Photo by Liz Wolf

by Steven McFadden
While Deep Agroecology is a serious subject, and also the title of my award-winning book, High Agroecology, on the other hand, is the lighthearted name I am giving to my stupendously tall sunflower.

Over the years I’ve grown many a sunflower, but the specimen in this photograph, taken August 10, 2020, is by far the tallest. I reckon it is 15 feet tall, give or take. The secret? Just a normal application of compost, but extraordinary, all-natural biodynamic compost from Common Good Farm in Raymond, Nebraska. Thank you, Evrett Lundquist and Ruthie Goodfarmer for your compost and for all you do.

Since our county fair is an iffy proposition this year, I took the liberty of awarding myself a blue ribbon, fashioned from a blue t-shirt and a red tomato.