Edible Columbus

Leaner, Greener, More Profitable and Productive

• Clay Bottom Farm (Goshen, Indiana) feeds 200 people on less than one acre of active cultivation. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAY BOTTOM FARM

• Photo by Conrad ERB

  Ben Hartman and Rachel Hershberger of Clay Bottom Farm (Goshen, Indiana)

• Photo by David Johnson

  Value, as Hartman defines it, takes into account the quality of life of the farmers, their communities and their ecosystems.

• Photo by David Johnson

  Rachel Hershberger and Ben Hartman transformed their small farm—and their lives—with “Lean,” a Japanese auto industry model for reducing waste and maximizing value.

• ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA GERIGCOTT FROM THE LEAN FARM BY BEN HARTMAN ( CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING, 2015).