Dr. Mark Schonbeck is an unsung hero of organic agriculture.
As a member of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Mark is technically listed on its staff roster as the newsletter editor. Yet he is far more than just an information gatherer. He painstakingly sifts through his own research as well as the work of others to explain every informative and helpful detail for organic farmers and gardeners, right down to the science.
“Mark is, without fail, extraordinarily thorough, on-point and insightful,” says Greg Fogel, Senior Policy Specialist of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “I can’t put a value on the contributions that he has made to our work.”
The rest of the NSAC staff used even more superlatives to describe Mark: super smart, super humble, super committed, super man. “Hardly a week goes by in the NSAC office that we don’t say, ‘God bless Mark Schonbeck,'” says NSAC’s Sarah Hackney
Through the VABF newsletters and hands-on workshops at various national and regional conferences, Mark combines deep scientific knowledge, practical farming technique and policy smarts into a rare, one-stop resource. Want to know more about why the Farm Bill is stalled in Congress, how to petition the EPA to protect honeybees, how to build healthy soils or what’s really going to get rid of those weeds? Just ask Mark.
Dr. Mark Schonbeck, we are so thankful for your insight, integrity and for helping us do the digging (literally and figuratively). Cheers to you!
To nominate your favorite farmer or food hero for RAFI’s 30 Days of Thanks, click here.
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