{"id":56920,"date":"2025-08-20T13:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T17:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=56920"},"modified":"2025-08-20T13:41:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T17:41:02","slug":"hopi-farming-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#8216;Dryland&#8217; Farming Techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson &#8217;99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-940dc0d15793e674a9ba398b7526eb84\"><em>\u201cBear Hugs\u201d celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"&#x6d;&#x61;&#105;&#x6c;&#116;o&#x3a;&#99;o&#x72;&#x6e;&#x65;&#x6c;l&#105;a&#110;s&#x40;&#x63;&#111;&#x72;&#x6e;&#101;&#108;&#x6c;&#46;&#101;&#100;&#117;\">&#x63;&#111;&#114;n&#x65;&#x6c;&#x6c;&#105;a&#x6e;s&#64;&#x63;&#111;&#x72;&#x6e;&#101;l&#x6c;&#46;&#x65;&#100;&#117;<\/a>!<\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When it comes to how much rainfall is needed to grow corn, Michael Kotutwa Johnson \u201999 is well aware of the conventional wisdom: 30 inches per year. But in Arizona, Indigenous farmers have grown thriving crops with a mere six inches of rainfall for thousands of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The practice, called Hopi dryland farming, can produce not just corn but also beans, melon, squash, and cotton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while the techniques are not widely known beyond the Hopi community, Johnson is working to change that.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Kotutwa Johnson wears a bowtie and suit and smiles.\" class=\"wp-image-56915 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Michael-Johnson_Headshot_1080x1080-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A Hopi tribe member, Johnson is <a href=\"https:\/\/snre.arizona.edu\/michael-kotutwa-johnson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on the faculty<\/a> at the University of Arizona, where he\u2019s an assistant professor of Indigenous resilience and a Cooperative Extension specialist in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He conducts research and has written academic papers on dryland farming, and works to spread awareness of its benefits. Its techniques, he says, are designed around maximizing and conserving soil moisture, and farmers don\u2019t use herbicides or pesticides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"56918\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"An ear of corn being held in a hand.\" class=\"wp-image-56918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20241111_081533-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"56914\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"White, orange, and red beans held in a hand.\" class=\"wp-image-56914\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/20240922_062810-2-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Corn and beans grown through Hopi dryland methods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHopi and other Indigenous crops are raised to fit the environment,\u201d says Johnson, who majored in agriculture in CALS and earned a doctorate in natural resources from the University of Arizona. \u201cThe environment is not manipulated to fit the crops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Johnson explains, dryland farming begins with selecting the right site: a field that receives rainfall runoff and has clay in the soil, which helps with water retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Hopi and other Indigenous crops are raised to fit the environment. The environment is not manipulated to fit the crops.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>For corn, around 10 seeds\u2014instead of the typical one\u2014are planted per hole; they\u2019re placed more deeply than in conventional farming, and the rows are much farther apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Johnson even refers to the seeds as &#8220;children,&#8221; underscoring their precious role in the community&#8217;s future.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Once the seedlings emerge, the best specimens are left to grow while others are culled\u2014reducing competition for moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis farming method has been taught for generations,\u201d says Johnson, who learned the techniques from his grandfather and now maintains crops outside his home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd while some of the processes change over time, the \u2018why\u2019 never changes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Johnson is advocating for Hopi dryland farming to be recognized as an official method by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Kotutwa Johnson kneeling on the ground inspecting corn growing.\" class=\"wp-image-56917 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Nuturer-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>Inspecting a corn plant.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s working on a nutritional analysis of Indigenous crops, as well as research on best practices for water conservation\u2014particularly as environmental factors like drought continue to impact the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while the dryland method is unique to the Southwest climate, Johnson believes its underlying values\u2014making thoughtful decisions based on conditions and culture\u2014can be applied to any location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">This farming method has been taught for generations\u2014and while some of the processes change over time, the \u2018why\u2019 never changes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have been out here farming for 3,000 years with no irrigation; that\u2019s 3,000 years of observation and repetition,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cWe are resilient, and I want to show people what we are doing, and that we do more with less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This academic year, Johnson is also launching an initiative in some Arizona classrooms: called \u201cOne Seed, One Child,\u201d it\u2019s having first- and second-graders plant a seed on their first day of school, helping to connect them to the land and the cycle of food production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Kotutwa Johnson teaches seven kids about Hopi farming on the farm.\" class=\"wp-image-56913\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Teaching-Kids2-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Johnson teaches schoolchildren about Hopi farming\u2014including the fact that corn rows are planted much farther apart than in conventional agriculture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat makes this whole system work and be so vibrant is that it\u2019s integrated into our culture,\u201d he says of Indigenous growing practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s faith-based agriculture\u2014because the most important part is to have faith in everything we do. This isn\u2019t a commodity to us; it\u2019s a life-giving force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Johnson&#8217;s farm, in front of the home he built himself. (All photos provided.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published August 20, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson &#8217;99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":56916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-56920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#039;Dryland&#039; Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson &#039;99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#039;Dryland&#039; Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson &#039;99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#8216;Dryland&#8217; Farming Techniques\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\"},\"wordCount\":689,\"commentCount\":2,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Bear Hugs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\",\"name\":\"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous 'Dryland' Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson '99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Michael Kotutwa Johnson's farmland with his house in the distance.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#8216;Dryland&#8217; Farming Techniques\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous 'Dryland' Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson '99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous 'Dryland' Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson '99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#8216;Dryland&#8217; Farming Techniques","datePublished":"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/"},"wordCount":689,"commentCount":2,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg","articleSection":["Bear Hugs"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/","name":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous 'Dryland' Farming Techniques - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-20T17:40:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T17:41:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"A member of the Hopi tribe, Michael Kotutwa Johnson '99 is spreading the word about how ancient methods nurture crops","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/HERO-20240812_064505-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"Michael Kotutwa Johnson's farmland with his house in the distance."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hopi-farming-johnson\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CALS Alum Celebrates Indigenous &#8216;Dryland&#8217; Farming Techniques"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56920"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57032,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56920\/revisions\/57032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56920"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=56920"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=56920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}