[This was written by Matt Sulkis in the middle of a 3 month internship with the Green String Institute]

“I’m so excited to do this. Not only is it farming…but they cover riparian management, they have a full woodshop, blacksmithing, breadmaking, etc. The intern house is adjacent to the chicken coop and it’s our responsibility to take care of them. If we want meat, we kill the chickens ourselves. This is going to be a life-changing three months for me. I am going to know how to do SO many things when I leave there.” “This place has been amazing. I’m sitting here now eating some breakfast with my new housemates and about to go take care of our chickens. I’ve only been here since Monday but I have learned so much already. The things that I have the opportunity to do are endless. I have a full woodshop with power tools and too much scrap wood to know what to do with. I have a full metalshop that I don’t know how to use and two Italian/French guys who run their business out of it, super nice, and have offered to give me lessons in metallurgy. And of course I have 160 acres of farm and vineyard to work in. Everyday after work (7-12) we have an hour and a half lecture with Bob Cannard, the guru and owner of these lands we’re living on. You would love this guy. Eccentric, funny and all-knowing when it comes to the natural world and farming in particular…he’s pretty sharp with history as well. An encyclopedia of sorts. I feel really lucky right now to have this opportunity. I have already learned a lot and hopefully by the end of three months I’ll have some really great skills and knowledge to go out and make a difference with. As we have spoken about…there is much to do.”

Here’s some more information Matt provided about the Green String Institute:

The Green String Institute (and its physical manifestation, Green String Farm) was founded in 2000 by Fred Cline and Bob Cannard. The Institute, and the idea of green string farming, was born when Cline and Cannard noticed that the concept of organic agriculture, as it rose in popularity, became bleached of its meaning. To Cannard, one of the instigators of the organic movement in California, the term organic meant that produce should be locally grown, with respect for the environment and the planet. It meant that food should not travel across countries or continents from farm to table. It meant the use of compost and cover cropping and crop rotation and other practices that enrich the soil so that the fields become richer and more fertile year after year. Now, however, with the advent of USDA Organic certification, organic production is beyond the means of many small farmers who do not have the means or cannot afford the time and trouble required to obtain certification. Moreover, once obtained, the certification means very little. When factory farms are adapting conventional farming methods to fit organic certification, and then shipping their produce around the world, the spirit of ‘organic’ agriculture is gone. The purpose of Green String Institute is to renew that spirit under a new name. Farmers who are certified green string may or may not be certified organic, but they exceed the requirements put forth by organic certifying agencies. They grow food that is vital and vibrant and healthful, and they do it with respect for their surroundings.

http://www.greenstringinstitute.org/ http://www.greenstringfarm.com/index.html (For photos)