Greenstone with Dean Beyrouty and MC Dr. Dunning at the IAA Graduation Celebration.
By the time he graduated from Sherwood High in Montgomery County Maryland in 1979, Jon Greenstone had found his passion for agriculture, but his first attempt at farming on his own was not a blooming success. His two older brothers attended the Institute of Applied Agriculture, so in 1987 Greenstone enrolled in the IAA’s Golf Course Management program.
“It looked like an excellent career opportunity,” he said at the time. And, it was. After graduating from the IAA in 1989, Greenstone worked at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm; then, he became the Golf Course Superintendent at Reston National Golf Course where he remained for 7 years.
But Greenstone couldn’t shake his desire to serve the greater good, feed people, and advocate for local farmers. He returned to school earning a bachelor’s degree in Religion and then completed a Masters of Divinity in 2003 at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (now--United Lutheran Seminary), Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Now a reverend, Greenstone set upon his life’s mission to address food security issues in communities. Starting in Adams County, Pennsylvania, he provided training in small-scale sustainable farming techniques to families living in poverty, and then connected them to local consumers and small grocers to enable them to sell farm products--farm-made cheeses, milk, pastured poultry, eggs, meat, and vegetables—direct to market. Additionally, he was instrumental in providing horticulture and sustainable agriculture training within the Adams County Prison, acting as a consultant for the prison greenhouse/gardening program.
Eventually, he became the sole pastor at Elias Evangelical Lutheran Church in Emmitsburg, Maryland. During his 18 years as pastor, he led four missionary trips to rural western Kenya, providing humanitarian aid with an emphasis on long-lasting impacts for health, food security, sustainable energy, educational advancement and economic development.
“I shared my experience and knowledge of agriculture--leading sustainable ag-training workshops in remote village areas,” says Greenstone.
He gave the participants a variety of culturally appropriate vegetable seeds. Some of the seeds were selected for a healthy diet that was best suited for the climate/growing conditions while others were selected for their economic potential. Greenstone said the training proved vital when a drought brought hardship to the area. “The methods and philosophy of ‘healthy soil equals healthy people’ allowed the women, men and children practicing the intensive growing methods to continue production despite the lack of rain,” he said. And, he adds that some of the women’s groups developed their own small-scale farms and marketing techniques—leading to economic self-sufficiency.
The average do-gooder may rest on their laurels after teaching families in rural Kenya to farm, but not Greenstone. He worked hard to get a solar-powered water pumping system installed to provide water for a school of 500 children and the surrounding village. “Previously, unhealthy water was gathered from a river located some 3 miles away,” explains Greenstone.
So, what about all those turfgrass classes he took at the IAA? Greenstone has put them to good use as well. In 2013, he started a landscaping business, Bio Rich Green Care Landscape Services LLC, which offers a full range of landscape services including lawn maintenance, flower gardens, tree plantings, drainage remediation and hardscapes.
Throughout his career, Greenstone has advocated for and trained farmers, and improved the lives of those in need through agriculture. He has been named the IAA’s Distinguished Alumni for 2022. He addressed the IAA graduating class of 2022. He says he hopes to accomplish at least one more missionary service trip; this time in Peru.
“My two brothers, Jay Greenstone and Todd Greenstone, are IAA graduates and continue in full-time farming endeavors,” commented Greenstone. “IAA has shaped my livelihood and my ability to help others through agriculture and horticulture.
