Most of my experiences before I got into organic growing were in medicine. I grew up assisting my father, a veterinarian, in caring for animals. During Viet Nam I worked on an infected orthopedic ward as a hospital corpsman in the Navy. After receiving my second degree, a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Nursing, I worked for the largest non-profit hospice in the world. We cared for over 1,000 people per day. Having a 3 part specialty in wounds, ostomies, and continance, I provided consults for doctors and nurses concerning those areas. When my late wife became disabled with chronic pain, I dedicated my life to being knowledgeable and competent in alternative healing. Teaching was a large part of nursing. The skills I developed in teaching and communicating with a large diverse population are readily used on the farm.
For my first degree, I studied Live Stock, Dairy, Forestry, Fisheries, and Wild Life Management.
For 5 years I had an organic garden in Southern Florida. This is my 8th year (2017) as an organic farmer in a cloud forest in the Southern Andes of Ecuador.
My farm workers, volunteers, and I are striving to be a self-sustaining, non-commercial organic farm outside Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Our goal is to create a small community that can live sustainably through organic farming and permaculture. Being good stewards to the land is paramount. We want to make this farm completely sustainable, such that, most everything we, or the animals eat comes from the farm. Using organic, permaculture, biodynamic, and sustainable techniques will do this.
We offer permaculture courses near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, to people who want to learn more about sustainable gardening and numerous in depth other topics.