FarmeriST – farm·er·ist  (ˈfärmərIst)  noun: Farmer in Sustainable Training; a farmer-activist, i.e. FiST… 

Sustainable water, energy, soil, seed, and terroir are the five fingers of sustainable agriculture. A Farmer in Sustainable Training endeavors to understand the basics of each of the five, and is continually working to combine them into an integrated whole: ecological horticulture – the farm as ecosystem. This blog is an attempt to outline the best practices towards an ecological horticulture as experienced by me, your FarmeriST.

So, FarmeriST …  And odd name.  What really is it?  The meaning is two-fold.  Originally, FiST (the acronym for Farmer in Sustainable Training), was coined during my apprenticeship in sustainable farming at the University of Vermont.  This moniker felt too angry and aggressive.  Today, however, it is clear that a truly sustainable and “organic” farmer must also take on the role of activist.  So, FarmeriST means a farmer in sustainable training, as must all farmers be, whether novices apprenticing, or old hands trying to improve their productive ecosystems.  FarmeriST is also a marriage of FARMER and ACTIVIST, as farmers must become active in promoting and preserving sustainability in agriculture and the farm/ecosystem, as well as being active in preventing the loss of genetically unique food crops, the erosion and loss of top soil, and the depletion of the water table.  FarmeriST – a farmer continually learning and training for sustainability, a farmer-activist.