Growing up on the salty shores of the south, Sandy spent her years in the gym eating Hormel Chili and TV dinners. Married to her best friend of 38 years, attending (as she puts it) her Mother-In-Law’s ‘School of Dirt’, then homeschooling 5 children, and loving 9 grandchildren, it’s been quite the journey. She has become a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Sports Nutritionist, Gym Owner, Garden Designer and Founder of East Tennessee Homestead Alliance, where she and her husband embrace heritage skills, cultivate community and equip the next generation. www.wildbodyschool.com on FB: East Tennessee Homestead Alliance

Philip Hartman, inventor and CEO of InstaFarm, launched the world’s first soil-based fully recyclable and compostable microgreen robotic countertop micro farm in March 2023. He’s in Colorado, where he lives and this cool little machine is manufactured.  It's designed so that fresh, nutrient dense beyond-organic food is as fresh as humanly possible, traveling from harvest to plate as fast as you can snip and serve. Going forward, expect upgrades - next on his menu are mushrooms and garden starts.  www.instafarm.ag

Austin Frerick is the author of bestselling book “Barons – Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.” He is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  https://www.austinfrerick.com/

Let’s talk Progress, year-over-year. One of the things that I hear from people new to homesteading or new to farming and their own food production is overwhelm. I feel for them, because when we first moved into our farm, I was in the same space. Between getting my home set up and wanting to do ALL THE THINGS and just being so pumped for owning my first farm, I felt like a spinning top. And not in a good way.  Today I'm sharing my Seven Rules for keeping your sanity and making steady progress on your farmstead.

This one is for Farmers AND Consumers both. Community support is critical for the survival of small local farms. CSAs are a POWERFUL option for all parties involved. And you likely have one available to you in your area. My family buys a CSA share every year, even though we grow a LOT of produce, meat, dairy and eggs each year.  So let’s have that conversation because I clearly see both sides. Full of tips and info for producers and customers alike. Let's get growing.

Jim Gale, entrepreneur and expert permaculturist, man of faith and deep thinker is the founder of Food Forest Abundance. A positive energy dynamo, he talks about the solutions to society's most wicked problems. The solutions are really simple. Just not easy. He’s an educator, expert permaculture designer and advocate for clean, nutrient dense food. He’s also designing a sustainable off-grid living community, innovative home construction, and espouses the importance of permaculture as curriculum in schools. From motivations to practical steps, reaching youth, and even touching on the idea of NPCs. Jim boasts a 100% inspiration rate. This episode barely scratches the surface of the bigger picture with Jim at Food Forest Abundance .

Joel Salatin, husband, father, world-famous regenerative farmer, speaker, 16-time author,  owner of Polyface Farm and cofounder of the Rogue Food Conference joins to discuss contemporary topics: creating a more resilient food supply chain, regulatory issues, food freedom, raw milk, and going ‘rogue’ with food. He offers specific encouragement for the youth who want to get into agriculture and has an impassioned positive message to all who feel abuzz over the state of the world and society today. Polyface Farm. Healing the land one bite at a time.  www.polyfacefarms.com

Larry Footer founded FOOP Organic Biosciences in 2016 and has been a man on a mission to bring the best possible product to the market for plant growers everywhere. It’s not even fair to call it plant food.  It’s a proprietary blend- a spectrum of beneficial bacteria from fish manure, 11 strains of mycorrhizae, micronutrients and macronutrients from fish manure, fish emulsion, seaweed, volcanic ash and more. The products are for your garden, house or farm. From cloning gel to foliar spray, liquid, and now inoculated biochar –inspired by Larry learning about Terra Preta – This little company in Virginia is growing gangbusters thanks to Larry’s leadership and innovation. Enjoy the tour and the future of FOOP. www.thefoop.com

In 2010, Jeremy Lekich founded Nashville Foodscapes and in 2014, Jeremy co-founded Compost Nashville. As of January 2021, Nashville Foodscapes became a worker-owned cooperative. Jeremy's journey as an entrepreneur has allowed him to witness the value of leveraging our current systems and capital to create new ones that are more equitable and harmonious. Today he is a community resilience enthusiast and believes in the power of a localized economy and an inspired, well-fed community. And he's on a mission to help people learn how to grow food within their own landscaping on their properties, parks, and community plantings.

Farmer Jesse Frost of No-Till Growers talks soil life, growing top notch veggies with no-till methods and  getting started in regenerative agriculture. He shares his journey from cooking in restaurant kitchens in Louisville and New York City, through his awakening during a tour of a French vineyards to becoming a farm intern and finally being a renown market gardener, author of The Living Soil Handbook, and much more. Jesse created the No-Till Growers Network, hosts The No-Till Market Garden Podcast and the No-Till Growers channel on YouTube. He has also contributed to The Atlantic, Modern Farmer, Civil Eats, and maintained the Marketing Column for Hobby Farms Magazine for many years. He and his wife Hannah Crabtree own and operate Rough Draft Farmstead central Kentucky. Connect with Jesse on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Veterinarian Lori Davis may live in a small town but she has a world class education and heart bigger than the state she lives in.  Ride along with the farm vet who didn't grow up in the country but today lives a James Herriot lifestyle in Central Ohio. Meet the farm vet who purchased a shrinking housepet practice and turned it around in just a couple years to a wide-ranging, successful farm practice.

In today's episode I’m talking to a super entertaining, memorable lady - Amy Dingmann, 11-time published author, from A Farmish Kind of Life website and podcast. She’s also a Facebook blogger, a thinker and serious foodie… We hear how homesteads and little farms are a different kind of wonderful, despite the difference between our early dreams vs final reality, and how it’s OKAY to just enjoy the experience of homesteading. The big theme however, was farm-awesome-food! From the idea of box elder syrup to adventures in smoking turkeys into edibility, and how great ingredients and from-scratch farm cooking changes people. According to Amy, “Raising your own food turns you into a food snob and it somehow fills you up in a different way.” We discuss how scratch-cooking makes a difference in family dynamic, and how homesteaders intentionally choose a different kind of life. But it’s not just about doing things the by-hand way… it’s so much more. WHY do we homesteaders choose the seemingly “harder” choice? What IS that? We have some ideas. You can read more about Amy Dingmann’s adventures and sign up to get her Farmish Papers delivered to your door at www.afarmishkindoflife.com  Amy on Telegram: https://t.me/+xHbWrSuNobdjNTE5

Joshua is willing to take the punches and get his hands dirty. He cares deeply about protecting life on earth and shares his story of an unsuccessful start to his first homestead in Montana. From what he knew then, to what he learned in the process, what he knows now and where he's going... this is a great story of failing forward and helping others be successful. Joshua and his wife Emily live in Panama, where they're thriving and starting new regenerative ventures through his community of regenerative businesses at www.seedsoftao.com

They’re millennials from the world of tech and engineering… and they returned to Kiley’s roots of multigenerational farming. As Kiley put it, “Doors were opened”  during the Covid pandemic and they embraced the opportunity. Today they farm in a different way than prior generations as they’ve embraced rotational grazing and adopted some permaculture concepts on their farm. They’re definitely in growth mode, but they have big dreams and big goals including a state inspected poultry processing facility… no small feat. Follow them at www.earnestrootsfarm.com

Meet Greg Peterson, the man who is doing his part to fix our broken food system... starting in everyone's own home! According to Greg, no matter where you live, if you grow it and share it with others, you're a farmer! Growing food is a basic human right and at www.urbanfarm.org Greg teaches, connects, and grows a burgeoning community of like-minded people. Greg discusses his humble beginnings in aquaculture, early awareness of our food system, some great books to read, and some pivotal moments in the life he's led, doing exactly what he's always loved doing, and more.

Millennial couple Bobby and Kerry Sykes and son Malachi dive headfirst into rotational grazing – starting regenerative farming with zero prior experience. Bobby was told he couldn’t produce a tender tasty steak on grass alone, took it as a challenge, and successfully proved the naysayers wrong. Hear about what it takes, working with a rookie butcher, learning how to de-compact soil, angering cows with tall grass, eating carnivore, grassfed cattle genetics, the big-picture benefit of having a farm, thoughts on the greater homesteading movement and micro-farms, and heart-moving stories from his customers. Bobby and Kerry have hit their groove and built a strong local following for their all-natural top quality beef in Central Ohio. This couple is just getting started and will be around for a long time to come. Visit them at www.pleasantvalleyfamilyfarms.com to read about clean, all grass fed beef.

Meet the FarmHer in the iconic orange visor… she’s Grace, the Shepherdess at Harmony Farms. Raising Dorper Sheep near the Dallas Fort Worth area in Texas, she’s driven, humble, candid, and successful. Grace spills the sheep beans on rotational grazing, talks about the importance of great neighbors, helpful mentors, farming in the USA today, challenges in our food chain today, her thought process behind getting into sheep farming and more. Chock FULL of great marketing tips and specific motivational info, we get a taste of what she’s up to next – growth, progress, and helping others succeed at starting farming at www.shepherdess.com

Paul Bradshaw and Greenfire Farms brought the first autosexing breed chickens to America, (outlandishly popular Bielefelder and Cream Legbar), plus 70 other breeds- *doubling* the number of chicken breeds available in the USA through the years. He talks about his mission, the haters, the grueling process, and his passion for stewardship and his appreciation for his top tier staff and scientific minds working with him on his farm. His meteoric rise to prominence stimulated hatcheries across the nation to step up their game in return. His injection of new utility and top quality genetics through 20 years of chicken detective work across the globe and relentless pursuit of legal importation makes the best quality of the world's most fascinating chicken breeds available to discerning customers at www.greenfirefarms.com

Sandy decided to make a dream come true when she retired. She and her husband bought a farmette and she planted her garden, heck it was her first tomato plant! And she was just getting started. 3 years in, Sandy shares the feeling of discovery and the awakening process- the first wondrous taste of a homegrown potato, learning about canning, and the personal empowerment and happiness from keeping chickens. Today she has egg customers and keeps goats too. Sandy shares specific tips on how she accumulated a mountain of knowledge one step at a time with zero prior experience. She’s the grandma who bought a farm and now is on a huge never-ending autodidactic adventure at Sweet Tea Yankee Farm in Illinois. All this in just the first 3 years. And she's just getting started! Sandy’s living her best life and loving every second, and shares words of encouragement to young people especially who dreamed of this lifestyle and thinks it’s out of reach. Spoiler alert: it isn't.

Meet cattleman Patrick Bookman, breeder of Wagyu cattle in central Ohio with his family in their business Bookman Brothers Cattle Company in Stoutsville Ohio. In his third year of startup phase, Bookman produces top quality breeding stock. Patrick talks about the high tech world of AI, frozen embryos, and the lucrative value in this burgeoning segment of USA beef and the beef market overall. With peer support, he's learned from the amazing network of Wagyu breeders spanning the globe. Patrick emphasizes the importance of top quality genetics from Japan and dispels myths around Wagyu and Kobe beef. He talks about his dreams of new fencing, having a 4wd tractor during mud season in Ohio, and expansion. Patrick speaks plainly of his wife's admirable adaptability to farm life, the support of his family, and how he can't resist when his young daughter wants 40 baby chicks instead of the dozen planned.