Andrew F. Smith

Rodale, Jerome I

Appears in
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

By Andrew F. Smith

Published 2004

  • About
Jerome I. Rodale (1898–1971) was born in New York City and grew up on the city’s Lower East Side. Born Jerome I. Cohen, he later changed his last name because he thought a less Jewish-sounding name would be more advantageous in business. Rodale and his brother Joseph set up a successful electrical equipment business in 1923. During the Depression they moved the business from New York to Emmaus, Pennsylvania. As the business prospered, the Rodales branched out into publishing.

In 1940, Rodale read a compelling book entitled An Agricultural Testament. Its author, Sir Albert Howard, a British agronomist who had worked in India, extolled the virtues of organic farming and discouraged the use of chemical fertilizers. Rodale wrote to Howard and the two began corresponding regularly. Impressed with Howard’s views, Rodale bought a farm and promptly put into practice Howard’s ideas about composting as well as his own nutritional beliefs. Rodale promptly declared his efforts at organic farming to be a success, and he set about encouraging others to follow in his footsteps.