This week's "Person You Should Know" is Brad Baughman, Michigan State University Extension educator for grape production.
A resident of Kalamazoo, Baughman works to educate wine-grape and juice-grape growers in southwestern Michigan.
My Job: To make sure that wine grape and juice grape growers in Southwest Michigan have all the research-based information they need to produce a top-quality product, efficiently, and in a way that's environmentally sustainable. My favorite parts of the job are the relationships I get to have with the growers, and the fact that I get to learn new things all the time!
My mentor: We don't amount to much without our teachers and mentors. On the academic side, I'd have to credit Matt Grieshop, Rufus Isaacs, Tom Zabadal and Mark Longstroth. On the farmer side, the list is long, but Todd Robbins, Joe Herman, John Hinkelman and Lee Arbogast have probably been my most important grower mentors. I also rely on spiritual teachings from the sweat lodge community, so the teachers in those ways are very important to me.
My mission in life: I'm good at learning, teaching, writing and connecting with people. My spiritual life demands that I put those skills to work however I can for the success and good relations of the whole community—the soil, water, plants and bugs; the grapevines; the producers and the consumers.
How I give back: I support my sweat lodge community and my church. I also support local artists, musicians and direct-market farmers. I have also assisted political organizing for fighting climate change, advancing social justice, and fighting corporate control of the U.S. political system.
Hobbies: Calling square dances, singing in the choir, learning history, hiking and camping. When most people are watching sports, I'm usually playing video games or reading science fiction.
If I Could Do Something Else: I would either farm or teach biology or environmental science. Sometimes I wish I could call square dances full-time, but I better not quit my day job!
To nominate someone for this column, call or email Jerry Goshert (jerry@farmers-exchange.net), or courtney@farmers-exchange.net), associate editor. The telephone number for both editors is 574/831-2138.