Your words carry the weight of the land, the heartbreak of uncertainty, and the quiet but powerful tenacity that so many farmers and folk share.
Thank you for voicing what so many small farmers and rural communities feel but struggle to say. The clarity, the grit, the hope, it all rings so true.
“The system may be broken, but the spirit is not” I’ll carry that with me.
Thank you so much for your kind words they really mean a lot.
It’s not always easy to put these feelings into words, but knowing they resonate with others in the farming and rural community makes it worth it. Even when the system feels stacked against us, I truly believe that spirit, grit, and hope are what keep us going. We may face uncertainty and heartbreak, but we also share a deep connection - to the land, to each other, and to the possibility of something better. Thank you for carrying that hope forward with me.
Helen, I spent forty years as a commercial Sea Urchin Diver although close enough to a farming heritage to want to farm. So 25 years ago my wife and I bought a farm. Out of all my uncles , cousins and siblings that farmed when I was a kid, only I managed to buy a farm and take up the yoke. I have also always been dedicated to reading and helped spearhead an effort to educate everyone about ocean acidification , C-CAN ( Calif Current Acidification Network ) formed fifteen years ago .
Regulating fisheries or any other conservation efforts at sea are pointless unless humans change land practices and CO2 emissions . Acidification will render the entire surface ocean undersaturated and hostile to many life forms that build their shells with calcium carbonate if we continue BAU .
So we need to change how we live and how we farm if sea life is to thrive , that is we can’t save the oceans unless we change how we farm. So I set out to make a solar electric powered farm. I pump water, run freezers, electric tractor, a small electric cultivator e-bike, all farm and home electrics with my 5.8kW solar array and 2 powerwalls.
I have been running Mangalitsa pigs for the ten years I have also been solar. I sold one million $ of pigs in that time but slaughter and processing has almost collapsed here in Calif. and I can no longer drive 1500 miles a month to comply with what it takes to legally process pigs. OK buying barley isn’t exactly carbon free , and neither is hauling them to market but otherwise my farm has operated carbon neutral.
I am now headed towards a subsistence farm and away from trying to feed the public. I don’t see farming fixing its fossil fuel addiction , and we will continue to damage both terrestrial carbon sinks and the ocean biological carbon pump. We are destroying the ability of the earth to effectively sink carbon.
I support farming techniques that don’t ruin the oceans and land have always loved. Farm like your life and everything other living thing depends on your success. Live simple , do your part, and learn to feed yourself with a hoe. One Hoe Farming and farmers like Samuel Lewis should be our hero’s and mentors, and feeding the cities should just stop. They will kill the planet otherwise.
Thank you for sharing your story and perspective. It’s rare to hear from someone who’s bridged both the sea and the land in such a hands-on way. Your experience really brings home how interconnected these systems are. I completely agree: we can’t hope to protect the oceans without changing how we farm, and vice versa. The work you’ve done with C-CAN and your commitment to low-impact farming is genuinely inspiring.
I share your concerns about the future of small-scale, ethical farming - especially with the challenges around processing, regulation, and the relentless pressure to scale up or get out. The reality is, the more we try to “feed the cities” through industrial systems, the further we get from real sustainability, both for land and sea.
I love your call to simplicity and self-reliance, and I think you’re right: we need to celebrate and learn from those who are finding ways to feed themselves and their communities without destroying the planet in the process. Thank you for your honesty and for reminding us what’s really at stake.
Thanks for your feedback Liz, I’m sorry i’ve only just gotten around to replying. Whilst we’ve never met I take comfort in knowing that we support each other’s causes from across the ocean.
I’m trying to see what the issue is but annoyingly everything goes straight to the thread on my end, I’ve sent you an invite via direct message, can you let me know if it works at all?
All seems to be in order! I don't spend a lot of time on a screen, so excuse tardy reply. Only reason I am now on one is to watch the cricket, but I should really be in the garden with the radio on!
Thanks Jeremy, your comments genuinely mean a lot. I didn’t expect my little corner of Substack to ever become much but with supporters like you its grown into something I really treasure.
It IS a great contribution, Helen : your example inspires like-minded souls to get going and bystanders to enjoy what you are doing . It is a significant contribution to the improvement of life in the country .❤️❤️❤️🍸
Hi. I’m finding it impossible to join your chat. Your link takes me to the Substack app on the App Store despite already having it downloaded. I’ll keep trying.
Your words carry the weight of the land, the heartbreak of uncertainty, and the quiet but powerful tenacity that so many farmers and folk share.
Thank you for voicing what so many small farmers and rural communities feel but struggle to say. The clarity, the grit, the hope, it all rings so true.
“The system may be broken, but the spirit is not” I’ll carry that with me.
Thank you so much for your kind words they really mean a lot.
It’s not always easy to put these feelings into words, but knowing they resonate with others in the farming and rural community makes it worth it. Even when the system feels stacked against us, I truly believe that spirit, grit, and hope are what keep us going. We may face uncertainty and heartbreak, but we also share a deep connection - to the land, to each other, and to the possibility of something better. Thank you for carrying that hope forward with me.
Thank you for speaking up for the small farmers
Thanks Nick! As a farmer doing great work I respect you so much and you comments mean a lot.
Where can I join the agstackers? Not a farmer but big supporter of the goals and interested in learning how to help
Hi Christopher, I sent you a direct message with an invite to the AgStackers thread, did you receive it?
I did - Much appreciated Helen!
Helen, I spent forty years as a commercial Sea Urchin Diver although close enough to a farming heritage to want to farm. So 25 years ago my wife and I bought a farm. Out of all my uncles , cousins and siblings that farmed when I was a kid, only I managed to buy a farm and take up the yoke. I have also always been dedicated to reading and helped spearhead an effort to educate everyone about ocean acidification , C-CAN ( Calif Current Acidification Network ) formed fifteen years ago .
Regulating fisheries or any other conservation efforts at sea are pointless unless humans change land practices and CO2 emissions . Acidification will render the entire surface ocean undersaturated and hostile to many life forms that build their shells with calcium carbonate if we continue BAU .
So we need to change how we live and how we farm if sea life is to thrive , that is we can’t save the oceans unless we change how we farm. So I set out to make a solar electric powered farm. I pump water, run freezers, electric tractor, a small electric cultivator e-bike, all farm and home electrics with my 5.8kW solar array and 2 powerwalls.
I have been running Mangalitsa pigs for the ten years I have also been solar. I sold one million $ of pigs in that time but slaughter and processing has almost collapsed here in Calif. and I can no longer drive 1500 miles a month to comply with what it takes to legally process pigs. OK buying barley isn’t exactly carbon free , and neither is hauling them to market but otherwise my farm has operated carbon neutral.
I am now headed towards a subsistence farm and away from trying to feed the public. I don’t see farming fixing its fossil fuel addiction , and we will continue to damage both terrestrial carbon sinks and the ocean biological carbon pump. We are destroying the ability of the earth to effectively sink carbon.
I support farming techniques that don’t ruin the oceans and land have always loved. Farm like your life and everything other living thing depends on your success. Live simple , do your part, and learn to feed yourself with a hoe. One Hoe Farming and farmers like Samuel Lewis should be our hero’s and mentors, and feeding the cities should just stop. They will kill the planet otherwise.
Thank you for sharing your story and perspective. It’s rare to hear from someone who’s bridged both the sea and the land in such a hands-on way. Your experience really brings home how interconnected these systems are. I completely agree: we can’t hope to protect the oceans without changing how we farm, and vice versa. The work you’ve done with C-CAN and your commitment to low-impact farming is genuinely inspiring.
I share your concerns about the future of small-scale, ethical farming - especially with the challenges around processing, regulation, and the relentless pressure to scale up or get out. The reality is, the more we try to “feed the cities” through industrial systems, the further we get from real sustainability, both for land and sea.
I love your call to simplicity and self-reliance, and I think you’re right: we need to celebrate and learn from those who are finding ways to feed themselves and their communities without destroying the planet in the process. Thank you for your honesty and for reminding us what’s really at stake.
Another great article Helen!
I, too, share your frustrations and also your fundamental longing to return to keep going no matter what.
May our local food system prevail against all odds!
Thanks for your feedback Liz, I’m sorry i’ve only just gotten around to replying. Whilst we’ve never met I take comfort in knowing that we support each other’s causes from across the ocean.
I do as well. Else we are stuffed…
I’m trying to see what the issue is but annoyingly everything goes straight to the thread on my end, I’ve sent you an invite via direct message, can you let me know if it works at all?
All seems to be in order! I don't spend a lot of time on a screen, so excuse tardy reply. Only reason I am now on one is to watch the cricket, but I should really be in the garden with the radio on!
What a stirring piece - well done ! All good fortune in your ventures - you are doing great work !
Thanks Jeremy, your comments genuinely mean a lot. I didn’t expect my little corner of Substack to ever become much but with supporters like you its grown into something I really treasure.
It IS a great contribution, Helen : your example inspires like-minded souls to get going and bystanders to enjoy what you are doing . It is a significant contribution to the improvement of life in the country .❤️❤️❤️🍸
Hi. I’m finding it impossible to join your chat. Your link takes me to the Substack app on the App Store despite already having it downloaded. I’ll keep trying.
Hi Catherine does this link work any better for you?
https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/364d57e5-c2c2-4272-bb75-0c06d726fdf6?r=4j9ufy&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=share
Catherine, I’ve sent you an invite via direct message to see if that works can you let me know at all 🙏