Greg Jones hails from the dusty desert of southern Arizona.  For thirty years he practiced psychology and raised a family in Scottsdale- until a near fatal auto accident intervened and changed his priorities.  Dreaming of greener, and wetter, pastures he convinced his wife, Scottie, to move to a sixty acre sheep farm in a slot valley outside Alsea, Oregon.  What seemed like a “good idea at the time” resulted in a second near fatal collision with the economics of farming.  This sent Greg scurrying for a second job, teaching for the next ten years at LBCC.  During this time, he and Scottie developed a “farm stay” that rescued the farm from default.  Recognizing that market forces strongly favor the efficiencies offered by large, monocrop farming but believing the diversity and nimbleness of small farms was worth preserving, Scottie expanded the farm stay vision to a national organization which continues to this day.

As a desert rat, Greg has always viewed water as sacred, and twenty years of farming has focused his passion on soil vitality as well.  Soil and water stewardship are foundational to life itself.  Given the impending impact of acute climate change, soil and water conservation is a national priority, with agriculture at the forefront of potential consequences.  Getting this right is imperative.  Greg is committed to finding, supporting, and promoting “best practices” of soil and water stewardship that balances conservation and economic goals.  Recognizing there are many views on what constitutes best practices, and that these views can be sharply contested, he is guided by pragmatism over ideology.  What works for the long term is his primary focus.