You will be missed Terry...

Yesterday, we attended the memorial service for Terry Gompert.  If you've been involved with sustainable ag, MIG or holistic management you knew about this guy.  He was one of those people who you feel so blessed to know.

We came to know him after starting our Farm Beginnings Class.  He spoke the first couple sessions and he knew about the piece of land that we were about to start farming.  As two newbie farmers, he never once made us feel like we were asking dumb questions.  He was so passionate about Management Intensive Grazing that you couldn't help but get caught up in his excitement.  He was also doing really interesting research about using raw milk as a fertilizer for your fields.  Dave Wetzel, an area farmer and him had teamed up to research raw milk fertilizer and it is exciting stuff.  Terry was the one who actually hooked us up with Dave, which is were we purchased our cattle. 

Jon and I actually got to spend a day with Terry about 6 weeks ago.  He patiently showed us around his farm, pointing out different aspects of his cattle and explaining why he does what he does.  He even helped Jon figure out a paddock design for the land.  That day was priceless to us because we both came away feeling so knowledgeable.  We had a great lunch made by his wife Connie and just really enjoyed the whole day getting to know both of them.

Most of all, he was just one of the greatest man that I've had the privilege to know.  He was a deeply committed Christian who wasn't afraid to share his beliefs.  We only got to know him for a short time, but both Jon and I feel so blessed to know him.  His memorial service was packed yesterday, which was a testament to how much he was loved.  You will be missed Terry...