The True Story of Why We’re Organic

The Boy and The Bucket

Meet the Boy with The Bucket, Earl Doudlah, that’s my Dad. He was my mentor, my hero, and was the one person who taught me to “think outside the box.” He would say, “Do what is right and don’t worry about what people say.” “Be someone who will make a difference.” And most often he would say, “Never give up, do one thing more or better.” My dad was an innovator in farming, but we did not realize the dangers of today’s chemical-based agriculture. Dad was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2008. This is cancer known as the Midwest Farmer’s Cancer. Doctors said the cause of his cancer was most likely due to his long-term exposure to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and degreasers. Unfortunately, my dad lost his fight in 2011.

Dad was my mentor; my rock. I knew that in my heart this was a huge loss to agriculture. But his death was also my “Aha” moment. I knew I had to make changes, and these changes had to be now. I dedicated 40 acres of our family farm as a trial plot for Organic Farming. My first year of farming this plot was an absolute disaster and devastating. I had to take my combine and raise the bean head and combine the weeds of the beans so they could reach the sun and flourish. However, this was not going to stop me. I learned quickly that organic farming was about being “proactive.” It’s about Weed Control. And how do you control weeds? Now that’s a lifetime question asked around the world. But here’s the answer, It’s about soil health and finally plant health.

But where do you go when you need answers? All my neighbors are conventional farmers. My grandfathers, my father, and myself; were all conventional farmers. So I started my research to develop my family farm and do as dad said, think outside the box! Ok, but how?

I learned about the links to cancer and chemicals like glyphosate (round-up and other weed control) and atrazine, and their relationship to cancer, autism & learning disabilities. How this was going to be our overall future generation’s health. This was not going to be my legacy! I learned the true story on GMOs from people like Dr. Warren Porter from UW-Madison and Dr. Don Huber at Purdue. I decided to be proactive, pay for healthy foods, and not my physician.

I had to be biodynamic, organic, and better yet, regenerative. I wanted to grow Non-GMO Organic Nutrient Rich Dense SAFE foods that are not only good for you but are tastier too. I was not going to do this just in my dad’s honor, but now I felt a responsibility to what I was providing our nations families. You the consumer and Your health as well. Dad would say jokingly, “Can’t we just do the same thing for more than one year?” The answer is NO, because we are in search of excellence. And to be excellent you as a farmer, an innovator, researcher, and developer, need to be in a constant mode of perfection for excellence. We need to farm the best practices to give our consumers the best foods for their table. I do not want Doudlah Farms’ legacy to be about cancer, a toxic world & environmental damage, but about making a change. A Positive Change for our future generations. So here TODAY, I am a 100% Certified Organic Farmer.