Intern Spotlight: Dani Hurlbutt

Hello! My name is Dani Hurlbutt, the current Lowlands Intern. I arrived at ECHO in January of 2018 with wide eyes and a hungry spirit to learn all that there is about tropical agriculture, sustainable community development, and effective training strategies. My journey to ECHO began in 2015 after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in Plant Pathology. I spent some time overseas in West Africa where God started to knit together my passions for the natural world, sustainable solutions to hunger, youth development, and most importantly, seeing Christ glorified. It was in West Africa that I first heard about ECHO as an incredible space to explore these passions.

And what an incredible space indeed! When I first made it to the farm, I had in my back pocket some Midwest gardening skills, which seemed to fade in the shadows of the mighty jackfruit and mango trees. However, slowly but surely I began to learn not just the plants but also their uses, sustainable agricultural techniques, and the tools and skills to train and teach others these methods. I am learning new things daily but know I still have a long way to go. I am humbled that our God uses us as we come to Him. 

I will be finishing up my internship in February 2019, and I am hoping to go to graduate school to study education in order to become the best teacher and trainer I can be. I desire to communicate the information I have learned at ECHO as effectively as possible, empowering others to love God’s world, care for it well, and care for their communities in ways that honor Christ. I am so thankful for the many skills and lessons I have learned while at ECHO, and I pray that I will be a blessing to those I meet in the future. 

Conference Inspires

Van Hutchinson Shares His Experience at the ECHO International Agriculture Conference

Over the last few years, I got involved in several community gardens and the name “ECHO” kept reverberating through the “idea-sphere.”  Finally, I was able to attend an ECHO conference. Surrounded by kindred spirits in a sea of science and experience-based field knowledge, I felt like dozens of roads in my life had converged on an amazing hub for people and ideas united in the pursuit of ending hunger and bettering lives. I was inspired.

I was inspired at the conference because of the focus on devotions and worship time. In an outdoor workshop the leader began with a simple, powerful prayer and then transitioned into an introduction to “Farming God’s Way.” It was just so perfect—I felt SO connected with the Holy Spirit and His plan for food and the earth!

I was inspired by the innovative solutions like the biodigester, a technology that neutralizes toxins while converting waste into a non-polluting energy source! 

I was inspired by the people I met and the work they are doing. I got to know some great people, including the leaders of Buckets of Rain, a team of volunteers using community gardening to reach Detroit’s urban poor. Attending the 25th Annual International Agriculture Conference was a highlight of my year. 

Treworgy Orchards donates funds from a “tip jar”

How one small family orchard is making a big difference

Article by Maddie Christy

In its first season, Treworgy Orchards failed. Gary and Patty Treworgy planted a whole bunch of apple trees only to watch them all die. They thought maybe the business of being farmers wasn’t for them. Instead, they decided to give it another try and plant just one acre the next season. This time, the apple trees survived. Acre by acre, they expanded. From apples to pumpkins and then onto berries, Treworgy Orchards has been growing ever since. 

“We have learned that it doesn’t take much to make a difference, and it’s exciting to extend the invitation to others to be part of it.”

— Jon Kenerson

About 19 years ago, the family-run farm in Maine added an ice cream shop, a petting zoo, and a corn maze. Today, Treworgy Orchards offers a full farm experience. From May to December, activities include strawberry picking, hayrides, and even cutting fresh Christmas trees.

At Treworgy Orchards, you are encouraged to pick your own fruits and vegetables. They are passionate about getting families out on the farm and making memories together. But it’s about even more than that. 

“Our main focus is to create spaces where people can connect in community and where they can connect with the land through agriculture,” said Jon Kenerson, CEO and son-in-law of the Treworgys. “We hope it’s a place where people can connect to God through those experiences in community.”

The ECHO tip jar sits at the counters anywhere there is a register at Treworgy Orchards. | Photos courtesy of Jon Kenerson

That’s where ECHO fits in perfectly with the mission of Trewory Orchards. 

“When I started looking into ECHO our visions really aligned, it just seemed like a natural partnership,” said Kenerson. “ECHO is working with agriculture to do dignifying and meaningful work for some of the most impoverished people in the world.”

Treworgy Orchards wanted to partner in that work. They began supporting ECHO a couple years ago as part of their regular charitable giving. Since generosity is a core value of the business, they give 1% of their overall sales every year to multiple charities. 

The staff at Treworgy Orchards were recently inspired by their ice cream supplier to go above and beyond in their giving by donating the money they collected in tips jars. They graciously decided that these additional proceeds would also go to ECHO. To Kenerson, specifying that the money in the tip jars goes towards ECHO was a wonderful way to give back with the success they’ve been given and raise awareness at the same time. 

Treworgy Orchards sees their donation with the tip jars as only the tip of the iceberg. 

“So many of us have been given so much, and I think we have a responsibility to give to those who are less fortunate than us,” said Kenerson. “We have learned that it doesn’t take much to make a difference, and it’s exciting to extend the invitation to others to be part of it.” 

They hope the tip jars are a way of inspiring others to find a creative way to partner with organizations they care about.

Creative Capacity Building

An ECHO training in Creative Capacity Building turns this small soap-making business into a vehicle of change in Magreth’s community. Article by Magreth Omary

My name is Magreth Omary and I am married and God has blessed me with 4 children. My income comes from making batik cloth, stools, embroidery work, and soap which gives me the most income. I own a small shop, a meeting point of my customers who love my products.

Three years ago I was able to attend a Creative Capacity Building training which involved farmers, local fabricators, and entrepreneurs like me. Prior to the CCB training, I faced a challenge of cutting solid soap into straight, attractive bars. This gave a low quality and price to my product compared with factory products. 

The CCB training was an eye opener. The facilitators gave us a chance to cite technology challenges we face and divided participants into groups tasked to develop solutions to those challenges. My group focused on creating a soap cutter. At the end of the workshop, my group had come up with a prototype that could be tested and improved. After the workshop, I took the lead as a champion to continue improving the machine, and with micro-grants I was able to continue working toward a working product. I now have a version of a cutter that performs very well.

“After the workshop I took the lead as a champion to continue improving the machine...”

— Magreth

The attractiveness of my soap bars drastically changed and I am seeing increased prices and sales. Now government authorities would like me to register my business and to shift my factory from my home to a new location near to a road. This challenge I struggle with but I know I will overcome it. 

I wish for my children to attain entrepreneurship skills and do better than what I’m doing now. I also have a passion to help my fellow women especially those abandoned by their husbands and widows. The skills that I gained from the training have helped my confidence. I have done more than I was trained for and have trained two fellow women on soap making and developed soap cutters for them. Their businesses are growing well. Six more women are negotiating with me so that I can train them as well. I have been conducting training for women groups and my testimonies really inspire them. One exercise introduced by the CCB trainer, making an elevated corn storage using only two sheets of paper, motivated me. Initially I thought that it was impossible but through trying different ways we finally made a structure that carries 15 cobs. This helps me to believe that things are possible by doing.

Hungry to Learn: Staff from Thailand and Florida team up to train Laotian Pastors

When Sang* became a Christian, his neighbor cut down his corn field.  The police didn’t come to his aid because they didn’t support his faith either. It was the pastor of his church that looked out for his family and helped him try to replant his field. Pastors in Laos deal with persecution each day, and many have been jailed for a time. They are also bi-vocational which means they are farmers, as well as pastors, to provide for their families. 

In late October, ECHO Asia Farm Manager, Sombat, as well as four other staff,  trained 70 Laotian pastors for three days at the Village of Hope, Thailand. Topics included Soil Health, Plant Life, Deep Litter Pig System, Banana Stalk Silage, and Livestock. Interns Dani Hurlbutt and Elizabeth Casey shared techniques that they learned on the ECHO Global Farm in Florida with the pastors.  “They were hungry to learn,” shares Dani. “When Sombat was teaching grafting they were taking close-up pictures and crowding in to see.” 

Below: Laotian pastors gather closely to ECHO farm manager Sombat as he teaches a seminar on grafting. Above: Sombat demonstrates an improved cookstove.

During the session on banana stalk silage, the pastors learned how to finely chop banana stalks, mix with molasses and sugar and let the fermentation process produce a nutritious feed supplement for pigs. The pastors commented that they used to boil the banana stalks for 2-3 hours to be able to feed them to their livestock. This technique will now save them both water and firewood, and improve the health of their animals.  

ECHO staff and volunteers were honored to share the knowledge with the pastors, and were greatly encouraged to learn from them as well. Then, every afternoon they taught nearly 80 children from the children’s home! It was fun and rewarding as the Laotian pastors were extremely enthusiastic and were very involved and engaged. The children had loads of fun too, getting muddy and learning how to garden!

Our local partner is already excited about next year’s training... and so are we!