Organic Processing Vo1.8 #6 - November/December 2011

DIALOGUE
Rodale Celebrates 30-Year Study
and Launches Efforts to Grow the
Next Crop of Organic Farmers

An Interview with Mark “Coach” Smallwood, the New Executive Director of the Rodale Institute

In 1981, when Robert Rodale met with policymakers in Washington, D.C. to make the case for organic farming, he asked, “What is it going to take for you to take me seriously and understand the importance of organic agriculture?” And they said to him, “Where’s your research?”

So that same year, Rodale launched the Farming Systems Trial
(FST). Now, 30 years later, it’s America’s longest-running side-by-
side comparison of organic and conventional agriculture. Over
the years, the FST has helped raise the profile of organic farming
in the eyes of the government, farmers and consumers. This year,
the institute produced a comprehensive report based on three
decades of FST data which proves that when compared to
conventional, chemical-based farming, organic methods
are far superior at building and maintaining soil and pro-
vide the same or better yields. The FST also proves that or-
ganic is much more sustainable when it comes to
economic viability, energy usage and human health.

Recently, the Institute has launched several new efforts to support the growth of organic agriculture. Leading these initiatives is Rodale’s new executive director, Mark

“Coach” Smallwood. The first 18 years after college, Small-
wood was a high school basketball coach. He applied this
same coaching methodology to help businesses “green”
their operations. Now, he’s recruiting and coaching an-
other group—organic farmers. To support this effort, the
Rodale Institute recently launched a farmer scholarship
program called “Your 2 Cents.” In coming years, Rodale will also be starting a “New FST” to
study the differences in nutrient density between organic and conventional foods. Smallwood
took a few minutes away from the field to chat about the FST report and Rodale’s new initiatives.