Thomas Jefferson is best known as one of the founders of the United States. His chief love, however, was not politics, but farming. His writings abound with expressions of loathing for the former and perpetual fascination for the latter. Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens, he wrote to John Jay in 1785. While his contributions to the field of government overshadow his many other accomplishments, he also made many brilliant and expert contributions to the development of sustainable, regenerative methods of farming.