A 7th generation Vermont farmer of the local LePage family, Alan evolved the farming methods on the family land in Barre, VT towards biodynamic and organic practices to serve the Central Vermont community for over 30 years. His daughter, Lila, recently took on Alan’s role as market farmer there.
Alan and a few others laid the foundation of the Montpelier Farmers’ Market from the ground up. His passion and dedication, not only to growing interesting organic vegetables, but toward remediating the earth and offering his expertise to the community of our school and the greater community interested in improving their gardening skills and stewardship skills is burgeoning.
In Alan’s transition from running his own market farm to contributing as an expert in the community, he is growing the following at Grace farm: A most productive vegetable and melon garden, hand-remediated soil health, bed preparation for some 400 heads of garlic to be planted this fall, as well as visions of integrating more botanical functional beauty and sustainable practices into the fabric of the Grace Farm landscape.
“This is incredibly rich and productive soil, or I wouldn’t be here.”
I invite you to take a moment to peek over the garden gate beside the climbing clematis to witness the bounty of having a local expert and elder who is committed to growing health and beauty through the soil (from the north lot at Grace Farm, walk past the garden shed and stone circle up the hill towards the garden gate).
Alan primarily tends the soil and garden, and secondarily, he educates. This fall, he will offer a Kimchi making workshop, from the garden to the ferment, on October 9th at Grace Farm. It is a measure of great abundance that Alan is here working with the land at Grace Farm.
Alan tends the foundation for a healthy organic and biodynamic garden this growing season with occasional help from a farming mentee, Devon Smolca. Their work is deep and effective, the potential is vast.
“Over the long term, I believe that the cultural requirements of agriculture are being unmet. Institutions (Cornell…UVM) teach agronomics, but they don’t teach the essence of agriculture to people who might be wanting to grow their own food and security for themselves and their neighbors, and gain the satisfaction of something that is life sustaining and fascinating - IF you can slow down enough to do this!”
Alan’s vision for enriched soil, farm sustainability methods and community impact is worth listening to. I recorded a conversation Alan and I had earlier this summer. Shuffle about halfway through to listen as Alan begins to hold court with his views on the importance of beauty and purpose.
His is a parallel expression of the pedagogy of Waldorf Education, through a vision for the earth, her bounty, and the impact on humans who engage in the physical and mental labor of tending her.
This is not surprising, as the mystic Rudolf Steiner envisioned both Waldorf Schooling and Biodynamic Gardening from the same basic value system of investing in the nourishment of ourselves, our children and the world.
With his radical and progressive views, Alan circles back to the old ways, and as a listener, I am reminded that the word radical stems from the latin ‘radicula’: the rootlet or part of the embryo of the plant which develops into the primary root. This work of the Waldorf educator, the organic gardener, the parent, child and human being who maintains a value on presence, beauty, and a reverent regard for human (child) development IS a contemporary radical notion.
We look forward to integrating the children and greater community into planting garlic this fall during our Community Michaelmas festival, and establishing a series of agricultural workshops led by Alan for the greater community, starting with the Kimchi Workshop on October 9th.
Alan LePage, an organic original, hosts practical advice, botanical history and esoteria, agronomics and radical fun on “The Curse of the Golden Turnip” Radio Show. WGDR 91.1 Plainfield, Sunday mornings 7-9 a.m.)
Story by Angie Barger
