{"id":630913,"date":"2026-09-21T00:02:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T00:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/630913\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T00:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T00:02:24","slug":"what-wendell-berry-meant-to-christian-farmers-going-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/630913\/","title":{"rendered":"What Wendell Berry meant to Christian farmers going green"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the late evening of Aug. 31, 2026, I missed a call from Jennifer, a seventh-generation cattle rancher in Georgia. She was one of more than 70 family farmers and ranchers across the rural U.S. South and Midwest whom I\u2019d gotten to know through my research<\/a> over the past five years. We still kept up from time to time, but a late-night call had me worried that something had gone awry on her farm. <\/p>\n

I sent a quick message to ask what was happening. Her response: \u201cWendell Berry passed.\u201d <\/p>\n

I immediately knew the depth of grief behind her solemn text. Berry, a prolific Kentucky farmer, writer and activist<\/a>, served as an inspiration for many environmentally leaning folks. But as an environmental anthropologist<\/a>, I\u2019d seen firsthand the specific impact he had on the rural producers I studied. Like Jennifer, they farmed land that had been in their families for generations. They had used conventional, industrial practices<\/a> for decades, but in recent years they had transitioned toward sustainable or regenerative methods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Berry was an outspoken proponent of both environmentally minded farming<\/a> and its connection to his own Christian faith<\/a>. In a climate which increasingly tells people in these farmers communities that those two values are not politically aligned<\/a>, sustainable farmers of faith told me that Berry validated their own sense of morality. <\/p>\n

Making the switch<\/p>\n

In 2023-2024, I spent 16 months conducting ethnographic research with \u201cex-conventional\u201d farmers \u2013 those who had split from both agricultural and social conventions in their communities. <\/p>\n

The vast majority of producers<\/a> in the U.S. today farm \u201cconventionally,\u201d meaning they grow a \u201cmonocrop\u201d of only one species and use intensive methods of plowing the soil, called \u201ctillage,\u201d<\/a> as well as synthetic fertilizers<\/a>, herbicides and pesticides. <\/p>\n

The farmers I studied, on the other hand, had recently changed perspectives, observing that those conventional practices were contributing to damage<\/a> to the soil<\/a>, land and water. As a result, they started shifting methods<\/a> to attempt repair. Many reduced or eliminated their petrochemical use, stopped tilling their fields and added additional plant varieties and cover crops<\/a> to protect the soil. They also began regenerative grazing, meaning that they rotated livestock through pastures daily, followed by long periods of letting each pasture recover.<\/p>\n

Over time, these farms saw improvements<\/a> in soil health<\/a>, like less erosion, better ability to absorb water, and greater organic matter<\/a>. These practices can also boost animal well-being and the diversity of plants, microbes, insects and fungi<\/a>, which benefits the farm\u2019s ecology and reduces the need for costly added fertilizer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

A conventional farm, left, sits next to an \u2018ex-conventional\u2019 regenerative pasture.
\n Sydney Giacalone<\/p>\n

Making those changes was often challenging. For most people I spoke to, though, the agricultural transitions were more straightforward than the social side of changing how they farmed. Some felt ostracized by family and peers who considered sustainable farming and environmentalism itself to be anti-farmer and anti-rural.<\/p>\n

Care for creation<\/p>\n

One place they hadn\u2019t typically anticipated getting pushback, though, was at church.<\/p>\n

The farmers in my research represented a range of political views \u2013 far wider than stereotypes suggest<\/a> \u2013 but nearly all of them grew up in Protestant Christian households. Once they came to feel they had harmed the land, many of them connected their faith with their sense of guilt and responsibility to address that harm. <\/p>\n

Angela, who owned a cattle, pig, sheep and poultry farm with her husband in Tennessee, said their transition to sustainable farming felt in line with her faith. (Angela, like all names of interviewees, is a pseudonym for anonymity.) \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we taking care of our creation that God gave us, right?\u201d she told me. <\/p>\n

As the couple transitioned toward these ecologically minded cultivation methods, Angela tried to spark conversation about the environment at her church.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a little \u2018eco-ministry,\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cSomeone came and told me, \u2018I can\u2019t figure out if you\u2019re a Christian who cares about the earth, or just an environmentalist trying to use Christians.\u2019 I felt so, so sad. And one of my friends had her sister tell her it\u2019s a sin to do anything about taking care of the earth. It\u2019s a sin. God\u2019s in charge, and he\u2019ll do whatever he wants with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Iowa, rancher Jon wondered if some peers interpreted critiques of conventional agriculture as slights against their belief that they were living out a God-given role<\/a> of productively cultivating the land<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Some farmers felt like their churches saw critiques of conventional farming as a challenge to American rural values.
\n Sydney Giacalone<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many generations have we been conditioned that if we make it tillable, we\u2019re doing God\u2019s work?\u201d Jon rhetorically asked me. He was sympathetic that most farmers cared deeply about stewarding the land well \u2013 he had thought he was doing that too, until he noticed his methods\u2019 unintended ecological impacts. \u201cSo I\u2019m pretty sure the things I bring up definitely challenged their faith more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s all going to burn up\u2019<\/p>\n

Some farmers heard more dramatic pushback from church leadership. Drew, a farmer in the Midwest, had tried to talk about his sustainability changes at his church. He recalled a prominent congregation member and fellow farmer responding: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what we do to land. \u2026 It\u2019s all temporary. It\u2019s all going to burn up. It\u2019s all going to be thrown away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such ideas reflect rhetoric that some scholars call \u201capocalyptic conspiracism<\/a>\u201d: an attitude that emphasizes spreading Christianity over addressing worldly problems, and weaves in elements of rural white Christian nationalism<\/a>, distrust of science and beliefs about the end of the world. These views are not the stereotypical opposition to environmentalism that stems from doubts about climate change<\/a>. Instead, this perspective accepts environmental degradation<\/a> as a sign that Jesus will soon return to Earth.<\/p>\n

In Georgia, Jennifer \u2013 who sent me the text about Berry\u2019s passing \u2013 also felt distrust from some people in her church about her vocal shift toward sustainable agriculture, as did her friend Harry. A local theologian and educator, Harry ran a faith-based youth program that included an environmental justice curriculum and trips to nearby farms.<\/p>\n

Harry had recently prepared a poetry book to present to his church about local water pollution. He recalled his pastor replying, \u201cWell, creation\u2019s going to burn anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healing here and now<\/p>\n

Chatting with Harry and Jennifer in early 2024, I asked why they thought differently about the connection between environmentalism and living out their faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cWendell Berry opened my eyes,\u201d Harry replied immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cMine too,\u201d Jennifer said. \u201cMine too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we owe a lot to that man,\u201d Harry reflected.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

Author Wendell Berry talks with a reporter at his home in Port Royal, Ky., on March 10, 2011.
\n AP Photo\/Ed Reinke<\/a><\/p>\n

In the face of messages that farming sustainably was irrelevant to their faith, or even anti-Christian, Berry stood out as a voice validating their efforts<\/a>. Several farmers of faith in my research repeatedly referenced his writings as fundamental in their shifting perspectives on both topics.<\/p>\n

In contrast to a climate where rural Christianity is often associated with the right, Berry did not fit into political labels or extremes<\/a>. Multiple farmers told me that they looked to him as a model for how to speak to their own communities in ways that would open dialogue, rather than shut it down. <\/p>\n

A few had even crossed paths with him, asked for advice and thanked him for the impact his example had on their lives at a time when they often felt misunderstood by other rural Christians and farmers \u2013 both communities they cared deeply about and remained within.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a Christian is not just about going to heaven when you die \u2013 that\u2019s escapism,\u201d Drew told me, explaining how he had felt when he first read Berry and other environmentalist theologians\u2019 writings<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s also bringing about healing and regeneration and reconciliation right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have to suspend my belief in science,\u201d he added, noting the clarity and validity he now felt explaining how something like cover crops aligned with his faith. \u201cI can be a part of healing and regenerating right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the late evening of Aug. 31, 2026, I missed a call from Jennifer, a seventh-generation cattle rancher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[246,61,60,82],"class_list":["post-630913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}