We give Thanks for Donald Popp and for all of his contributions he made to make this world a little better. He left this Earth today but his message remains loud and very clear. To hold onto your values, no matter the cost or opposition.
Donny was a simple farmer who ran hundreds of acres just outside of Hutchinson, Minnesota on his family farm. He farmed up until he was 91! When GMOs and glyphosate were all the rage back in the day, Donny remained organic. Neighbors and other farmers thought he was foolish for this. He didn't care because he was in-tune with his land and poisoning any part of it was illogical to him. The local ecology spoke to him in many ways and his work to preserve oak trees, wet lands and woods gave him the strength to go against what everyone else was telling him he should do.
Donny was a kind and gentle man but very strong in his earthy convictions. He was open to new ideas and new ways to connect deeply with the Earth. I never heard him speak ill of anyone and he always had a smile to greet all.
When he would visit our farm, we would drink dandelion tea and tell stories of the past and how the land was wild back in his youth. He didn't understand why people couldn't see how they are hurting the Earth and themselves. He was not a judgemental man, just a logical realist.
He knows this but it's worth saying now, that Donny was one of the biggest motivations for us to move to the heart of Big Ag. He had been bucking the system quietly for nearly a century. He was a leader by example and lived, truly, from his heart. Our dear friend, mentor and neighbor will dearly, dearly, be missed but never forgotten. As he leaves nearly 400 acres of land that he stewarded honestly, we will see him in all that he loved and lived with each passing day.
Thank you Donny, for holding onto your values in a time when it was far more challenging. Thank you for supporting us in all of the ways that you did. Thank you for your friendship and for teaching us the subtle ways to connect to Mother Earth, to our local ecology and especially to the Oaks. We give Blessings to you Donny on your next journey and will do our best to add-on to your legacy.
With deep love and appreciation for you dear one,
Stephanie