Dandelion Roots Run Deep: An Environmental Memoir

(Paperback)

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"Dandelion Roots Run Deep" is the true story of three generations of Midwestern women who "nevertheless persisted".

The book focused primarily on Merrill Clark, who fought for organic agriculture and Michigan's environment from 1967 - 2009. Merrill worked on this book for years, but then developed Alzheimer's in 2010 and her daughter Merry finished it for her.

The story traces Merrill's background in Illinois, her marriage to John Clark, and their harrowing cross-country trip before launching their ultimate mission: starting an organic farm in 1980.

Merrill Clark then became a charter member of the National Organic Standards Board in 1992, and she describes the struggles involved In the first efforts to define "organic" on the federal level.

The dandelion analogy works on many levels in this book: the family roots, the roots being part of the solution to climate change, and the roots that connect to other issues that underlie the lived experiences of these three women.

"Dandelion Roots Run Deep" will appeal to lovers of Wendell Berry, Rachel Carson, and Aldo Leopold, environmentalists, women, and anyone dealing with Alzheimer's.

Reviews

"Having known John and Merrill Clark from Organic farming in Michigan in the 80's and 90's, it is good to learn more of the family's history that helped make them the leaders and in many ways the pioneers that they were. And it is good to know that the "roots run deep" in their family shown in Merry's writing of the said history, while her brothers manage the farm and the cattle at Roseland Organic Farms. The family voice continues from their collective past to help shape a better future."

Joe Scrimger Bio-Systems II, Soil Expert

"Doctor John and Merrill Clark were true heroes in the early years of the commercialization of the organic farming movement. They were both dedicated practitioners, willing to share their knowledge widely. And as corporate agribusinesses started wielding influence on the federal regulatory system, they were among the few willing to speak out to save the foundational values that organics was founded upon. Often controversial and never shy, they were organic truth-tellers when it was more popular to just be organic cheerleaders."

Mark Kastel, Executive Director, Organic Eye

"John and Merrill came to DC to one of the early National Pesticide Forums to make sure that our fledgling organization was clear and unequivocal on the need for and purity of organic agriculture as the basis for fighting chemical agriculture. He came armed with the facts about his and Merrill's experience since 1978 on their 1800-acre farm in Cassopolis, Michigan, the southwest part of the state. The book, Unnecessary Risks, inspired by John, has served as the guiding light for the organization. The report documents the bias and failure of the EPA's pesticide regulatory system that keeps pesticides on the market despite the availability of alternative pest management practices."

Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides

Author Bio

Ms. Merry Bell Clark grew up wild during the eighties on a large, diverse, organic farm in Cassopolis, Michigan with parents who were both scientific and artistic. They instilled a reverence for nature and a love of creativity in all its forms. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan in 1989 and went on to independently produce and direct theater productions in Ann Arbor and Boulder, Colorado. Then, she commenced an acting career in Hollywood, appearing in theater productions as well as commercials. Over the years, Ms. Clark has been a high school English teacher and has worked in the fitness industry. Ms. Clark took care of her mother from 2017 to 2021 while renovating their cabin and farmhouse. As an ovarian cancer survivor and caregiver, she is concerned with addressing women's health issues, as well as environmental issues, which are, indeed, "intertwined." She is also a landscape photographer and has written two other books, "Stripping Down to the Bones" and "Waxing Pathetic."
Merrill Ann Clark grew up in Elgin, Illinois and graduated from St. Charles High School, then went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. There, she met her husband, John CLARK, and they were married in 1959. They moved to Berkeley, California, where John earned a PhD in bio-chemistry and then they took a road trip to Boston where John had a position waiting for him at MIT. They had their first child in Boston and then John got a job at Notre Dame and they moved to Michigan, living in various locations until starting a 1500 acre organic farm in Cassopolis Michigan in 1980. Merrill was a devoted environmental activist, and always made sure her voice was heard. She was then on the National Organic Standards Board in 1992 which was the first group of people to determine what the term "organic" would really mean.