J.I. Rodale

Biographical Information
"J.I. Rodale, who founded Rodale Inc. in 1930, knew that there was a direct relationship between the declining health of America's soil and the health of America's people, a revolutionary view in those days.

"In 1942, he started Organic Farming and Gardening magazine, today known as Organic Gardening, which taught people how to grow better food by cultivating healthier soil using natural techniques. J.I. put his theories into practice on a 60-acre farm near Emmaus, Pennsylvania, which is now the site of the Working Tree Center. J.I.'s ideas slowly took root and spread. Today, he is widely recognized as the father of the organic movement in America.

"In 1950, J.I. introduced Prevention, a magazine that presented systematic ways people could try to prevent illness and disease, rather than wait for the need to cure it...

"Today, privately held Rodale is the world’s leading health and wellness content company, with print, digital, and video properties that resonate with millions of customers around the world. It is home to some of the most successful and well-regarded health and wellness brands, including Men's Health, Prevention, Runner's World, Women's Health, Best Life, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Organic Gardening and Running Times. Rodale also maintains its tradition of publishing bestselling diet, fitness, nutrition, health, wellness, science, and lifestyle books, from the South Beach Diet series to Vice President Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to Eat This Not That! and Flat Belly Diet! The company is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 26 million active customers in its database."


 * Founder, Rodale Institute

Biography

 * Carlton Jackson, J.I. Rodale: Apostle of nonconformity (Pyramid Books, 1974).
 * David Spector, "Farming Without Farmers: J.I. Rodale and the American. Organic Farming Movement" Thesis, April 10, 2008. Advised by Professor Elizabeth Blackmar.