When we switched to sustainable organic farming methods in 1989, we were actually returning to agricultural practices that were similar in many ways, to those used on this same farm by my great-grandfather nearly 100 years earlier. This meant no toxic chemicals or pesticides; a small carbon footprint; crop rotations to help control weeds and pests; and growing our own “green-manure” legume crops that fix nitrogen and are then ploughed-down to improve soil health and fertility.