Thank you so much. Yours is such an important voice. I’m sorry I can’t afford a paid subscription but this is partly because, when I can, I buy food from organic and small scale producers. I really wish this option was available to everyone. I used to teach English to refugees who came from countries where this was the norm and were frankly bewildered when they ended up stuck in English food deserts. Good luck with the book proposal. I know how horrible all the waiting is and especially the ghosting but I feel sure there are people out there who will recognise how needed your voice is.
Thanks Joanna, I can imagine that was a big shock to the refugees. With my work for Farms not factories we’ve done a few case studies abroad and the local food economy and it’s like looking back at the UK through time. I’m hopeful for the book proposal and if it doesn’t get picked up you can bet I’ll be publishing some of the writing on here so watch this space!
Thank you for opening yourself up, Helen. Life seems to be asking a lot of you at the moment, so make sure you take some time for yourself.
You do a brilliant job of pulling apart complex policies into an essay I can understand. Are you a member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists? They accept comms people as members too, and they often send out opportunities to the network before posting wider.
Alana thank you for taking the time to read my post. Sadly I am not a member I am very interested in joining though as I have been following the organisation for a while now. You need a current member to “invite” you and use their membership no to apply. I’ll get there one day just need to keep networking!
Sorry to read how hard it is for you, Helen. At least as a pensioner I get a regular income but like many of our farmers and gardeners, getting older brings its own challenges. I hurt my back last week trying to lift something that now is just too heavy for me. So try to take care of yourself, first and all the best for the future, whatever you do.
It’s one of the reason some farmers are still working even past retirement age, because they can’t afford to retire, but also some simply don’t want too. I hope your back is recovering. Thanks as always for sharing my work Chris I really appreciate your support!
I’ve just found you and taken out an annual subscription- hope that helps a bit! Looking forward to reading previous articles. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the local agricultural community here - mostly amalgamations, though also small enterprises starting up through the One Planet Development policy (Wales). We buy nearly all our meat, dairy, preserves and bread from local producers and fruit and veg we can’t grow ourselves, so feel we are doing what we can to support out farming neighbours.
Thank you so much, and welcome! An annual subscription really does make a difference, so I'm incredibly grateful for your support.
It sounds as though you're already doing exactly what I hope more people feel able to do: building relationships with local producers and supporting the farming community around you where you can. I also find the One Planet Development policy in Wales fascinating. It would be really interesting to hear more about how you've seen it shape your local agricultural community, both the challenges and the successes.
I hope you enjoy exploring the back catalogue, and thank you again for joining me on this journey. It genuinely means a lot.
You keep bringing me back down to earth from all my geopolitical ramblings. Of course these political events have an impact on all our daily lives, but passive grumbling or trying to predict the future isn’t the answer. Besides, this is a result of my past life. After more than two decades of reporting from war-torn and crisis-stricken regions, I have the luxury of a hobby farm and my Rottweilers to help me maintain my mental balance. What I’ve learnt from these gulags of human error is that once the food chain is ruined (due to fuel and fertiliser shortages), the black market takes off and people lose control over how they shape their lives. The black market is dictated by the prices set by the supermarket chains. Of course, they collude with one another. That’s probably why the only way out is through extremely strong regional cooperation amongst farmers. City dwellers often think they’re better than everyone else; there’s no point in beating about the bush. I was in Paris yesterday; the people in the city are completely stressed out. What’s important for strong regional cooperation among farmers is precisely this: agreements and coordination without a competitive mindset. Farmers could then take a stronger stance against supermarkets and buyers. A chain that’s large enough but recognises this and supports regional produce through promotions will be rewarded by shoppers. And as for the issue of disposable income: a universal basic income (I do have my reservations about that)….
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I think your experience reporting from conflict zones gives you a perspective that most of us never have, and your point about food systems breaking down really struck me. We often think of food security as something abstract until it's disrupted, and then it suddenly shapes every part of daily life.
I also agree that stronger regional cooperation between farmers has a huge role to play. We spend so much time talking about competition when, in reality, resilience often comes from collaboration and stronger local networks.
As for disposable income, I keep coming back to the same point: most people aren't making poor choices, they're making the choices they can afford. If we want local food systems to thrive, we have to make it possible for more people to support them. That's why I think the conversation has to include incomes and affordability, not just farming itself.
Helen, firstly, thank you for your vulnerability. It takes courage in this 'influencer' world to share our personal struggles. But the reality is, we all have them, whether its financial, mental, loneliness/isolation or other. That's the reality of life!
Secondly, you are doing fabulous work with your writing. Always so on-pointe and breaking down what's actually happening in the UK farming sector. You were one for the first farming writers I found when I started on Substack, and have inspired many of my articles.
Thirdly, as Alana pointed out, life seems to be asking a lot of you right now, including financial stress. From my own experience, and from working with other land stewards, regulating our nervous system isn't about pretending everything is okay. It's about creating enough steadiness that we can respond thoughtfully rather than react from fear. The challenges don't disappear overnight, but when we can create even a little more safety within ourselves, we make clearer decisions, see opportunities we would have otherwise missed, and have the capacity to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Please be gentle with yourself. Your voice matters, your work matters, and there are many of us quietly cheering you on through this season. ❤️
Helen, I should be running a non fiction proposal class in the autumn if you are interested in looking at it. (For 5 weeks in the evening on a Monday I think)
In case you still need a bit of help with the proposal!
I love the way you write with such clarity and balance on complex subjects. Everyone connected to the land is emotive.
Thank you so much. Yours is such an important voice. I’m sorry I can’t afford a paid subscription but this is partly because, when I can, I buy food from organic and small scale producers. I really wish this option was available to everyone. I used to teach English to refugees who came from countries where this was the norm and were frankly bewildered when they ended up stuck in English food deserts. Good luck with the book proposal. I know how horrible all the waiting is and especially the ghosting but I feel sure there are people out there who will recognise how needed your voice is.
Thanks Joanna, I can imagine that was a big shock to the refugees. With my work for Farms not factories we’ve done a few case studies abroad and the local food economy and it’s like looking back at the UK through time. I’m hopeful for the book proposal and if it doesn’t get picked up you can bet I’ll be publishing some of the writing on here so watch this space!
Thank you for opening yourself up, Helen. Life seems to be asking a lot of you at the moment, so make sure you take some time for yourself.
You do a brilliant job of pulling apart complex policies into an essay I can understand. Are you a member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists? They accept comms people as members too, and they often send out opportunities to the network before posting wider.
Alana thank you for taking the time to read my post. Sadly I am not a member I am very interested in joining though as I have been following the organisation for a while now. You need a current member to “invite” you and use their membership no to apply. I’ll get there one day just need to keep networking!
Sorry to read how hard it is for you, Helen. At least as a pensioner I get a regular income but like many of our farmers and gardeners, getting older brings its own challenges. I hurt my back last week trying to lift something that now is just too heavy for me. So try to take care of yourself, first and all the best for the future, whatever you do.
It’s one of the reason some farmers are still working even past retirement age, because they can’t afford to retire, but also some simply don’t want too. I hope your back is recovering. Thanks as always for sharing my work Chris I really appreciate your support!
I’ve just found you and taken out an annual subscription- hope that helps a bit! Looking forward to reading previous articles. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the local agricultural community here - mostly amalgamations, though also small enterprises starting up through the One Planet Development policy (Wales). We buy nearly all our meat, dairy, preserves and bread from local producers and fruit and veg we can’t grow ourselves, so feel we are doing what we can to support out farming neighbours.
Thank you so much, and welcome! An annual subscription really does make a difference, so I'm incredibly grateful for your support.
It sounds as though you're already doing exactly what I hope more people feel able to do: building relationships with local producers and supporting the farming community around you where you can. I also find the One Planet Development policy in Wales fascinating. It would be really interesting to hear more about how you've seen it shape your local agricultural community, both the challenges and the successes.
I hope you enjoy exploring the back catalogue, and thank you again for joining me on this journey. It genuinely means a lot.
You keep bringing me back down to earth from all my geopolitical ramblings. Of course these political events have an impact on all our daily lives, but passive grumbling or trying to predict the future isn’t the answer. Besides, this is a result of my past life. After more than two decades of reporting from war-torn and crisis-stricken regions, I have the luxury of a hobby farm and my Rottweilers to help me maintain my mental balance. What I’ve learnt from these gulags of human error is that once the food chain is ruined (due to fuel and fertiliser shortages), the black market takes off and people lose control over how they shape their lives. The black market is dictated by the prices set by the supermarket chains. Of course, they collude with one another. That’s probably why the only way out is through extremely strong regional cooperation amongst farmers. City dwellers often think they’re better than everyone else; there’s no point in beating about the bush. I was in Paris yesterday; the people in the city are completely stressed out. What’s important for strong regional cooperation among farmers is precisely this: agreements and coordination without a competitive mindset. Farmers could then take a stronger stance against supermarkets and buyers. A chain that’s large enough but recognises this and supports regional produce through promotions will be rewarded by shoppers. And as for the issue of disposable income: a universal basic income (I do have my reservations about that)….
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I think your experience reporting from conflict zones gives you a perspective that most of us never have, and your point about food systems breaking down really struck me. We often think of food security as something abstract until it's disrupted, and then it suddenly shapes every part of daily life.
I also agree that stronger regional cooperation between farmers has a huge role to play. We spend so much time talking about competition when, in reality, resilience often comes from collaboration and stronger local networks.
As for disposable income, I keep coming back to the same point: most people aren't making poor choices, they're making the choices they can afford. If we want local food systems to thrive, we have to make it possible for more people to support them. That's why I think the conversation has to include incomes and affordability, not just farming itself.
Helen, firstly, thank you for your vulnerability. It takes courage in this 'influencer' world to share our personal struggles. But the reality is, we all have them, whether its financial, mental, loneliness/isolation or other. That's the reality of life!
Secondly, you are doing fabulous work with your writing. Always so on-pointe and breaking down what's actually happening in the UK farming sector. You were one for the first farming writers I found when I started on Substack, and have inspired many of my articles.
Thirdly, as Alana pointed out, life seems to be asking a lot of you right now, including financial stress. From my own experience, and from working with other land stewards, regulating our nervous system isn't about pretending everything is okay. It's about creating enough steadiness that we can respond thoughtfully rather than react from fear. The challenges don't disappear overnight, but when we can create even a little more safety within ourselves, we make clearer decisions, see opportunities we would have otherwise missed, and have the capacity to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Please be gentle with yourself. Your voice matters, your work matters, and there are many of us quietly cheering you on through this season. ❤️
I second that Christine. Helen is a Champion! 🏆 Cheering you all on from across the water...one Farmers daughter ...in Ireland☘️
Helen, I should be running a non fiction proposal class in the autumn if you are interested in looking at it. (For 5 weeks in the evening on a Monday I think)
In case you still need a bit of help with the proposal!
I love the way you write with such clarity and balance on complex subjects. Everyone connected to the land is emotive.