Hey, soil sister: Atina Diffley

Star Tribune: Atina Diffley, a "rock star" in organic farming circles, now aims to cultivate hearts and minds with her new memoir about love, loss, land and battling a pipeline.

Diffley_Turn coverIt took a while, but Atina Diffley has finally broken her habit of dressing like a farmer.

"I don't get up in the morning and put on dirty clothes anymore. I kept doing it for three years," she admitted with a hearty laugh.

Now the organic farmer turned writer, teacher and consultant has to get her exercise at the gym. She's even started wearing makeup, a concession to promoting her just-published memoir, "Turn Here Sweet Corn." "I've had to shift my image of myself," Diffley said.

"She kept saying, 'I don't believe in makeup. I am what I am,'" said chef and author Beth Dooley, Diffley's writing mentor. So how did Dooley finally persuade her? "I told her it was no different than garnishing a plate."

Read the full article here.

Published in: Star Tribune
By: Kim Palmer