Sustainable, Organic Farming in the Rogue Valley: Maud Macrory Powell Making Farming History Now

Winter produce from Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative CSA

Organic food. Lots of it is processed and packaged and plenty of raw produce is trucked from California farms out to the East Coast.  It is an industry that mirrors most big-business models and makes its share of profits.  As an Economics major, I learned about government subsidies and farm production with a lump in my throat and sadness for the loss of a way of life that connects us to our food and to the land we live and grow it on.  I am not nostalgic for something I was never a part of, but I intuitively know that small farms and local food are truly good for individuals, our families and communities.  And in the grand scheme of things, this translates to regional, national and global health.
  There is one individual in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon who is stretching the limits of small farm food production and enhancing the way farmers work and interact with their environment and each other.  Her name is Maud Macrory Powell.  Known by some as the area agent for the small farms program at OSU's Extension office, Maud is a dear friend to me and a strong woman whom I admire more than words can say.  She is soft spoken about her work for local farmers, but her accomplishments are abundantly displayed at the local farmer's markets all the way up through state and regional offices who present her publications and hang copies of her awards on their program walls.
  As an undergraduate scholar at Swarthmore, Maud focused her interest in Comparative Religion and Women's Studies.  Her attraction to farming went hand in hand with her love of culture and her perspective on traditional and sustainable models for people working together and being together.  She joined a Farm volunteer program and traveled to Ladakh, India where she joined other westerners and was trained in local farming practices.  She brought back her new-found knowledge and passion for farming to the Rogue Valley, where she and her partner, Tom Powell started Wolf Gulch Farm.  After over 13 years of working their land in the Little Applegate, the Powells and their farm interns and partners produce over 3 acres of annuals (half in veggies and half in seed crops), 1 acre of perennials (fruits, nuts and berries) and greenhouse flats of spring plant starts.  They work in a "restoration farming" model because the land is actually zoned woodland resource and has heavy clay and marginal water resources.  They have, through cover crop, plant rotation and key line plowing developed 1 foot of topsoil where there was initially less than 1 inch of topsoil.  And their permaculture-designed irrigation drip system uses 1/4 the amount of water that would be used if irrigated with overhead sprinklers.
  While helping to establish the farm and raising her two children who were born at home, Maud broadened her scope and became the project manager for the Siskiyou Sustainable Co-op (SSC) of farmers.  In the midst of this work, she also earned her Master's degree from Antioch University in the field of Environmental Studies. The co-op works to feed over 150 members in the Rogue Valley from a group of 14 farmers who would otherwise not have enough product, infrastructure or resources to sell on their own and make a living wage.  The SSC, through Maud's efforts, was the first CSA to accept food stamps in Oregon, with approximately 10% of their members benefiting from this service.  Maud handles the marketing, membership, book keeping and newsletters while also organizing farm days where the members come to tour and help "work" on the farm while sampling and sharing fresh food.  Tom coordinates the weekly production and the seasonal and monthly planning. Their children help with pack-out and deliveries; this is a family affair!
  Reaching out to her local community was a natural next step for Maud.  She accepted the position at the Extension as the area agent for small farms programs.  There she develops education, training and networking opportunities for local farmers categorized into commerical, beginner and small acreage landowners.  In the last 5 years, she has developed the "Growing Farms" program which is an 8 week course for beginning farmers exploring multiple facets of farming in this region.  What began as Maud's pilot program here in the valley, the state of Oregon has now adopted in addition to publishing Maud's work as a training manual for farmers.  In 2011, she started another pilot program called "Growing Agrapreneurs".  This is a 7 month immersion into farming with a combination of classes, skill-building, and working with a mentor at the Extension's one-acre teaching farm.  Maud was awarded the Search for Excellence in the western region for her cutting edge programming and development.
  Maud stays in tune with the topics that are most important to local farmers such as the GMO controversy and brings in experts to educate our farmers.  She was ready when Oregon passed the Farm Direct Law in 2011 which benefits small scale farmers by allowing them to process food products in small batches without a commercial kitchen and sell them to the public.  She introduced training on small-scale grain production to our valley farmers as well as the benefits of  winter and organic seed production.  When she is not running all this programming, she is researching and writing new curriculum, writing grants, providing site-visits and consultation for farmers and landowners and teaching classes.
  For Maud, one of the most rewarding fruits of her labor is what she calls the "social capital".  She enjoys going to CSA meetings where the farmers have all worked together for 7+ years. They are her community. They share seeds, equipment, information and laughs.  And 5 years ago, Maud founded the League of Women Farmers which boasts 45 members.  These women meet monthly to tour, take classes, enjoy a bookclub, go to film screenings and share food potluck style.  Maud's networking is being emulated around the region; she is training other farming professionals in 4 Northwestern states and writing a "toolkit" on how to start a farmer network.  This style of networking is quintessentially feminine and necessary to keeping farming alive and thriving.
   Maud is an awesome mother, wife and friend.  She plays mandolin in a family band and has a mean square dance step.  The punk-style band concerts at the barn on her property light up the night and bring crazy fun to her neighbors and friends.  She is deeply spiritual and follows a path to inner-life work amongst her hours of canning and helping collect seeds.  How lucky I am to have this amazing woman in my life; and how lucky we are here in the Rogue Valley to have such a visionary and tireless worker for local, organic farming. Thank you Maud!!

Healthcare That Values the Whole Person: Dr. Jani Rollins Making History Now

Jani Rollins with son Bryce and daughter Mia. Photo courtesy of Jani

Jani cares a great deal for the people in her community of Ashland, Oregon.  She cares so much, that since 1994 she has delivered over 3000 of their babies with some families coming back to her for their fourth and fifth children.  For multiple years, she has been voted Ashland's best doctor.  But it doesn't end when the birth ends.  Jani is a Family Practice physician; to her, the magic of birth continues on through the days and years of parenting and the family as a unit deserves all the attention and support she can provide.  Within one family, she may be caring for four generations at once!  This model of holistic family care is in someways reminiscent of the country doctors of yesteryear.  But Dr. Rollins puts a powerful spin on the way she does things.  She models good care by paying attention to the things that really matter in her own life and this energy overflows into her practice and care for others.

Before it was even a standard college major, Jani was inspired by holistic health and created her own degree program at the University of Utah.  As valedictorian of both her high school and undergraduate program, Jani had the enthusiasm and brain power to achieve high standards.  She was the first person in her family to be educated and trained as a doctor, and she paid her entire way through school, earning scholarships and acquiring student loan debt.  As if this wasn't enough, her level of excellence gained her entry into the nations top medical schools, including Harvard and the University of California-San Francisco;she ultimately chose UCSF.  In a recent interview, Jani relayed that medical school stretched her limits, and as a woman who was interested in surgery, she could see that the 7 additional years of training would cut into her dreams of having a family.  There was just no sympathy for women of childbearing age.  With her focus on family and women's health, she could build a practice on a foundation of trust with her patients.  In this way, doors opened to her that could not be forseen when she was considering a surgical practice.

Jani is very good at listening to herself; this translates to an amazing ability to listen to her patients.  She responds to individuals at just that level- one on one.  This open heart inspired her to start a waterbirth program at the Ashland Family Birth Center (part of Ashland Community Hospital).  No other hospital facility in Southern Oregon allows this option, it is truly pioneering!  Many people refer to Jani as the "midwife doctor" because she is truly with the women she helps deliver and knows that each woman deserves education, support and choices in childbirth.  When they asked about waterbirth, she did the research and made it happen.  She also has headed up a team at the hospital to design a remodel of the facility; every aspect of the remodel holds family at the forefront with an environment to truly meet people's needs and choices.  When asked about her achievements at ACH, even though she has been the head of OB for years and was a member of the perinatal task force, she humbly acknowledges all the progress there as a team effort and has high praise for the "special team" at the birth center who makes it happen.  That was one thing that really struck me as I was interviewing her: she never really takes credit for her accomplishments alone.  Jani is humble and graceful and in love with the people she surrounds herself with.  She is like the mother we all wish we had.

Speaking of being a mother, Jani's two children are the highlight of her life.  In her "spare time", she heads up the Walker Elementary Winter Fair, runs community dinners for the school, is an active participant of the PTO and works to support the Ashland School Foundation.  At her core, Jani knows that this connection to her family is a gift and a great priority.  Educating and being with her children, she hopes to also inspire her patients to do and be what they can be within their families.  At appointments, she takes the time and truly enjoys educating the children.  She loves to grab a stethescope and show the little ones how to use it; especially the girls who might otherwise think doctors are always men.  She spends many hours counseling her patients on social and emotional issues, because she knows how much the emotional body contributes to the overall picture of health and wellness.  She herself has had many life challenges and knows that with her own experiences and her listening ear, the key is balance.  Spending time with kids, self, partner and friends coupled with exercise and healthy eating really matter to Jani.  When surrounded by awesome people, wonderful things can happen!

Whether she is traveling and working in Honduras or Bolivia like she did during her residency, giving talks to the local high schools about what it's like to choose a career in medicine as a woman, or exiting the doors of the birth center after a long night of beautiful births, Jani is a woman making history now.  Each life she touches enriches her own, and each cycle of this care exchange sends out riplets that change the course of many lives from this small town out into the greater world.  I am so thankful for the incredible support Jani offered to me while I was practicing midwifery; but she didn't really do it for me. She did it because she cares about women, children and families.  And that is where it all starts.  Peace on Earth Begins With Birth.

Women Making History Now: Kate Battan

Photo courtesy of Betsy Rudicil, Rudicil Photography

April 20, 2010.  I had already met Kate Battan in early January, right after my sister was murdered.  I wasn't in Colorado for this April hearing, but the date and the hearing are very meaningful to me.  The date is significant because of what it revealed to me about the chief Investigator in my sister's case, and of course the hearing was one in a string of hearings that would decide the fate of the person who killed my sister.

When I think of homicide investigators (because now those are real people to me and I do actually think about them), I figure that most people would have an image of men in suits and a corrupt world of cops, donuts and conservative politics.  How about considering an image of a professional woman, with red hair and a warm smile who is not only brilliant and precise, but uses her sharp mind and female perspective in this man's world of homicide investigation?  Not only does Kate Battan thrive amongst her Jefferson County homicide team co-workers, she is a rare individual who does her job well while keeping her heart open and her perspective positive.  I could sing her praises all day, because it makes sense that I would love the person who helped to successfully investigate the crimes against my sister.  But I want to let Kate and her story speak for itself.

My brother and Investigator Kate Battan
Photo courtesy of Betsy Rudicil, Rudicil Photography

  It was a big deal for Kate to attend the preliminary hearing on April 20, 2010.  In 1999, on April 20, the world was shocked to learn of the devastating school shootings at Columbine HS in the Denver, Colorado area.  So many children brutally destroyed by other children-it's waves rocked the world.  You'll never guess who the chief investigator was in that case: Kate Battan.  Kate was one of the first people to set foot in that school and saw with her own eyes the individuals who were forever lost to their families and communities.  Not only was this an overwhelmingly huge case with a high profile, to Kate, these were real people in real pain.  You can read all the articles about the case anywhere on the internet, and Kate's name is plastered throughout.  Google Kate Battan and you get 10's of thousands of hits.  From that day forward, Kate would hold space for those families and children and set aside April 20 as a day of remembrance.  She never worked on April 20 in honor of those individuals. Kate has an unbelievably strong memory and I could guess that on April 20 she would re-live her exposure to those kids in that school and reach out to each and every one of them with a presence of heart and mind that might say something like "I remember.  I am sorry.  The truth of what happened is out there and we all did our part so that this might never have to happen again."

The thing is, when Kate was "getting to know my sister" through the investigation, she found a victim that inspired her.  As Kate later shared with me and our family, my sister's search for truth and willingness to face her life with honesty and a seeking heart sparked a long-ignored part of Kate that needed re-kindling.  When the preliminary hearing date was set for April 20, she didn't flinch.  She knew she would be at that hearing honoring both the Columbine victims and Alisha.  Kate's number one drive and belief that keeps her energy moving forward is the simple idea that the truth is worth searching for and when revealed, will re-set the balance point of what is good and right. She never gives up.  The hours and all-nighters she put into Alisha's case enabled her to chip away at the questions until she had everything she needed to help the prosecution do its job right.  And along the way, Kate payed more attention to her self and started taking better care of her own needs.  When I saw her again in January 2010 for the final hearing that incarcerated my sister's murderer, Kate looked like a new woman! She had met her own weight loss goals, she had a glow about her and she knew she had met all the objections the defense was trying to erect with truth and awesome investigative work/research.

As an equally powerful sidenote, the prosecution team was an all-female team.  We had Ann Joyce as the chief prosecutor and Abbey DeBoyes as second.  Then there was Kate and when it was all said and done, the murderer was marched out of the courtroom in handcuffs by a female officer!  How's that for a domestic violence team?!

"Alisha's Voice: aka the A-team". From L: Ann Joyce, Kate Battan, Ann VanWagner, victim advocate, Abbey DeBoyes and legal assistant. Photo courtesy of Betsy Rudicil, Rudicil Photography

Kate is also just such a neat person.  To rejuvenate, besides working out and eating mostly local, mostly vegetarian, Kate travels the world.  And she looks at it all through her camera lens.  I've seen a few of her photos and they are artistic and beautiful, depicting landscapes and inspiration from all corners of the globe.  Originally from California, her home has been Colorado for at least the last 15+ years.  She works on horribly ugly cases where women, men and children have done the most brutally wrong things to each other and still she seeks the truth and has an inner light that rarely flickers.  She believes that no matter how awful the victim may have been in their life, no one deserves to die at the hand of another via murder.  I know that when I lost my sister, a piece of me was ripped away.  I take comfort in knowing that Kate actually carries a little bit of that missing piece.  She protects it, carries it around, shines it and holds it up as the truth that it is.  And for that, because of all that she is, I am forever grateful.  This woman is truly making history.

March is Women's History Month

March is officially Women's History month.  When I was born at the beginning of the 70's, there was no such thing.  The women's movement took root during the sweeping social changes of the 60's.  Women worked to expand the female presence in political and public society in addition to opening more opportunities for economic viability and anti-discrimination.  It wasn't until 1978 that Sonoma County, California declared Women's Week at the beginning of March.  By the time I got to college and started my Women's Studies degree, Women's week had become Women's History Month (1987) after Congress stretched the original Joint Congressional Resolution from 1981.  So what do we do to acknowledge Women's History Month? I'm sure there are many institutions of higher learning holding lectures, showing art exhibits, displaying books and articles by prominent female historians and scholars.  What I'd like to do over the next several posts on this blog is to talk about women I know who are making history NOW. 

One thing that I experienced after immersing myself in women's studies and starting a women's equality group on my college campus was the lack of exposure to women's personal stories.  The feminist tomes that I was assigned to read and the discussions we had seemed to focus more on economics, politics and abortion rights and how women were equal to men socially.  If you wanted to hear personal stories, you had to read a novel or find one of the few biographies of famous women.  I remember coming across an old book in the women's studies library after earning my degree that briefly mentioned traditional midwives and birth practices in developing areas of the world.  I was shocked that in all of my studies we had never discussed childbirth and women's experiences in the healthcare system as legitimate areas where women were being abused and made to be invisible.  That moment of realization sparked a fire in me that burns to this day.  My life work is to make the hidden visible, to magnify the spirit in women and celebrate and share in that beauty. 

So stay tuned for some stories of amazing women I have gotten to know in this life! I can't wait to share.....

The Life of a Working Mom

Luckily I already had an acupuncture appointment on the books, because I hit a wall and was fighting a pretty good upper respiratory infection.  I had already called in sick for my shift earlier in the week and was resting every day since; I wasn't even tempted to go for a run or jump in the pool.  My proud self walked into the appointment today thinking "See. I take good care of myself. I eat mostly the right foods, sleep when I need to and even go to acupuncture".  Molly placed the needles after hearing my laundry list of minor maladies and closed the door to let me rest.  The silk lavender eye pillow sank into my tired sockets and the perfume tickled my nose.
My mind started flipping through the catalog of all the mother/wife/employee/sister/etc. thoughts that it must think and then when it got to the section about my kids it just stopped.  I tried to lift off the eye pillow, but the needles hurt when I tried to move my arms.  So I did a sort of sit up and the pillow flopped onto my chest.  I lay back down and my eyes now had the clearance they needed to let loose the flood.  Yes. I was laying on the table crying.  My nearly 12 year old daughter is texting all the time, what high school should my 14 year old son really choose? Did we turn in all the forms? What about dinner tonight, and the dishes that have piled up? Did I catch a weird infection from that patient I last had in the ICU and that's this weird cough I have?  How does a body adjust to sleeping alone, during the day without the husband whom I've slept with for over 17 years?  Did I fix the printer, why didn't that app download again to my son's i-touch?  What does it feel like to be passionately in love?  Oh yes. I remember.
It feels like breathing...in and out.  In and out.
The Tibetan monk colors of burnt cinnamony red and squash yellow walls held me while I breathed in and out.  The tears kept leaking, but the sobbing withdrew.  I had been through some stuff lately.  My mind and heart hadn't processed it all yet.  I was able to catch a glimpse of awareness that my heart needed some tenderness and my mind needed a little break.  It's all the things we do and hold as mothers that just can catch up with us.  We worry about our kids even when we trust who they are and understand they must engage in their own lives and growth.  We want to see them shine in this life and we do all we can to polish the brass.  I work to help fulfill dreams for them and myself/husband.  I see my dearest friends treading similar pathways and making it to the next point.  And I see many moms like myself who have their "rough patches".
So I received the gift of an opening and a shift today.  The snow, even in it's cleansing beauty, has stopped and the sun peeked through.  I hear it is all supposed to melt by the weekend. And then we shall see what grows.....

Pacific Crest Endurance Weekend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE&ob=av3n

In June of 2010, I went outside of my comfort zone and did a few things differently at Pacific Crest Endurance Weekend in Sunriver, Oregon.  For the first time in several years, I did not do the half-ironman distance triathlon; instead I only ran in the half marathon event.  I never run, race or train with music, but for this race I decided to run with my i-pod.  The thing was, I had just started running again after learning and living through the horrific news that my sister and best friend had been murdered 6 months before this race. Instead of training for an ironman, I was living an ironman with just getting through the emotional roller coaster of the most overwhelming grief experience I had ever been through.
I actually felt nervous thinking about running this race. I somehow felt exposed, small and vulnerable in the crowds. Now normally I am pumped at the start of an event. The adrenaline magnifies the edges I had pushed myself toward in training and inserts a kind of confidence that usually makes the first few miles feel like I am floating on air instead of pounding the ground.  But this timidness was a more common feeling these days and would need to be along with me for the ride of this race.
The gun went off and I started my i-pod. Breathing into a rhythm that reminded me, yes I am here and she is gone, but yes, I am here and what I must do is be here.  Time to use this body, feel the sunshine, fill up my lungs while I had the chance.  The miles started clicking by.  The music was ok; I am not sure if it helped me to run at a quicker clip, but it was kind of nice being in my own bubble and I knew I could turn off the tunes any moment I felt like it.
I got to a good Michael Franti tune and knew I was about 7 minutes from the finish.  I figured I would just repeat the great Franti song and then turn off the machine before heading into the finish chute.  Instead of hitting replay, however, I accidentally forwarded on to the next song.  And to my surprise it was Coldplay's "Viva la Vida".  Warm tears sprang up and sliced through my sweat-crusted cheek.  This was an Alisha song.  It was on the CD that was given out at her funeral. It was the only Alisha song I had on this particular playlist on the i-pod.  My dead sister was now instantly here with me at the finish of my race!!  I felt a rush of gratitude and smiled when I crossed that finish line.  I wasn't alone and small-I had done what I set out to do and for a few moments my loneliness moved out of the way to let in the light.

I am now training for the half-ironman at Pacific Crest.  I didn't do it last year because I opted to run the local 50-K called the Siskiyou Outback (SOB).  I think this new loneliness that I am experiencing with working the night shift is a bit reminiscent of 2010.  I am eager to see how it plays out this time. We'll see what I decide to do about that i-pod.

The life that laid out before me has been shattered over the last few years. As I pick up the pieces of the mirror, I sometimes catch glimpses and a reflection of myself that I never saw before. Do I like what I see? Does like even matter? The joy and warmth come when I look in that mirror and my eyes burn with sunshine. The light makes the tears flow and warms my lonely heart.
So I am in search of that sunshine and hope to reflect it here for myself and any who need a little light in their lives.