bags.

I get paper bags from my mom and use them when I go grocery shopping.

I double them and they usually last about 3 years.

I keep my hot water heater turned off in the breaker box. (I have been doing this since 1980)

I have never purchased bottled water.

I drive less than 15 miles per month.

I haven't flown since 1991.

I try to do all the simple things that I can.

I commend all your efforts. It's too bad our corporate food producers lack your thoughtfulness, compassion, stewardship and attention to detail. Bravo to you!

I try to keep my carbon footprint down, as money permits.

I would love to have my entire house powered by solar and wind.

I would love an electric car.

I would love to update all my appliances, furnace, and hot water heater.

They are all 21 years old.

All my furniture was bought at yard sales or given to me.

I haven't bought new clothes in over 10 years.

I have a friend that keeps me in clothes and shoes.

I wear things until they are beyond repair.

I was raised not to be wasteful.

I have always been frugal, but not stingy.

I worked hard for my money and I try to make smart purchases.

P.S. You will get a kick out of this one. I have never been to Starbucks.

I passed one on the way to work, but never stopped.

I just couldn't spend $4.00 for a cup of coffee.

I only go when I receive gift cards from friends and relatives. I do not spend money at Starbucks for the same reason: too darn expensive!

We can never get enough laughs.

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Generating three centimeters of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world's top soil could be gone within 60 years, a senior UN official said on Friday.

About a third of the world's soil has already been degraded, Maria-Helena Semedo of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told a forum marking World Soil Day.


"Soils are the basis of life," said Semedo, FAO's deputy director general of natural resources. "Ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil."

Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person in 2050 will be only a quarter of the level in 1960, the FAO reported, due to growing populations and soil degradation.

"We are losing 30 soccer fields of soil every minute, mostly due to intensive farming," Volkert Engelsman, an activist with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements told the forum at the FAO's headquarters in Rome.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/

Sobering read. We are cruising toward environmental oblivion with a maniac at the wheel.