If a farmer does abandon his or her "tame" fields completely to nature, mistakes and destruction are inevitable.

Although natural farming - since it can teach people to cultivate a deep understanding of nature - may lead to spiritual insight, it's not strictly a spiritual practice.

Straw mulch, a ground cover of white clover interplanted with the crops, and temporary flooding all provide effective weed control in my fields.

The irony is that science has served only to show how small human knowledge is.

When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.

Since I turned the fields back to their natural state, I can't say I've had any really difficult problems with insects or disease.

Of course, I have made mistakes . . . just as every grower does. However, I never really think of them as mistakes!