The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
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Duesing, Bill

Bill Duesing Collection

1995-2000
14 items 1.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 760
Depiction of Bill and Suzanne Duesing
Bill and Suzanne Duesing

A pioneer in organic agriculture in New England, Bill Duesing has been as an environmental educator, writer, artist, and lecturer over for four decades. After graduating from Yale University (1964), Duesing worked as a Cooperative Extension agent before turning to organic principles in the early 1970s. Emphasizing sustainability and greater local food sufficiency, he has been instrumental in developing organic standards for gardening and land care and he has served as both founding president and later executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association Connecticut and president of the NOFA Interstate Council. During the 1990s, Duesing produced two radio shows, “Living on the Earth” (WSHU) and “The Politics of Food” (WPKN), and he is author of Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future (1993).

The Duesing collection consists of transcripts of his radio show, “Living on the Earth” (1990-2000) and fourteen recordings of “The Politics of Food,” which was broadcast monthly over WPKN (89.5 FM) in Bridgeport in 1997-1998. Each half hour segment of “Politics” included news, a fifteen minute interview, recipes, and tips, with interviewees including Mel Bristol, Jac Smit, Vincent Kay, John Wargo, Hugh Joseph, Joseph Kiefer, Julie Rawson, Michael Sligh, Kathy Lawrence, Lee Warren, and Elizabeth Henderson.

Background on Bill Duesing

A pioneer in organic agriculture in New England, Bill Duesing has been as an environmental educator, writer, artist, and lecturer over for four decades. After graduating from Yale University (1964), Duesing worked as a Cooperative Extension agent before turning to organic principles in the early 1970s, and from 1979 to 1983, he served as Extension Energy Agent for New Haven County, working with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service.

Working toward a socially just and environmentally sound future, Duesing has long emphasized sustainability and greater local food sufficiency. He has been instrumental in developing organic standards for gardening and land care and served as both founding president and later executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association Connecticut and president of the NOFA Interstate Council. He has also been a notable proponent of using simple solar technologies to address problems ranging from health care to pollution, and has been involved in education to put theory into practice. Between 1983 and 1987, Duesing developed an innovative series of hand-on courses in food, energy, and agriculture for schools in New Haven and Bridgeport as part of the University of Connecticut High School in the Community curriculum development project.

During the 1990s, Duesing produced two radio shows, “Living on the Earth” (WSHU) and “The Politics of Food” (WPKN), and he is author of Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future (1993). His collection of essays Living on the Earth was published by Long River Press in 1993, and he has been a regular contributor to the Low Tech Page for plain: The Magazine of Life, Land and Spirit. He and his wife Suzanne continue to operate the Old Solar Farm in Oxford, Conn.

Contents of Collection

The Duesing collection consists of transcripts of his radio show, “Living on the Earth,” which was broadcast over station WSHU (91.1 FM), 1990-2000, and fourteen recordings of “The Politics of Food,” broadcast monthly over WPKN (89.5 FM) in Bridgeport in 1997-1998. Each half hour segment of “Politics” included news, a fifteen minute interview, recipes, and tips, with interviewees including Mel Bristol, Jac Smit, Vincent Kay, John Wargo, Hugh Joseph, Joseph Kiefer, Julie Rawson, Michael Sligh, Kathy Lawrence, Lee Warren, and Elizabeth Henderson.

Collection inventory
Living on the Earth
1995-2000
232 items

Transcripts of Duesing’s radio show, arranged chronologically by date of broadcast.

1995 Nov. 3
1995 Nov. 10
1995 Nov. 17
1995 Nov. 24
1995 Dec. 15
1995 Dec. 22
1995 Dec. 29
1996 Jan. 5
1996 Jan. 12
1996 Jan. 19
1996 Jan. 26
1996 Feb. 2
1996 Feb. 9
1996 Feb. 16
1996 Feb. 23
1996 Mar. 1
1996 Mar. 8
1996 Mar. 15
1996 Mar. 22
1996 Mar. 29
1996 Apr. 5
1996 Apr. 12
1996 Apr. 26
1996 May 3
1996 May 10
1996 May 17
1996 May 24

1996 May 31
1996 June 7
1996 June 21
1996 June 28
1996 July 5
1996 July 12
1996 July 19
1996 July 26
1996 Aug. 9
1996 Aug. 16
1996 Aug. 23
1996 Aug. 30
1996 Sept. 6
1996 Sept. 13
1996 Sept. 20
1996 Sept. 27
1996 Oct. 11
1996 Oct. 18
1996 Oct. 25
1996 Nov. 8
1996 Nov. 22
1996 Dec. 13
1996 Dec. 20
1997 Jan. 3
1997 Jan. 10
1997 Jan. 24
1997 Jan. 31
1997 Feb. 7
1997 Feb. 14
1997 Feb. 21
1997 Feb. 28
1997 Mar. 7
1997 Mar. 14
1997 Mar. 21
1997 Mar. 28
1997 Apr. 11
1997 Apr. 18

1997 May 2
1997 May 9
1997 May 23
1997 May 30
1997 June 6
1997 June 13
1997 June 20
1997 June 27
1997 July 11
1997 July 18
1997 July 25
1997 Aug. 1
1997 Aug. 8
1997 Aug. 22
1997 Aug. 29
1997 Sept. 5
1997 Sept. 12
1997 Sept. 19
1997 Sept. 26
1997 Oct. 3
1997 Oct. 10
1997 Oct. 17
1997 Oct. 24
1997 Nov. 7
1997 Nov. 14
1997 Nov. 21
1997 Nov. 28
1997 Dec. 12
1997 Dec. 19
1997 Dec. 26
1998 Jan. 2
1998 Jan. 9
1998 Jan. 23
1998 Jan. 30
1998 Feb. 6
1998 Feb. 13
1998 Feb. 20
1998 Feb. 27
1998 Mar. 6
1998 Mar. 13
1998 Mar. 20
1998 Apr. 3
1998 Apr. 10
1998 May 1
1998 May 22
No essay because of fundraising
1998 May 29
No essay because of fundraising
1998 June 5
1998 June 26
1998 July 31
1998 Aug. 21
1998 Aug. 28
1998 Sept. 4
1998 Sept. 18
1998 Oct. 2
1998 Oct. 9
No essay because of fundraising
1998 Oct. 16
No essay because of fundraising
1998 Oct. 23
1998 Oct. 30
1998 Nov. 6
1998 Nov. 13
1998 Nov. 20
1998 Nov. 27
Live broadcast, no transcript
1998 Dec. 4
1998 Dec. 18
No essay on Christmas Day
1998 Dec. 25
No essay on New Years Day
1999 Jan. 1
On-site audio, no transcript
1999 Jan. 15
1999 Jan. 22
1999 Jan. 29
1999 Feb. 5
1999 Feb. 12
1999 Feb. 19
1999 Feb. 26
1999 Mar. 5
1999 Mar. 12
1999 Mar. 19
1999 Mar. 26
1999 Apr. 2
1999 Apr. 30
1999 May 7
1999 May 21
No essay – fundraising
1999 June 4
No essay – fundraising
1999 June 11
1999 June 18
1999 June 25
1999 July 2
1999 July 16
1999 July 23
1999 Aug. 13
1999 Aug. 27
1999 Sept. 3
1999 Sept. 10
1999 Sept. 17
1999 Sept. 24
1999 Oct. 1

No essay because of fundraising
1999 Oct. 15
1999 Oct. 22
1999 Oct. 29
1999 Nov. 5
1999 Nov. 12
1999 Nov. 19
1999 Nov. 26
1999 Dec. 10
1999 Dec. 17
1999 Dec. 24
1999 Dec. 31
2000 Jan. 7
No essay
2000 Jan. 14
2000 Jan. 21
2000 Feb. 4
2000 Feb. 11
2000 Mar. 10
No essay
2000 Mar. 17
2000 Mar. 24
2000 Mar. 31
2000 Apr. 7
No essay
2000 Apr. 14
2000 Apr. 21
2000 Apr. 28
No essay
2000 May 12
2000 May 19
No essay
2000 May 26
No essay
2000 June 9
2000 June 23
No essay
2000 June 30
2000 July 7
No essay
2000 July 14
2000 July 21
2000 July 28
No essay
2000 Aug. 25
No essay
2000 Sept. 1
No essay
2000 Sept. 8
No essay
2000 Sept. 15
Politics of Food
1997-1998
14 reel-to-reel tapes
1997 Mar. 15
00:29:51

Contents include: news on seed biotechnology, Novartis — interview with Mel Bristol (certified organic farmer, Sherman, Conn.) — scalloped potatoes — In the Garden (what to plant now).

1997 May 17
00:29:55

Contents include: news on genetic engineering, GMO corn seed and Novartis; sustainable agriculture initiatives — interview with Jac Smit (director of the Urban Agriculture Network in Washington and author of Urban Agriculture: Foods, Jobs, and Sustainable Cities) — potato curry — what to plant and eat now.

1997 June 21
00:30:19

Contents include: news on genetically modified organisms — interview with Vincent Kay (beekeeper) — green salads — what to plant and eat now.

1997 July 19
00:28:30

Contents include: news on NOFA summer conference — interview with John Wargo (author of Our Children’s Toxic Legacy) — vegetable stir fry — what to plant and eat now.

1997 Aug. 16
00:30:12

Contents include: news on genetically modified organisms — interview with Hugh Joseph (nutritionist and activist for food security with community groups) — garlic — drying vegetables.

1997 Sept. 20
00:29:50

Contents include: news on nutriceuticals — interview with Joseph Kiefer (educator, Vermont) — tomatoes — what to plant and eat now.

1997 Oct. 18
00:29:40

Contents include: news on organic farming movement and Greenpeace — interview with Julie Rawson (organic farmer, NOFA Massachusetts) — apples — what to plant and eat now.

1997 Nov. 15
00:29:53

Contents include: news on food saefty and imports — interview with Michael Sligh (National Organic Standards Board) — winter squash — what to plant and eat now.

1997 Dec. 20
00:28:46

Contents include: news on Pesticide Action Network of North America — interview with Kathy Lawrence (New York City food activist) — root cellars — the wonder of life.

1997 Jan. 17
00:28:45

Contents include: news on organic foods — interview with Lee Warren (organic farmer from Connecticut) — meals with chicken — plans for the next growing season.

1998 Feb. 21
00:29:54

Contents include: news on genetically modified organisms — interview with Elizabeth Henderson (farmer and activist, New York) — onion soup — starting seedlings.

1997 May 17
00:29:29

Contents include: news on opposition to national organic standards — interview with Michael Colby (Real Food and Water) — cake — planting peas, pruning.

1998 Apr. 18
00:29:50

Contents include: opposition to organic standards — interview with Steve Gilman (organic farmer from New York) — potatoes and greens — planting time.

1998 May 16
00:29:53

Contents include: news on national organic standards and USDA — interview with Becky May (local activist) — salads — what to do now.

Administrative information
Provenance

Gift of Bill Duesing, 2012.

Digitized content

All recordings in the Duesing collection have been digitized and are made available through SCUA’s online digital repository, Credo.

Processing Information

Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, Aug. 2013.

Copyright and Use (More informationConnect to publication information)

Cite as: Bill Duesing Collection (MS 760). Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries.

Subjects

Cookery, Health aspectsLiving on the EarthNatural foods--CertificationOrganic farmingOrganic farming--Law and legislationPolitics of foodSustainable agriculture

Contributors

Henderson, Elizabeth, 1943-Rawson, Julie

Types of material

Audiotapes