Hobbit House Farmstead - Natural Building - Sustainable Farming

Rod Rylander

Rod Rylander has degrees in biology and social ecology. Besides growing up on a farm, he has had college courses in agriculture. Much of his knowledge came through experience in growing organic vegetables, raising most small farm animals, and being a government agricultural agent in the Philippines and Belize. His publications include Teaching Them to Fish, about developing aquaculture in the Philippines, which was published in the 2004 edition of Permaculture Activist.

Life of Rod Rylander

I grew up on a farm near Denton, Texas and started keeping records of birds I identified when I was 10 years old. That year I started my own poultry business with the encouragement of my father. My brother, Kent, and I managed our own home made weather station for several years and published “The RyOaks Record” that was reproduced with a stencil and gelatin. During summers I worked at Harpool’s Seed House unloading trucks and sacking seeds. Upon entry to the University of North Texas, I was given the position of curator of the natural history museum. The university published my first publication - A Checklist of Birds of Denton, County, Texas. I graduated with 139 semester hours that gave me a degree in biology with minors in chemistry and mathematics. To avoid the draft, I entered the 90 day wonder school to become an officer in the USAF. I was a missile officer and then a housing officer spending 3 years in Spain. I attained the rank of Captain. After the service, I was a class room teacher teaching chemistry and physical science. I then started my own real estate firm specializing in farms and ranches. That moved me into the building, contracting, and development business. I closed my doors after about 10 years and started designing and building alternative homes. I had articles in several magazines and presented papers at international conferences. I went to Goddard College and did my research in Nepal for my master’s degree in social ecology. I co-authored “Pokernomics” with Ramesh Manandhar, a Nepalese. I became an agriculture agent in the Philippines while serving in the Peace Corps. I was a social worker helping emotionally disturbed youth for two years and then became a park ranger at Pedernales Falls State Park. At the park I developed an innovative environmental education program based on mentors, received a grant from EPA, and brought Mexican educators to my teacher training workshop. I went to Mexico and convinced the Secretariat in Tamaulipas Mexico to develop a program. He asked for me to return to help teach facilitators. Working with a local professor, we developed a curriculum for the state. The course later was accepted for national use. Funding ran out for my position so I developed and taught an educational program for home schooled students. Later I bought a dilapidated camp in Rockport Texas and created the beautiful Hummingbird Lodge and Educational Center. I facilitated youth camps, conferences, food service, lodging, international tours, and workshops. I was underfinanced so sold it and went back into the Peace Corps with training in Guatemala and service in the areas of agriculture, community development, and park management in Belize. I moved to Earthaven Ecovillage that is located near Asheville, NC and built the alternative educational experience called the Hobbit House, www.rrylander.com. I and my English teachers have never considered me as a writer but I was on the staff of a magazine for a year, moderator of an educational talk show, and had over 30 of my submissions published. I have made some money as a photographer - weddings, tourist gifts, magazine covers, photo essays, and photo sales. Crisis Corps asked me to help with the Katrina evacuees so I headed for Arkansas for a while. I became an environmental education park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. I am now creating with Scott Steedley the Aristotle Gathering and the Costa Rica International Center for Sustainability. I was always taking time to help good efforts. I was a trustee of the Texas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Boy Scout advisor for years, helped organized the Texoma Rcycle Committee, North Texas Solar Energy Society, Texoma Outdoor Club, Sevilla Toastmaster’s Club, plus 10 other organizations. I am still having a very interesting and challenging experience called life.