Turn here sweet corn Organic farming works

*Starred Review* Think of Diffley's organic memoir as Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love (2006) without the travel. There's plenty of eating of the delectable fruits and vegetables her family produces and sells. As for love, the pain of a failed first marriage is mitigated by the birth of her daughter and eradicated when she falls for Martin, a fifth-generation organic farmer whose rural Minnesota acreage is doomed to be suburbanized by Minneapolis developers. The praying comes in when the Diffleys have to battle the powers-that-be not once but twice after their second homestead is threatened by the construction of a crude-oil pipeline. Weaving the story of how they battled big government and big oil while coping with Mother Nature's daily and seasonal challenges of hail, drought, frost, and wind, Diffley fluently conveys the mind-boggling demands of organic farming in intimately personal and intricately factual ways. From the microbial soil that nourishes crops and the native grasses that lure pollinating bees to the ancient trees that shelter scavenger owls and the dedicated people who stay attuned to the delicate symbiotic relationships among them all, the thriving ecosystem of a family farm nurtures a world far beyond its borders.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist

In addition to being a charming memoir of love and living off the land, Diffley's debut is a timely tale of modern farming, the growing organic movement, and the problems that arise when urban development runs up against fertile fields. Diffley met her husband Martin when she visited the roadside vegetable stand at his farm, Gardens of Eagan in Minnesota, which had been in his family for five generations. For years, the couple grew organic crops and sold them to food co-ops, until suburban developers encroached upon their land. They soon became "nomadic farmers," working fields around town while they searched for a new plot on which to settle. Once they found a new home for Gardens of Eagan, business thrived, but when a letter arrives from notorious Koch Industries explaining their intentions to build a crude oil pipeline through the farm, the Diffleys are more determined than ever to save their livelihood. What ensued was a remarkable legal battle, whose outcome prompted the Diffleys to start Organic Farming Works LLC, an agricultural consulting business. Equal parts anecdote and practical organic farming guide, this book is a powerful testament to the Diffleys' passion for their work and a terrific guide to the trials and tribulations of sticking to the land, sticking to the Man, and going organic. Color & b/w photos. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.