Jay Jacobs, a leader in the Ozark bioregional and organic farming movements and local legend in some circles, departed this life on March 30th, 2024.
Born May 22, 1947 in French Lick, Indiana to a Jewish family, he was named Alan Jacobs. After attending high school and graduating at the beginning of the Vietnam War, he enlisted directly in the United States Marine Corps. He served a total of 4 years, much of which was in Vietnam, before returning to the States. In the service he was simply known as “J”, which became “Jay”, the name by which most people would know him for the rest of his life.
For some years Jay made his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but in 1994 he came to the Ozarks. He was involved in OACC, offering his expertise both as a regenerative fertility soil expert and his kind heart as a participant for many years. He also was deeply involved in many other environmental and agricultural projects, including the Farm Resettlement Congress.
Jay was an agronomist and soil scientist, often counseling local farmers and back-to-the-landers on how to restore their depleted and overgrazed lands. He grew many unusual plants at Trinity Gardens, the homestead near Dora, Missouri which he shared with Linda Stoffel, who is best knows as a musician and member of the Blackberry Winter band. She is also a semi-retired massage therapist and Rubenfeld practitioner.
Jay was also an eclectic student of spiritual and religious topics, health and healing and other things and was known to engage in profound philosophical discussions, sometimes in a formal setting.
Linda Stoffel dedicates her co-sponsorship and this page to the memory of Jay.