John and Emily Beaton have created a multi-enterprise farming business in Northeastern Minnesota near Duluth and the shores of Lake Superior. They founded Fairhaven Farm with a spirit of community building, a focus on soil health, and a desire to see a thriving local food system. They sell starter plants each spring for home gardeners, grow food for over 50 families through their CSA program, and are launching a new Pizza Farm enterprise where the couple will serve wood-fired pizzas on the farm featuring all locally sourced ingredients—including fresh tomatoes and vegetables right from their field!

"My wife and I are Buddhists. We practice Buddhism, and the main message with that spiritual tradition is to benefit others. I mean, if you focus more on benefiting others than seeking just for oneself, this is where joy comes from, both for yourself and others. So it is kind of a life of service. I mean, we can make a living at it, but at the same time, it's more about a life of service. We're serving other people. We're feeding people the best food you can find anywhere. When you speak about tradition or passing on farms, often what gets forgotten is not just the land itself, but it's the wisdom. It's knowing how to coax life from the soil. That's very important, whatever you're growing. There's a certain type of wisdom that it takes to grow those things, and that is something that's at risk of getting forgotten."

www.fairhaven.farm

www.oneplanetpodcast.org

www.creativeprocess.info