If you've ever wondered how to ward off vegetation demons, Lyra Leigh-Nedbor '08 can tell you. "You need to throw down poppy seeds," she says, "which are so small that the demon will be occupied with picking up the seeds while the crops are permitted to grow." Lyra discovered this fun bit of regional mythology during a course in AgroArcheology while studying at the 13th Century Brunnenburg Castle in Italy's South Tirol province. The castle is now home to a famous agriculture museum and draws students of the American poet, Ezra Pound, who owned and lived in the castle for several years before his death. An environmental studies major, concentrating in agroecology, Lyra knew she wanted an international study experience. The opportunity to study at Brunnenburg's stunning alpine setting was a tempting way to experience a very different way of doing things. "They have a saying about turning disadvantages into advantages, and it results in very creative problem solving," Lyra says. Despite the famously steep and rugged terrain, farmers have found ways to make the vineyard productive for more than a century. The sheer ingenuity of the Brunnenburg farmers was one of the most valuable learning experiences of the trip. Agritourism was a business in the South Tirol more than a century before the word even entered the American lexicon. "All around the vineyard has been developed with houses and businesses, so it was especially interesting to see how they find ways to continue to increase their production without any physical space to expand." "Farming on such steep slopes certainly provides perspective on caring for a landscape," notes GMC environmental studies professor Philip Ackerman-Leist, who has studied, worked, and taught at the castle. "Living in a culture that has maintained its agricultural heritage since the time of 'the Iceman' (the 5300 year-old glacial mummy discovered a few miles from Brunnenburg) can only deepen any prospective farmer's sense of her place in time and on the globe." When not in class, Lyra split her time between the castle's vineyard and kitchen, carrying on a demanding schedule, though marveling at the area's seamless blending of Germanic and Mediterranean traditions, foods, and crops. In the vineyard, she worked as an intern, learning both traditional and new methods of viticulture. "The contrast between old and new is striking," she says, "due to Brunnenburg's unique way of interpreting historical methods of grape-growing while also building a modern, economically viable viticulture operation." Lyra isn't sure yet how her alpine castle experience will impact the way she does things back at the GMC farm, where she is a regular crew member. She does know that her three months in Italy broadened her world view in many ways - and that vegetation demons at the GMC farm don't stand a chance.
