Passing on Knowledge from Chris Blanchard
Chris and me at Erik Sessions and Sarah Peterson’s field day in 2013
Many of you have heard the news that Chris Blanchard passed away recently. He was a farmer, farm and environmental advocate and talented teacher.
I considered Chris a friend. I agreed with most of his strong opinions and appreciated his humor, intelligence, honesty, openness and unrelenting determination to make the world a better place. Practical Farmers of Iowa had the fortune of working with Chris many times over the years, and to share Chris’ knowledge with our members. Here is some of Chris’ knowledge-sharing we were able to capture over the years.
Newsletter articles
- Weed Machines: the Practical Farmer newsletter, Summer 2009, pages 8,9, 19
- Grazing Livestock in Orchards: the Practical Farmer newsletter, Fall 2013, page 26
CSA Mini School, Dec. 2-3, 2010
Left to right: Angie Sullivan, Isabel Blanchard, Chris Blanchard, Harriet Behar at Beard family field day in 2011. Long-time member, late Greg Bernhard (Suzi Howk’s dad), is in the back row with the PFI hat.
Field day, July 15, 2012: Rock Spring Farm’s Labor-Saving and Profit-Maximizing Devices
Workshop, March 14, 2013: Many Hands Make Light Work: Systems and Tools for Managing Employees on the Farm
Farminars:
- Determining Whether Your Produce Farm will Flourish or Wilt; March 6, 2012
- Vegetable Irrigation Basics for Beginning Farmers; February 26, 2013
- Transplant Production Improvement Considerations; November 19, 2013
- Food Safety Modernization Act: Implications for Farmers; April 1, 2015
Thanks to Chris for being such a passionate teacher and cool human. He will be greatly missed!