Thankfully, he did not get up to leave.
“I am not a real farmer myself,” he said. “But I used the compost extract produced on the crops this year. It (is produced) in a vermicomposting bin. On the bottom of the bin is a blade that cuts the vermicompost off into the trays. It is then processed into a liquid with a compost extractor and applied to the soil. It works well. But I have never seen anything like it before.”
He was describing the VermiFlow CFT device, which is a “continuous flow through vermicomposting system” and the companion Bio-Extractor, which is electrically operated. Both machines are produced by Hiwassee Products, which is owned and operated by the Hiwassee Bruderhof.
According to the manufacturer, Hiwassee Products, “VermiFlow is a continuous flow through vermicomposting system. Compostable material is loaded from the top, and finished vermicompost is harvested into collecting pans underneath by running a blade across the aluminum grate using a cordless drill.” Hiwassee Products
I would get a glimpse of these equipment solutions during the reception after the film. I had been wanting to see this for a while. The film did not feature the equipment, although Rick Clark mentioned he uses the Hiwassee equipment to regenerate the soil on his farm.
Rick Clark tells the story of how his Indiana farm lost most of its topsoil after a drought-breaking rainstorm. He knew he had to do something to keep the soil in place. He studied and implemented a no-till method of farming. It also made him consider other issues related to the loss of topsoil. Without enough topsoil, the use of chemical fertilizers, weedkillers, and pesticides increase, and continues to do so. Clark says he started to consider the number of family members who suffered or died from cancers that were likely related to the chemical use.
He asked the audience members: “Who here farms organically?” One local man said he switched to organic methods 10 years ago. Another farmer visiting from Alabama said he has used organic and regenerative farming methods for 30 years.
No matter the method they used, most of the farmers had questions. One young family said they wanted to farm but wondered how to get the land to do it. Local land is too expensive.
During the reception, I asked: “How did your Hoosier neighbors react when you started the new methods?
“They thought I lost my mind,” Clark said.
“How about now?”
“They still think I lost my mind.”
I thought this was too bad because his success allowed him to testify before a U.S. congressional committee.
The new equipment produced by Hiwassee Products fits into its basic theology of community life. The promise is to cut down the time to heal depleted land. I can only think that Eberhard and Emmy Arnold, the founding family of the Bruderhof church communities, would be impressed. In their thinking, violence does not lead to healing or restoration. Healing is a gift. Violence done to the land causes the destruction of topsoil. Helping remove such wounds to the land, restores wholeness to the community that is topsoil.
The first Bruderhof community was founded in 1920 in the village of Sannerz, Germany. The church community was firmly in the Anabaptist tradition, including the commitment to nonviolence.
When the Nazis rose to power, and the fledgling Bruderhof church refused to vote in favor of a National Socialist referendum in 1933, Arnold warned the church community about reprisals as five days later, the German SS and Gestapo special forces would raid the more than 100 members.
To prepare for the inevitable, Arnold pondered what to do. He asked the kitchen cooks to bake a cake because “guests” were expected the next day. Undeterred by the warm hospitality, the Nazis banned the community from selling their publications or craft products and threatened internment.
After fleeing to Lichenstein, the church community eventually leased farms in northern and central England and migrated to England as war refugees. Some 100 years later, the church community movement is flourishing internationally.
Many Christian denominations advocate for environmental issues under the theological umbrella of “creation care.”
But the focus is too often on maintenance of what already exists. Few churches are active in any kind of “creation repair” beyond wishing to reduce their “carbon footprint” as an organization.
Regenerative farming is also a form of restorative justice for communities. What the community in Hiwassee is doing and advocating is a refreshing addition to the conversation for environmental problems facing rural communities and families.