Project Media:

Images Updated 11/22/2001
Sound Updated 11/27/2001

Story Notes:

Klaas and Mary-Howell are fascinating, humble people who command national respect from the organic community. Their spartan yet mainstream lifestyle makes clear that they are farmers first, organic farmers second. They certainly aren't your stereotypical "nutty-crunchy" organic types. The Martens take their business seriously. Mary-Howell applies her science, biology and business background to running the day-to-day operations on her Macintosh G4, conspicuously located in her open office next to the farmhouse kitchen. From her cluttered computer command station, she plans future crops, cover crops and projects soil conditions with the keen eye of a meteorologist looking years into the future. She says she and Klaas view the land three-dimensionally, peering into the soil to monitor the micro-organisms at the lowest level. Healthy soil means healthy crops, and it takes years of experience and planning to maintain a healthy soil balance by using crop rotation, cultivation and cover plantings.

The family's feed mill is becoming a hub of organic camaraderie, even though it just recently opened for business. Impromptu conclaves are not daily conventions of granola makers, but more a chilly warehouse where sacks of feed become front row seats for a farmers-in-Carharts forum of ideas, methods and markets. I spoke to one particularly interesting dairy farmer whose father died at 45. The son continued the business, but switched to organic out of chemical concern. He's been selling his organic dairy on the "conventional" market and will soon be selling into the organic market. By selling his organic goods for lower conventional prices, he says, "It's not the money that I make, it's the money I don't have to spend that makes the difference." Obviously, he hopes to break into the organic dairy distribution chain so he can reap higher prices in addition to his cost savings.

It'll be interesting to see how this movement progresses; I sensed incredible optimism, but optimism that's subverted by a farmer's ethic of understatement. Also, there's a concerted effort to be low-key with successes in this subtly organic community as some neighboring farmers are resentful. (I didn't photograph Klaas's brothers -- there's a tenuous relationship there. Klaas and Mary-Howell were fine with introductions, but subtly implied that a portrayal of brother-against-brother could severely damage what's now a sensitive relationship.)

But there push toward organic is strong. Eight neighbors are now organic, and another 1,000 or so acres will be certified in the spring.

More details are available.

Technical comments:

Audio: The interview is available in uncompressed, broadcast-quality sound. It's posted herein as a compressed QuickTime. There's significant potential to create a strong audio portrait of this farm, family and community. However, another visit and a day devoted to on-location audio reportage is required to gather the necessary additional raw material, and a day of audio production to produce a strong sense of aural presence. A voiced, NPR-style story is also a strong option.

Pictures: Although not necessarily belied by the images presented here, the weather was largely uncooperative during my 2-day visit. It rained, sleeted, with howling wind. There was a total of about two hours of cumulative decent light, which I chased intently. Aerials were not possible due to high winds, icing at altitude and mostly IFR conditions. Images were shot primarily with Leica M6 on Fuji Provia 100 F 35mm film. Canon EOS equipment was used for long-lens and some situations. Some technical difficulties were experienced with strobes in the house.

Links of Interest:

http://www.acresusa.com/events/01conf/01martens.htm
A description of the Martens and workshop they're teaching at the Acres USA annual conference on organic farming. Klaas and Mary-Howell are developing a national reputation within the serious organic community.

http://www.rochesternews.com/1027story1.html
[link may be outdated; contact Carl for hard copy]
Area's organic farming displays healthy growth
Skepticism has faded as Finger Lakes joins international boom
(Page One story mentions Klaas and Mary-Howell in Rochester paper, Saturday, October 28, 2001)

Contacts: