The Sun is the Same in a Relative Way

This appeared in the January 30, 2020 edition of the Fish Wrap.

These short, cold days make us want to talk about the sun. Like the four seasons of Illinois, the sun also goes through cycles of intensity and magnetism that affect climate, tides and all living beings on the earth. 

Farmers throughout history cared about the sun. Cultures have lore, folk wisdom and even worship based on the sun. And it’s no wonder since everything alive was built from the sun and gets all of its energy from the sun. It all starts with the sun, whose light is converted by plants to fuel all living things on the earth. Days on Regenerative Life Farm begin when the sun comes up and the plants start the miraculous process of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is a process used by plants to convert light energy into sugars that can later be released to fuel their activities. The plants make sugar, a portion of which is used by the plant itself, and the excess is pumped into the soil to feed the hungry microbial life.  As the plant’s health increases its photosynthetic capacity increases as well which means more food for the soil. The microbes eat the sugar and their biological processes convert the sugars into the nutrients the plants need in return. 

But the sun can be both a friend and a foe. When left bare, the sun can bake the soil, shutting down the life-giving energy cycle. Just like us, plants can get too hot. They will stop photosynthesizing and start releasing water to cool themselves. Some days the sun on your face feels like a blessing and sometimes it feels like a punishment. The sun shines on the just and the unjust alike. Every being on earth has access to the source of all energy. Think of the sun and dream of Spring!