Permaculture: Bruce Linebaugh Of Antioch College On Designing Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems to Grow Food
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Perhaps one of the most difficult skills for people to develop is to “self regulate and accept feedback.” It is important to not be afraid to look up information or ask for help when you don’t have all the answers. There will come a time when you think you have all the answers, but then you get hit with the unexpected as far as a plant disease or something no longer works that has always worked in the past. Those moments can serve as great growth and learning opportunities.
Permaculture offers a holistic approach to agriculture by designing sustainable ecosystems that grow food in harmony with nature. By understanding natural processes and applying them to farming, we can create self-sustaining systems that reduce waste, conserve resources, and promote biodiversity. How can permaculture principles help us design agricultural ecosystems that are not only productive but also environmentally friendly and resilient? In this interview series, we are talking to permaculture practitioners, agricultural experts, environmental scientists, and anyone who is an authority about “Designing Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems to Grow Food”. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bruce Linebaugh.
Bruce Linebaugh grew up on a mid-size dairy farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio, where his farming career began at the age of 15, raising livestock and row crops until 1984. After 30 years of working in the aircraft industry he felt called back to his passion of farming. Linebaugh began furthering his education through farm training courses at Wilmington College and Ohio State University before becoming Farm Manager at Antioch College in March of 2021. During his time at Antioch College, Linebaugh realized that using permaculture systems had been a part of his family’s style of farming all his life.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up on a conventional dairy farm in the late 60s. The older I got the more I realized that we were not conventional farmers, dad was farming regenerative back in the 60s. My dad was a third generation farmer, so my grandfather and great grandfather farmed before WWII and a lot of our farming methods went back to that era. We did use some modern herbicides prior to the 80s, but the bulk of our farming was done before roundup was even a word. All of my farming background is based on that knowledge and information. When I got old enough to farm on my own we never used roundup, we tried to follow more of the organic and biodynamic farming methods. In the mid 80s when farming became a tough way to make a living I transitioned into working in the aircraft industry, but we always did some farming on the side. Farming is something I could never get out of my system. In the early 2000s we stopped standard row crop farming and downsized getting into produce and market gardening. That opened my eyes up to the permaculture world and helped me realize that I was already using the permaculture design methods while growing up on the farm with my father, I just didn’t realize it. My interest and curiosity grew which ultimately led me to my career at Antioch College where I manage the micro-farm on campus.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I first came to Antioch College in 2019, I really enjoyed the first-hand experience I received while training under the farm manager who had a permaculture degree. I truly learned how permaculture works with nature and saw how all these systems do go together. That was when the lightbulb came on that all the methods I had been using throughout my life were really part of permaculture.
What drew you to the field of permaculture?
Coming to Antioch College is where I received the most exposure to the permaculture world. I had read a lot about it in the past, but between the training I received at the college and learning more of the history of Geoff Lawton and how he was trained under Bill Mollison, I became even more knowledgeable about the topic. The more I learned the more I delved into the permaculture world and got the most out of it that I could.
I am drawn to the fact that permaculture requires all systems to work together and there is no perfect stand alone system. It is when you combine all systems together that you really see the value of the permaculture world.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I think the number one character trait that has led to success is being a good listener to your co-workers and being open to ideas and changes. Translating that to the permaculture world, you are listening to nature, you are working with nature on a daily basis and you watch and observe what is going on in nature and how to work that into the permaculture system.
The second most important character trait in a leader is a good work ethic because permaculture will reduce your labor but it does not take it away. For example, there are certain seasons of the year that take a little more work than others.. It’s up to each person to decide how you break up your various zones and labor, but you still have to have a good work ethic to make sure that the permaculture system is able to work.
The final character trait is being open to change and being able to accept a failure. You will have a failure at least once or twice in your life in the permaculture system because you’re working with nature. Not everything is going to work out the same from year to year so what may have worked fine for five years, all of the sudden will not work. That also ties into our climate change. In my lifetime, I’ve seen the frost dates get moved out farther on either side which shows these systems are continuously changing.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
One project we are working on at Antioch College is pretty new to farmers of all sizes. We are using alfalfa as a nutrient soil building element. This truly is cutting edge technology and changing the way we view soil fertility. We are working with a cover crop that not only acts as a cover crop but also allows the root system of alfalfa to put nutrients in the soil. We then cut the hay and bail it to serve as a mulch system in our garden beds. We let it decay and conduct four soil samples a year to document the journey of what the alfalfa is doing in the soil. We are in our third year of the soil samples and seeing the benefit of using alfalfa in our system. Using alfalfa can replace synthetic fertilizer and allow you to grow your soil fertility instead of buying it from an outside source.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. To ensure that we are all on the same page let’s begin with some simple definitions. What does the term “Permaculture” encompass?
I view permaculture as all systems in nature working together in a permanent way to farm and create a living system. You’re incorporating fruit trees, livestock and so many other different elements that fall into the permaculture world. It’s up to each individual how many of these principles and practices you want to adopt. For me, I’m very passionate about livestock so that is a key role in the system that I personally use. Permaculture is working all of the elements together for a common goal.
Can you share a success story where permaculture transformed an agricultural landscape?
We have a back corner on the campus of Antioch College near the farm that was a low lying wet area. We incorporated swells into that area to establish a two acre food forest on that site. What used to hold water, now with the swells cut into it, is an area that drains and no longer stands under water. Now, I have that as a reference to go by proving that being adaptable and innovative can work.
What challenges have you faced in implementing permaculture, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge that we face on the Antioch College farm is the unique microclimate that we have because we are surrounded by about three thousand acres of private park, state park, and a county park. The climate around us causes us to face a significant amount of insect and wildlife pressure. We still don’t have it completely under control but we utilize all of the organic pesticides that are on the market and we try to incorporate some animals to deal with the insect issues. It’s an ongoing challenge, but we use electric fence netting and that type of equipment to combat the wildlife due to our unique proximity to the park systems that we are surrounded by.
How can permaculture principles be applied to urban farming to make cities more sustainable?
Implementing permaculture principles into an urban setting is being done worldwide. The nice thing about permaculture is that it is adaptable to any location, especially in an urban setting as long as you have a little bit of open green space it is possible. The benefits of establishing small permaculture zones can regreen some pretty desolated areas. Geoff Lawton and his wife have been a part of a lot of projects meant to regenerate urban sites and start permaculture zones in urban settings, something they have been very successful in doing.
What are the most effective permaculture techniques for enhancing soil health and fertility?
The most effective permaculture technique for enhancing soil health and fertility is the incorporation of livestock. It allows you to build soil from the animal manure. Additionally, from our perspective at Antioch College, the use of alfalfa and cover crops can be very beneficial for improving the soil.
How do permaculture practices contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem resilience?
Permaculture practices allow all systems to work together and when that happens nature has a way of fixing things. The reference that I use to prove that is during the pandemic back in 2020. It was amazing how quickly nature came to the forefront when things slowed down and people were not traveling back and forth to work. Nature, if you allow it, has a way of fixing itself and that truly emphasizes the value and core principles of permaculture.
What are the “5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Implement Permaculture Practices”
1 . “Observe and interact” is the first thing people should know about implementing permaculture practices. A good farmer and permaculture specialist should be observing every single day what is going on in their surrounding area. Training yourself to watch and observe is key because it allows you to interact when you see things start to get out of sync. For example, if you have insect pressure or a tree falls, you will need to go in and treat or fix the situation.
2 . The second element is “obtain a yield.” When you are looking at the permaculture world you are not going after a high yield. You are going after a system that will allow you to do a small harvest multiple times a year. An example of this is doing plantings in a food forest system. Then, during the growing season you can harvest what you plant and in the fall you can harvest from nut trees or other crops. The overall idea is producing a permaculture zone that allows you to have a continual harvest throughout the year.
3 . Perhaps one of the most difficult skills for people to develop is to “self regulate and accept feedback.” It is important to not be afraid to look up information or ask for help when you don’t have all the answers. There will come a time when you think you have all the answers, but then you get hit with the unexpected as far as a plant disease or something no longer works that has always worked in the past. Those moments can serve as great growth and learning opportunities.
4 . Another key element of implementing a permaculture system is “integrate rather than segregate.” The best way to describe this is by comparing a permaculture system to conventional farming. With a permaculture system you are taking multiple elements and allowing them to work together whereas with conventional farming you mostly have a monocrop system that rotates corn and soybeans. Growing up on the dairy farm, we had multiple crops that we grew to maintain the dairy herd and all of those systems worked together much like permaculture does.
5 . The final element to keep in mind is my personal favorite, “use small and slow solutions.” That is the way that I was brought up and I always accused my dad of being old fashioned in his farming beliefs and practices because we didn’t have the latest and greatest pieces of equipment. But when I started farming, I realized really quickly that it costs way too much money to go out and buy new equipment without taking on significant debt. Even today in the permaculture system we have at Antioch College, our biggest piece of equipment is a walk behind tractor.
You can maintain an entire acre site with hand tools if you have the work ethic and training to do so. We provide training to our students at Antioch College to maintain the farm and much of what we teach can be translated to how we can succeed in our lives. The nice thing about permaculture is that it not only applies to growing food, but it can apply to every area of your life.
Are there other ideas or considerations that should encourage us to reimagine our food supply chain or how we produce food today?
I would encourage people to not let a lack of land keep them from wanting to grow their own food. The main focus of permaculture is personal housing and the area right outside of the house, so even in an urban setting there is a little bit of a space that can be utilized. If we could get everyone to embrace growing some of their own food and become local, I feel we could definitely feed ourselves and the world using the permaculture model.
What is your vision for the future of permaculture and sustainable agriculture?
Changing people’s mindsets about sustainable agriculture is my vision. When I was growing up, the idea of regenerative farming was never even heard of. Now, even some monocrop farmers are looking at regenerative farming as a viable option. They are still spraying some harmful chemicals, but they are slowly seeing the benefits of trying to change that system. My biggest hope is that the government will take a step back and let the farmers take control of how they care for their land and crops.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I can remember being a young man growing up in the early 70s listening to the Secretary of Agriculture give the message to American farmers ‘get big or get out of the business.’ If we could take that out of the whole system and allow farmers to farm in a way that would benefit the world we would be a lot better off. One place to start is getting big manufacturers to start making smaller equipment again. Growing up if you had a 100 horsepower tractor you were considered a big farmer, now that is considered a small tractor.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Anyone can see the work we are doing on Antioch Farm by following our Antioch College social media accounts or visit https://antiochcollege.edu/campus-life/antioch-farm/
This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview!
