Fair Hill Farmstead Life

Hilda Labrada Gore (a/k/a Holistic Hilda) is a certified health coach who is known as a kind of Dora the Explorer 2.0. She has traveled extensively, as an experiential anthropologist—Mongolia, Peru, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya, Australia, etc.—with the objective of exploring traditional practices to improve the energy and vitality of humanity. Hilda is the host and producer of the Wise Traditions podcast (13+ million downloads to date) on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Hilda shares the best of experts, experiences, and epic adventures on the podcast, her Holistic Hilda YouTube channel, and in person at conferences and retreats. Hilda has energy to spare because she keeps her feet on the ground and her face to the sun. Follow her at  www.holistichilda.com

Tama Matsuoko Wong, finance lawyer in Hong Kong turned professional forager for top restaurants in New York City. Hunting for clean chickweed, stinging nettle, purslane, lambsquarters and so much more... Tama discusses her journey and her life’s work. Author of “Into the Weeds” She’s the recipient of the New Jersey Forest Service Steward of the year, working with conservation groups and botanists to map wild plants and their ecological behavior, all along the Eastern Coast of the USA. She tours, lectures, and runs workshops.

The most carefully planned, innovative community perhaps on Earth today. Listen to the thought process, the team, and learn about the structure and innovation behind Witchcliffe EcoVillage, 3 hours south of Perth, on Australia's West coast through an in-depth discussion with Jeff Thierfelder, one of the members of the team who brought this to life. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffthierfelder/  https://www.ecovillage.net.au/

Hear a couple astonishing tales of the power of herbalism from Wendi Bergin, founder of Joyfully Prepared. She is running an educational hub for water bath canning, pressure canning, freeze drying, herbal remedies and more.  Her "prepper" site is different because Wendi focuses not on an upcoming zombie apocalypse, doomsday bunkers. These are generational skills that have experienced a generational lapse.  Wendi talks about accumulating life skills as being prepared for whatever "personal apocalypse"  moment that we all encounter some day in our lives.  She’s busy bringing a healthy positive attitude, humor, and can-do-mindset toward learning self sufficiency and empowerment for moms in today’s busy world. You can follow Wendi's work at www.joyfullyprepared.com and enjoy her podcast "Joyfully Prepared" on all major platforms. 

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.