Grandpa Gary leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.

"Well, boys, wasn't that the best Thanksgiving dinner ever?"

"Yup, Grandpa," said his grandson, Jack, between bites of pumpkin pie.

"No argument here," added Jack's dad, with a big smile. "I'm stuffed!"

"You know, Jack. Everything but the cranberries was raised right here on the family farm," said Grandpa Gary. "The turkey, beans, onions, potatoes, squash, and pumpkins came straight from the pen or the garden. Nothing beats the taste of fresh, healthy food, does it?"

"No, sir," said Jack, licking off a whipped cream moustache. "Anyone want that last piece of pie?"

"It's all yours, son," said his dad, Jim. "A big appetite, that's one thing that doesn't change, does it Dad?"

"Nope, all the Spenser men have big appetites," said Grandpa Gary.

"Even Great-great Grandpa?" asked Jim.

Grandpa Gary laughed. "Especially him. Why he had four eggs, a heap of fried potatoes, bacon and biscuits every morning! He needed the energy because he had to work our 280 acres by himself with only a mule and a plow."

"Wow, Grandpa. I didn't think about that," said Jack.

"The way we eat and farm has changed in the past hundred years, son," said Jim. "Great-great Grandpa Spenser had to rely on the sun, the rain, a strong back, and a bit of luck to raise a healthy crop to feed his family and pay bills. If a heat wave, a drought, a wildfire, a dried up well, unseasonable cold, or some plant disease wiped out his one crop, it meant hard times for the family. More than once, he took work in a lumber mill to make ends meet."

"That's right, son," said Grandpa Gary. "Now, some things had improved by the time Great Grandpa took over our farm."

"How, Grandpa?" asked Jack.

"For one thing, he had a Model A truck and a tractor that made it easier and faster to clear, plant, and harvest more land. A bigger crop earned more money. That was the goal then. Of course, he still had to deal with Mother Nature. As much as he loved this land, he really didn't consider the consequences of overusing those resources. He just did what his dad had done in the past."

"By the time I took over the farm, son," continued Grandpa Gary, "we had learned a hard lesson from the Dust Bowl. A study in 1977 estimated that nine to 12 tons of topsoil per farmland acre was carried away every year by wind or water erosion because of over tilling. Big winds and loose soil contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

"We had to change our farming methods to turn that around. First of all, just because we could plow more land didn't mean we had to do that. And if we did, we needed to replant and not overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides."

"That's right, Dad," said Jim. "Every crop takes nutrients out of the soil. We had to find more natural ways to put back nutrients, such as nitrogen. Overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can cause unhealthy salts to build up in the soil. With poor irrigation, eventually those salts can get into the water supply and into us. When I took over the farm from Grandpa, I started practicing more sustainable agriculture."

"Hey, I learned all about sustainable agriculture in FFA," said Jack, pushing away his empty dessert plate.

"You did?" queried Grandpa with a smile. "Tell us about it."

"Okay! Sustainable agriculture just means using the land to produce food indefinitely in ways that won't destroy the ecosystem, and keeping it healthy by using our natural resources wisely."

"Right, Jack. And how do we do that?" asked Jim.

"By keeping up with the science of farming, using more native or genetically developed disease and drought-resistant plants, recycling crop and livestock waste, and not relying on one crop. Did you know that in the 1840s people in Ireland starved because a disease wiped out their potato crops? That's why it's good to rotate or plant different crops, such as alfalfa, that help put nitrogen back in the soil, just the way you do, Dad."

"Yes, son. Sustainable farming has kept us fed, clothed, housed, and healthy. What do you think, Dad?"

"I think the future of our family farm is in good hands," said Grandpa, with a wink.