No Off Season: The Dynamics of Life and Land Management

Some of my most early and fond memories are of me sitting in a 1969 John Deere 4020 next to my Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Stone. Each time, I was “assisting” in the tillage or planting on the family farm in Northeastern Missouri. Those days were filled with joy, naps in the corner of the tractor cab and the establishment of roots that would grow much deeper than that of the corn being planted.

I now think back to those days and clearly understand that my grandpas were doing much more than entertaining me or my desire to emulate their actions. They were not only fulfilling their sense of duty to pass along their passion for the land and love for all the beings that...