The AgStacker Community
August Edition
If you’ve ever tried to find a home for your writing on Substack and found there’s no category for farming, gardening, or food production, you’re not alone. Despite a vibrant community of growers and advocates here, our work often gets squeezed into “Climate & Environment” or “Food & Drink” - never quite the right fit.
Categories aren’t just labels, they're how we connect, get discovered, and grow. Without a dedicated space for food, farming, and growing, our voices risk being overlooked.
That’s why I’m launching the AgStackers Community newsletter: a monthly space to spotlight our community’s work, ideas, and experiences. Each issue will feature one standout AgStacker, highlights from our discussion thread, and occasional thought-provoking reads from beyond Substack.
The AgStacker thread will always be open to free subscribers. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or simply passionate about food and farming, you’re invited to join in and help shape this space.
Take your time to enjoy the work shared here, and if you feel inspired, please join the conversation. This is your community as much as mine.
Featured AgStacker of the Month: Sam(antha) M. Burns
This month, I’m delighted to feature Sam(antha) M. Burns as our AgStacker of the month. Many of you may already know Sam for her accomplished writing on Substack, where she shares stories from her farm and her work in ecological conservation.
What stood out to me recently was Sam’s honesty and openness in her writing. That kind of genuine storytelling is rare and, in my view, invaluable-especially in a space where it can be tempting to gloss over the tough parts. I can’t applaud Sam enough for her willingness to be open on a public platform.
We need more farmers and growers sharing the hard stories, because the reality is, we all face challenges. Community only works when we support each other and that starts with speaking up and letting go of the stigma around struggle.
Sam, thank you for leading by example. You’ve truly inspired me, and I know your words will resonate with many others in our community.
Here are a few pieces from Sam and other community voices that resonated with me this month:
Sam’s openness about heartache is a reminder that resilience isn’t just about weathering storms in the field - it’s about surviving the ones that hit closest to home. Her vulnerability makes space for all of us who are carrying old wounds alongside new growth.
“Wounds once closed are re-opened and my heart bleeds with fresh longing.”
This piece beautifully captures Sam’s philosophy: farming is a relationship, not just a skillset. Her practical wisdom on observation and connection with the land is a must-read for anyone who wants to farm with intention and heart.
“This experience taught me that reading the land isn't just about technical knowledge—it's about developing an intimate relationship with your specific piece of earth. Learning to read that story is what transforms you from someone who farms the land to someone who partners with it.”
Few people write as honestly about the realities of farm finances as Sam does here. Her words are a powerful reminder that there’s no shame in needing help, and that real stewardship is about showing up for both the land and your community—even when things are tough.
“What I won't do is apologize for needing help or feel ashamed for using the systems that were designed to support people like me. Because at the end of the day, I'm not just feeding my family—I'm stewarding land, growing food, and contributing to my community in ways that matter.
If you're also struggling financially, please know that you're not alone. We're all just trying to make it work with what we've got, and there's no shame in that.”
From the Community
A grounding meditation on how trees and community teach us to grow, support, and find our own pace.
“When I think like a tree I think of community. Sharing. Mothering. Fathering. Auntying. Sheltering. Sending roots deep.
We might choose to listen to the ancient lesson the trees teach us, to reach high, grow at our own pace, to share and support and embrace the shifts of the wind and the sun. Doing things in our own time in our own style with the help of those around us. We can see the wood at the same time as the trees if we gentle our raucous spirits and spread our gaze a little more. Be still. Listen to the trees.”
Farmers are risk managers by nature Kristin argues it’s time tech takes a page from their book.
“Let’s go ahead and retire the outdated idea of the clueless, tech-averse farmer.
Modern farms are complex, tech-driven ecosystems. Think GPS-guided equipment, automated irrigation, livestock sensors, greenhouse controls, and cloud-based records. Farmers aren’t behind. They’ve just been left out of the cybersecurity conversation.
...You’ve been managing risk longer than most tech people have been out of diapers. You already know how to protect what matters; you need a few new tools to do it in the digital-physical world.”
Restoration of nature is crucial but the thing missing is real support. Carrie’s words are a call to action.
“We need a system that says ‘yes’ to recovery. That understands the difference between building a wetland and building a car park. That sees farmer-led, public-funded habitat projects not as a risk, but a lifeline.
Reconnecting these systems isn’t just restoration, it’s rebalancing centuries of human shaping, letting the river stretch its limbs again.
It’s all there. Except, of course, the funding.
These are the sites that keep me up at night because they’re so achingly close to success. We know what to do. We have the team, the plan, the will. We just need the means to do it.”
Hadden reminds us that the survival of good, place-based farming depends on conscious local support our choices at the market really do shape the landscape.
“It cannot be stressed strongly enough: locally committed consumers are an existential requirement for good agriculture to survive.”
The real stories of farming aren’t always dramatic, but they matter especially for conscious eaters.
“Most farms and ranches don’t live at either of these poles.
They exist in the vast, quiet middle — where life is messy, imperfect, and often full of conflicting values.
Many farmers care deeply about their animals and have to make hard economic decisions.
...But you almost never hear from them.
Because the middle isn’t flashy. It doesn’t go viral. It doesn’t fit into a TikTok caption or a 15-second ad spot.
And that makes it harder to find — especially for someone who wants to spend their dollars and eat more consciously, but isn’t sure where to start.”
Building food independence starts small and local, sometimes with a goat and always with community.
“For us, owning goats is genuinely a first step towards meat and dairy independence. Is it realistic that it’ll fulfil all our needs in the short term? Not at all. It is the first step on the ladder though, the first foundation of a truly sustainable home scale food system for us. It does feel like a form of activism.
It is all intertwined with local networks as well, for it is impossible to do any of this in isolation. Indeed, unnatural for humans to exist in isolation. We need community as much as we need fresh raw milk, or pastured red meat.”
Liz’s piece is a powerful call for hands-on, community-driven food security.
“We simply cannot outsource our food security.
Not to politicians, or heads of agencies. Not even to ‘regenerative’ farmers, religious leaders or popular speakers and influencers.
We must participate in every way we can as we aspire to radical interdependence and resilient systems.
...Yes, we were made for these times—to feed each other, grow our communities, and live with and within our ecosystems, beginning now.
That’s normal.”
Adam’s writing captures the ache and beauty of memory, how loss and joy ride side by side.
“Sometimes grief shows up like that. Uninvited. Riding shotgun in a memory you thought was just funny. One minute you're driving home from another day, and the next minute you're fifteen again, arguing about radio stations with someone who's been in the ground for four years.
...But I never expected to get cracked open on a late-night ride home. That's what happens when memories and music collide, when the armor you've worn for twenty years gets a hairline fracture, and everything you've been keeping locked away comes pouring out at sixty miles per hour.”
A story of resilience and quiet genius. Proof that small beginnings can change the world.
“A Derbyshire man, beset by challenges to his health and mobility throughout his life. He started young, working with homemade instruments. Being stuck at home, in great pain, could have left him unable to work. Instead he followed a passion for the stars, and through quiet dedication and intelligence, sitting for long nights in his small observatory 400 years ago, he had a huge impact on how every one of us perceives and travels around the entire world, every day.”
Nicola invites us to reflect on how food shapes our lives, communities, and planet.
“Food has dominated my life, and whether or not you realise it, it has dominated yours too. It is the one thing we all have in common, yet our experiences of it are unique. We all have a relationship with food that in some way defines us, and these relationships directly impact the world around us.”
A gentle nudge to savour the journey, not just the outcome on the farm and in life.
“The feeling of being behind is a dreadful thing. It robs you of the pleasure of now, of seeing how the afternoon sun dances on the surface of the stream, or the bobbing curls of my daughter’s hair as she bends to smell the snowdrops that have burst from the frozen ground, or tasting the sweetness of spinach after a frost.
Our farm, this life we’re living, started with a bike ride, a journey, an adventure. And what I learned on that trip was that there is always another uphill, and the destination doesn’t matter a bit—if you don’t enjoy the ride. And what a beautiful ride it is.”
Celebrating milestones, sharing knowledge, and finding joy in the little wins classic birding camaraderie.
“A golden buzzer moment, this was bird 200 for myself and reaching it by 1st August was very good going. I can now put my feet up until January 1st. No only joking.
There were a number of people in the hide who had not picked them up mainly because they can easily be mistaken for Dunlin. David and I dedicated some time to showing 6 people where they were and how to tell them apart from Dunlin of which there were about 30 to use as comparison. Unfortunately they were too far away to photograph.
We left 6 happy people in the hide and set off for the beach.”
Julie and Lurko’s off-grid adventure is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and gratitude.
“Living off the grid can be a challenge, but adjusting to a new country on top of that adds an extra dimension of ... interesting. (Never mind the extra extra dimension of ending a 5-year long-distance relationship and moving in together in a foreign country. I’ll save that bit for another post.)
...We could have picked anywhere in the world to build our off-grid tiny home, but we chose Mexico and we're happy we did. Eighteen months later, we still feel like Mexico was the right choice for us. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about living off the grid in Mexico.”
Kody challenges us to rethink the future of farming, are we ready to choose life, diversity, and change?
“We have our own solutions, the companies and the lobbyist in DC will continue to push for consolidation of the current food system for control and profits. We have to look to our ancestors and nature to mold our own farming and marketing systems that work around the status quo. And we cannot forget that nature always bats last. The conventional system will tetter at some point, but I don’t want to go broke trying to hang on in that system when I can change my farms path now.
...I think that with every consumer and agrarian who chooses to step back and take a slower more connected path into our food system and their local ecosystem; the brighter the future gets. So thanks for reading if you made it this far, it was more rambling to get thoughts out of my head than writing, but I cannot see a way forward in the modern system. Life breeds life and death breeds death. What will you choose?”
Tina’s piece is a gentle reminder to let curiosity and nature set the pace - especially for kids.
“Go into the park or nature area without a set path. Allow your child to choose the route and let them linger and explore. Point out interesting moss or lichen, listen to the rustling of birds or other wildlife, and admire the tallest trees and the smallest flowers. It can be relaxing to go out into the woods without a set purpose, other than to just see and experience what’s out there.
In daily life, just make even a little bit of time, everyday, for unstructured time outdoors. In today’s fast-paced world, we tend to over-structure everything. Our children are spending more time in structured activities (like organized sports and extracurriculars) than ever before. Give them time to rest. Away from screens, away from adults.”
Mark shows how growing micro basil is easy, fun, and a flavour boost for any kitchen.
“A quick and novel way to grow basil is as microgreens (small seedlings) or baby leaves (small plants just a little larger than microgreens). These look super pretty—particularly if you grow a mix of coloured varieties—and have a delicious and particularly intense basil taste. Rarely seen in the shops, chefs source micro basil from specialist suppliers and pay top dollar for them.
Luckily basil microgreens aren’t difficult to grow... basil is one of the finest and most useful herbs. This is a fun project for summer because it isn’t difficult, it’s almost impossible to buy micro basil, and the leaves look stunning sprinkled over your salads or any other dish—a real showstopper. And, they taste vibrant and amazing, too!”
A hilarious take on the everyday frustrations of farm life sometimes you just have to laugh.
“Ratchet straps are used to secure loads for transport. Possibly, they are used by psychologists, in experimental studies, to research and observe how men react under intense stress. I don’t remember signing up for any experimental studies, but who knows what you’re signing up for these days. Everyone, everywhere is trying to sign you up for something (for instance, if you would like, you can sign up for my free Substack newsletter!).
...If the ratchet strap wasn’t broken before, it was now rendered inoperable, mostly because it was dangling from the top of a maple tree in a curbed island in the parking lot. In my opinion, the neon orange ratchet strap gave the homely maple an eye-catching accessory that added to the parking lot’s overall landscape design and aesthetic.”
Lucy’s practical insight into regenerative grazing shows how small changes can heal the land.
“The idea is to graze the grass in a way that the more favourable grasses are not over grazed. This builds carbon in the soil which also increases water holding capacity, microbes and soil health in general.
In a conventional grazing system the stock are left in one paddock too long and depending on weather conditions, the good grasses can get grazed so heavily that bare patches begin to appear. This is the start of desertification. We were managing a property once that had large areas of bare ground. The remaining grasses were very unpalatable! We managed to turn it around in the few years we were there through managing the stock in a rotational resting system.”
A sweet story of how a simple honesty box became the heartbeat of a community.
“It’s amazing how such a small thing can become such a big focus of life here on the island in such a short time.
...The locals seem to be loving it. We’re clearly starved of baked goods. One neighbour visited it three times in one day to see whether we’d restocked, so we’ve now got a group chat going for the neighbours to alert them to drops of goodies.
...So it’s going well, and has swiftly become part of life here in the township. So far everyone has paid too, although I know that I should brace myself for disappointment if someone doesn’t. Feedback has been lovely and everyone has been hugely encouraging.”
Mpumelelo’s vision is all about collaboration, rethinking what’s possible when we work as a region.
“Collectively, the communities of Vaalbank are learning to think like a region... Guided by the technical expertise and wisdom of John Strauser... we understand the ‘Collaborative Landscape Design as an iterative process with five primary elements.
Connecting people – Transformational change requires working with a broad coalition of people. A plurality of relationships allows for the diverse perspectives needed to facilitate conversion across scales.
...By engaging with the elements of Collaborative Landscape Design, through the Learning Hubs, people in are actively engaged in place-making – working toward producing transformational changes in our agricultural systems by constructing a desirable future.”
Jackie’s reflection on nettles and reinvention is a powerful metaphor for resilience at any age.
The web of roots I was heaving from the ground ‘spoke’ to me and said:
‘Dig Deep! Retire on the surface, by all means. Go quiet, let the sheet mulch keep you warm and dry for a while. But now is time for a new and different life. Disappear beneath the soil, and build. Make yourself strong. Then grow for resilience and power.’
A call for connection Tim’s petition is about making sure ag voices have a home (and a category) on Substack.
“There is so much insight and passion coming from so many writers here on Substack. So much to learn and share and encourage each other with.
This site welcomes anyone with a love of growing their own food, sharing their insight and knowledge around this subject and hoping to reach a wider audience who share their passion and their support.”
Call to Action
AgStackers is a community effort, and your voice is what will shape it.
Get involved: Share your thoughts, stories, or links in the AgStackers thread for a chance to be featured next month.
Spread the word: Know someone who’d love this space? Forward this newsletter or invite them to join.
Have your say: What topics matter most to you? Leave a comment or jump into the thread with your suggestions.
If you find value in this community and want to help it grow, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Every contribution helps keep this space thriving and independent. As AgStackers grows, paid members will get early access to the discussion and priority for feature sections in future newsletters.
Thanks for being part of the beginning. Let’s see where we can take this together.
Until next month,
H x
If just 5% of my readers tipped £1/$1 this essay would pay for itself in terms of time spent working on it.
Wow, Helen!!! Thank you so much for the glowing review! But even more importantly, thank you for putting together this resource for the ag-community and for your tireless efforts to promote farmers and farming in the UK and beyond. My sincerest appreciation and I can't wait to see this new ag-stack unfold.
Helen, what a wonderful collection of newsletters! Thank you so much. I’m coming back to finish reading these great substackers articles. 🐝