Your humble host has been through some stuff the last few years. At a recent food system gathering event this fall, the call went out inviting folks to tell their stories of transition and transformation. How we went from the old to the new. What we overcame, and what we learned. How our world view changed. I’m still very much a farmer and will continue to be, but the last few years have shown me a new path helping others. That’s why I’m here. Jenn’s email Chris Sargent email Whole H...

Here’s a quick mini-episode I wanted to share about agritourism. I recorded it while driving home from the International Workshop on Agritourism last fall. Fair warning that it’s only lightly edited. I just came across this recording and thought it might be a useful thing to provide some background about what’s happening. I talk about agritourism and farmstays a bit in various places especially my social media, and this debrief kind of gets at why I think it’s a big deal. I’m so excited about it...

Coming soon! The second season of Choosing to Farm is bringing you even more great stories of the journey into--and sometimes out of--farming. We'll talk about new models, new ways of being successful, and where new farmers are coming from. I might even ask about a few of their Worst Days. ;-P So excited to get talking--see you soon, friends! Listen to back episodes through Anchor, Spotify, Apple podcasts, or right at www.choosingtofarm.com.

“I think sometimes the choice to farm also means that folks choose not to have a life. They may not recognize it as that. Sometimes the choice to farm or ranch doesn't necessarily automatically set them up for that. Responsibility weighs really heavily on the shoulders of farmers and ranchers. I think everyone deserves to have a life but I really think that farmers and ranchers deserve to have a life. I just don't know if that always happens. And I don't know if the choice to farm is actually en...

“It feels scary to work with a dangerous animal, but it's within our wheelhouse. To do something that is unknown--to reach out, to ask for help, to admit we don't know--to go into that sort of dark place outside of our circle of control and our circle of knowledge into some nebulous “out there”, so that we can make that circle bigger--THAT’s scary. I gotta tell you, once you open that door, once you open that circle, it's COOL. It's really cool. You sort of see the world in a different way. And ...

“People who don’t farm don’t realize how much it really governs what you can and can not do with the construct of your lives. Unless you’ve got the systems in place to manage that stuff.”—Chris Sargent When I had the idea to start this podcast, my husband Chris Sargent was fully on board and very supportive of my goal to share the stories of first-generation and other farmers making the conscious choice to make livestock farming a serious part of their lives. After a few interviews and a ques...

When we do physical work, lots of us think deep thoughts. I recorded this mini episode as an experiment...what sort of deep thoughts come out on the topic of setting intentions, in the middle pf chores? Let me know if you like this format...and I would love to hear your thoughts about other topics for a Chore Chat! For more than 25 years, I’ve been working with farmers on all kinds of production, natural resource, business, and success issues. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s rarely ...

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about why I even wanted to do this podcast. (Why I think this is even a good idea, I mean.) What I have come to realize is that I want there to be more farmers and ranchers in the world. I want there to be more people managing livestock on the land, in responsible and regenerative ways. I want there to be more livestock farmers who actually make a living managing livestock. I want there to be profitable livestock farms and ranches, and healthy familie...

Are you a first- or returning-generation farmer or rancher? Maybe you want to hear the stories of those who’ve made the leap? Join us weekly starting January 1, as we dive into the large and small moments that make us choose to farm. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/choosingtofarm/support