Situated in the rolling loess landscape of NW Iowa’s Sioux County, the Agriculture Stewardship Center (ASC) is a 200-acre teaching and research farm supporting the educational activities of the Dordt University Agriculture Department. Operating since the early 1980s, the Dordt ASC supports teaching with hands-on opportunities for several emphasis areas in agriculture.
Iowa farmer and friend of EEN, Ray Gaesser, provides us with a harvest report after a season of intense and varied weather paired with the climate smart practices he utilizes on his farm. Ray urges farm communities and neighbors to come together and support each other in building soil health and resilience to benefit everyone.
Guest writer Doug Bos shares how extreme weather impacts soil health and farmers' ability to produce a plentiful, nutritious harvest. Learn how the Rock County Land Management Office in Minnesota seeks to support farmers in improving their soil health for the good of the community and God's creation.
Kim Anderson, EEN's Director of Member Mobilization, shares about her family's experience of switching to heat pumps to cool and heat their Pennsylvania home. Kim explains how tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act, along with energy efficiency savings, have lowered her household's energy bills while also emitting less pollution!
This article explores some of the triggers of stress among farmers and how a long-term commitment to following soil-health principles may reduce the intensity of farm related stressors. Included is the story of Feikema Farms, data from a 2019 SDSU study, and ways we can all support our rural communities.
Rudolphi shines a light on the prevalence of depression and anxiety among farmers due to various agricultural stressors. She shares how the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center as well as other programs have been working to break the stigma around farmer mental health, make services more accessible, and help communities be prepared to support their local farm families.
Farmers are called to be the shepherds of God's creation. As a seventh-generation farmer from Iowa, I hold this calling very closely and try to embody it on my farm and in my business at Continuum Ag. On the farm, my family has been very focused on improving soil health.
In this blog, Pastor Dean Van Farowe shares how his church in Cleveland, Ohio has partnered with local environmental organizations to teach kids how to care for God's creation and practice skills that will last a lifetime!
Society is facing many challenges, from climate issues including wide swings in temperature and moisture, to water quality and quantity issues, to low farm profitability, to the decline of rural communities, to our human health crisis. It is my belief that all of these can be linked, at least in part, to the degradation of our soil
Recently, two of EEN’s wise farm advisors were asked about the benefits of growing cover crops on their farms during this past spring’s wet weather. Rev. Tim Olsen shares out wisdom on cover crops from a few of our nation's farmers, especially in a time when extreme weather events are more prevalent.
From the Field is a new Question and Answer section of our Faith & Agriculture Newsletter, Regenerate. Questions from you. Answers from our Nation's Farmers. This month Shawn and Becky Feikema answer a question about the pros and cons of tilling versus no till farming.
During this month of June we recognize National Pollinators Month. The Rev. Philip Westra, of Sanborn, IA shares how beekeeping informs his personal spirituality and ministry leadership.
Dairy farmers are keeping pace with the demand for high quality milk products by following cow husbandry practices based on emerging agriculture science, common sense, and faithfulness to God’s call to care for creation. The agricultural land of the upper Midwest illustrates God's ongoing promise of gifting His people with "a land of milk and honey." This article celebrates June as National Dairy Month by spotlighting the creation care practices of South Dakota dairy farmers.
In this guest blog, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Engineering Fred Cannon explores the pressing need to adopt clean energy technologies, the evolution of environmental engineering, and how this relates back to EEN's work of caring for God's creation.
EEN Board Member, farmer, and professor of agriculture and environmental science Dr. Ron Vos reflects on recent heavy rain and flooding in the upper Midwest and its affect on local growers. He also touches on the benefits of soil-erosion practices like cover crops and minimum tillage and the potential to support these soil-smart methods with the current Farm Bill.
One way to celebrate World Bee Day is to landscape backyards, church campuses, community garden space, and public spaces with bee-friendly habitats. EEN's Upper Midwest Coordinator shares advice and tips!
Pastor Brian Jack from Milford, IA shares about his passion for honey bees and beekeeping. He explains how beekeeping informs his ministry, personal faith, and appreciation for God's creation.
All Christians are called by God to be stewards of all the earth and have been given the unique responsibility to care for all creation. This care can begin just outside in our backyards. I invite you to join me on a pictorial tour of my vegetable gardens and landscaping at my home in the rural town of Luverne, MN, located 30 miles east of Sioux Falls, SD.
Samuel Mohnkern of Petersburg, PA signs his emails as an Arborist & Horticulturist and the Owner of Restoration Landcare. In this article, Tim Olsen shares Sam's expert advice on the selection, planting, and care of trees for both residential and church properties.
At the end of March, I had the opportunity to attend and speak at a Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee Meeting (GPAC) in Washington D.C. on behalf of EEN’s partner ministry, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA). EEN and YECA were a part of a group of folks from across the country who were attending the meeting to share testimony related to a proposed PHMSA rule the committee was reviewing. The central message I brought to the committee was that for Christians, methane pollution and pipeline safety are a matter of defending life.
This article from guest writer Luis Luna highlights the work, initiatives, and values of Hope Grows, an urban agriculture initiative of Building Hope in the City, located in Cleveland, OH.
Guest writer Rev. Andy Rozendaal shares his story from growing up on a farm in Iowa, to attending seminary, to now working with a small nonprofit farm in Holland, Michigan. Read about the work Eighth Day Farm does and Andy's reflections on the impact of urban farming programs in bringing communities together.
EEN Board Member, Ron Vos, shares details on what programs and funding are at stake in the U.S. Farm Bill reauthorization and how he's utilized accessible conservation practices on his own farm. He goes into the specifics of waterway contamination in the Midwest and how the Farm Bill can incentivize and enable farmers and landowners to mitigate harmful contamination of our waterways.
EEN Board Member, Jeff Kopaska, reflects on caring for our waterways and the creatures that inhabit them as apart of our creation care biblical mandate. He highlights the state of waterways and fish in his home state of Iowa and offers ways to prioritize clean water as we practice other land conservation techniques.
Guest writer, Mark Ogland-Hand, dives into his work building climate-friendly homes with Habitat for Humanity in Kent County, Michigan. Mark seeks to make design and construction decisions for the long-term health and welfare of both people and the climate. Learn how you can utilize benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act to make similar choices for your own home.
A reflection on how Christians can bless children like Jesus by helping to ensure healthy food for kids during the school summer break, especially in more rural communities. Featuring a letter from the director of the USDA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to faith leaders.
The extreme winter weather currently affecting a substantial portion of the U.S. population also significantly adds to the workload and stress of America’s farmers, ranchers, and agriculture services providers. Thank you to these faithful stewards of God’s creation for providing food to our nation and to the world, even during periods of dangerously cold temperatures!
Every five years, Congress passes a Farm Bill that shapes food access and nutrition, agriculture, rural economies, trade, on-farm energy production, and so much more. With farm incomes plunging, trade wars looming, and climate change heightening the threat of natural disasters, the fate of this Farm Bill is very important, especially for those concerned with caring for God's creation.
As Christians, Christmas is a particularly special time of the year as we come together with loved ones to celebrate the joy of the incarnation of Jesus, the gift of a savior being born, and the anticipation of His return. However, Christmas is also a time that has traditionally lacked a heavy focus on creation care. From excessive waste to an increase in energy consumption, the rhythms surrounding Christmas can unintentionally contribute to burdens on God’s creation, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Below are some ways that you can participate in Christmas traditions this year while also stewarding creation and honoring God’s many gifts.
As contemporary followers of Jesus, our connection to–and understanding of–the relationship between the “Lord of the harvest” and our daily bread remains important. Today, the Farm Bill presents a unique opportunity for Christ followers in America to marry good theology with good policy and support flourishing life and stewardship of God’s creation. Additionally, local partnerships like the one between my home church, Grace Snellville Church in metro Atlanta, and Fresh Harvest serve as a witness to the critical relationship between our food and our faith.
Two years since the signing of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act–a landmark investment in American infrastructure and the health and safety of our communities–remarkable progress has been made, with nearly $400 billion allocated to fund over 40,000 projects throughout the U.S.! These initiatives span various sectors, addressing critical environmental, economic, and social needs. On the anniversary of this historic legislation, we’re reflecting on the ways the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is defending our children’s health, restoring God’s creation, and setting us on the path to a clean energy future fueled by family-sustaining careers for American workers across the country.
Our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are at the forefront of fulfilling God’s continuing entrustment of the good gifts of land, crops, trees, and livestock. Located in the southwest corner county of SW Minnesota, Shawn and Becky Feikema, co-owners of Feikema Farms, are living out God’s entrustment by practicing no-till, minimum till, cover crop management, and diverse crop rotations on 7,000 acres of prime Minnesota farmland.
Robert Bonnie shares how farmers, ranchers, and forest owners have stewarded our land and how they're stepping up in new ways to address our changing climate. Thanks to benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can further invest in conservation programs and resources for farmers. He stresses the importance of the new U.S. Farm Bill in continuing to support farmers in climate smart agriculture.
EEN's President/CEO gives an update on the current status of the 2023 U.S. Farm Bill and emphasizes why Christians should care about this as an avenue to steward God's creation well. She encourages Congress to not forget about our nation's farmers.
Guest writer, Mark Ogland-Hand, describes how he and his wife have been transitioning their Michigan home away from greenhouse-gas-emitting fuels. They hope to honor God and steward creation by making their home a blessing to future generations of inhabitants.
Last month, the University of Pittsburgh released a monumental medical study showing the risks that not only adults face, but also children, due to natural gas (methane) development. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between methane and particular health issues such as asthma and birth outcomes. And the results were as shocking as they were alarming. How can Christians defend the lives and health of our children?
“Why is it so hazy outside?” As an apocalyptic, orange haze settled over much of the eastern U.S. earlier this summer, this question was one that many were asking. In this blog, EEN's Pennsylvania Policy and Outreach Coordinator Carolyn Heckman explores the health effects of soot and wildfire smoke, how extreme weather is linked to climate change, and how we can begin to respond and care for God's creation.
In this blog, Julian Burnett shares how Pennsylvania residents are saving money by switching to solar energy. Energy efficiency can help lower bills and raise home comfort but a lesser known benefit of energy efficiency is reducing the amount of pollutants and other environmental hazards coming into your home. As Christians, we can take advantage of this opportunity to care for our very own "Garden of Eden" as well as one another.
In this blog post, Indy Creation Fest organizer and volunteer Shiloh Cating shares how her scope of caring for God's creation has been expanded to include countless kinds of individual actions and work in her community. She also explores how this deepened understanding has brought her renewed excitement and joy in stewarding creation.
In this blog, Creation Care Champion Jack Joseph reflects on his experiences turning his faith into action for God's creation. Whether minimizing personal environmental impact, contributing to his church's community garden, or getting involved in advocacy, Jack demonstrates the variety of ways that Christians can step up to act on climate and defend God's creation.
In this blog post, EEN's Communications Associate Jaime Butler reflects on her experience visiting Washington, D.C. in March for National Public Health Advocacy Week.
There’s no doubt that the conversation around gas stoves is polarizing. As you think about the best way to steward God’s resources in your life and home as you care for creation, you may wonder if there’s any way to cut through the noise and get down to the facts about how gas stoves could be affecting your family’s health and what alternatives are available. If you have been asking these kinds of questions, look no further! Here’s a rundown of why the gas stove debate has become so heated and some reasons why swapping out your gas stove for electric alternatives could be good for your wallet, God’s creation, and your family’s health.
My name is Adelaide Mei, and I had the privilege of working for EEN as a communications intern this past semester. Prior to working for EEN, I had heard quite a bit about creation care as a current student at Calvin University as well as the need for decarbonization as a result of my internship last summer. However, many phrases like “decarbonization,” “decoupling,” “carbon intensity,” and “sustainability” were not very tangible for me and difficult to pinpoint how they applied to me and my life. Working for EEN has solidified for me why we care about pollutants: because they directly affect us and the people around us.
In honor of World Bee Day on May 20, 2023, EEN Upper Midwest Coordinator Tim Olsen reflects on the Biblical relevance of bees and honey, the history of beekeeping in the Church, and how being mindful of pollinators can be a meaningful part of practicing creation care.
Recently, the city of New York made the groundbreaking decision to ban gas stoves in new buildings beginning in 2030. While some may view this as a radical step, many American families are already choosing alternatives to gas appliances in their kitchens as they learn about the potential health risks gas stoves may pose to their families. As Evangelical Christians, we care about these possible harms to our children and communities as well as the impact of gas stoves on God’s creation.
Rev. Tim Olsen, EEN's Upper Midwest Coordinator, shares the story of South Dakota farmer Walt Bones and the stewardship legacy of his family's farms. “As dedicated agriculturalists, the Bones family have been trailblazers in countless arenas. They have been building a legacy of leadership in agriculture, conservation, and sustainability over five generations that has made positive impacts which will continue for decades to come.”
Rev. Tim Olsen, EEN's Upper Midwest Coordinator, reflects on the importance of Congress passing a conservation-forward 2023 Farm Bill and his experience leading listening sessions this past spring with local midwest farmers, agricultural professionals, and church leaders.
Getting to go with EEN to the Climate Action Campaign (CAC) Public Health Lobby in Washington DC was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Growing up, I had always heard of the importance of participating in our government by voting and calling our representatives, but going to DC and getting to actually meet with them in person both reminded me of the importance of talking with our representatives and the privilege of being able to do so.
This week, EEN President & CEO Mitch Hescox reflects on Good Friday and what the work of the cross means for all God's creation.
This week, one of EEN's Communications Interns, Adelaide Mei, reflects on what it means to be transformed by Christ and to set our minds on things above.
