Welcome back to the Agrarian Renaissance Podcast after a brief hiatus! In episode 20 Don Tipping aggregates a brief history that leads us to the current new North Star for humanity of best described under the term "Solarpunk". No AI agents were used in the writing of this original piece!

Check out the essay version here on my substack

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SHOW NOTES:

Links, Books and Websites mentioned in order:

https://workthatreconnects.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceWeatherNewsS0s

https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/

https://agreaterapplegate.org/

Regenerative Chamber of Commerce

Douglas Rushkoff & Distributism

https://republicofthebees.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/from-steampunk-to-solarpunk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mollison

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._F._Schumacher

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckminster_Fuller

https://www.permacultureintl.com/jenny-pell

https://www.gameb.wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decentralized_autonomous_organization

Vertical Farming fails

BOOKS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotopia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Always_Coming_Home

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Sacred_Thing

https:/

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Increasingly I am coming to believe that the answer to all of the major issues facing civilization today is to do what YOU can do to cultivate resilient regenerative community locally. Arguing, debating, bickering or living in fear or hatred. Please determine what you can do personally, in your neighborhood, and/or locally and go do that. The impact will be tangible and real. Thank you!

More at:
 www.thetippingpoints.net

Audio at:
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rSKEQj5JepHeIHLPpmRTc?si=a580268239df41f3

Show notes: 

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The Seed Academy’s mission is to increase network capacity, collaboration and synergy in the Seed Freedom Movement in the Rogue Bioregion and beyond. 

Learn with experienced seed farmers to gain the essential skills you need to harvest & process seed. Training is workshop style with different modules and lectures throughout the weekend and oriented towards farmers, gardeners, educators, entrepreneurs, permaculturalists & anyone interested in becoming a part of the Seed Movement. Many people leave this course transformed, inspired and energized!

WHEN: A 3 day event taking place in May (Spring Seed Academy) or in October (Fall Seed Academy). The event begins at 9:00 am on a Friday and runs through 4pm on the Sunday.  Friday and Saturday are 9am-6pm with dinner to follow and a more open, salon type format after dinner. People travelling from out of town can arrive Thursday evening if they are camping onsite by prior arrangement only. 

WHAT: We invite you to join us for one or both of these a 3 day intensives!

Don Tipping is the lead instructor who brings over 30 years experience in organic farming, seeds, permaculture and enthusiastic on-farm education. There are always expert guest instructors included as well. Check out this years' event listings for the guest instructors!

Curriculum includes:

• seed saving
• basic botany & reproductive biology in plants
• understanding selection,
• planting seeds & soil mixes
• seed germination & germination testing
• isolation, crossing,
• seed libraries & storage
• field trip to another small farm that produces organic seeds.
• whole systems, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and solutions oriented action
• step-by step tools, strategies & inspired vision required to start or upgrade a seed business, or implement a seed system to you farm or homestead. 

VISION: The journey with connecting more deeply with seeds as a source point of life begins with seed saving, then progresses to seed growing on a farm or garden preservation scale. The master level is seed stewardship, cultivating a deep relationship with the species and all of its potential for bioregional adaptation to climate, pests, disease and agronomic & culinary preferences.

We visualize interconnected Community Seed Hubs that are capable of doing breeding, selection, stewardship and improvement that work with bioregional centers that can do finish cleaning, climate controlled storage, marketing and distribution of high quality, open-pollinated organic seeds. In this way we can co-create a sustainable seed system that will support organic food production for local markets and resilient local food systems. 

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Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

Farmer Don Tipping shares a brief synopsis of the often used term Permaculture and how it is a term to describe a whole systems way of seeing and interacting with the worl.

If you're interested in learning more about Permaculture and it's applications, be sure to check out our course offerings here: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/workshops-and-tours

Or you can buy seeds here: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Agrarian Renaissance Podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmcYWnPQsKFacabJPV?si=ce08655957794fa9

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Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

Currently there is a whole lotta buzz around the the term "Regenerative Agriculture", which is encouraging, however, why might we be wary of embracing this newfangled buzzword? I invite you to listen in and glean from farmer Don Tipping's insights from over 30 years of being an organic farmer trying to implement permaculture/biodynamic/regenerative practices on his farm.

Check out more at:
 www.thetippingpoints.net
Audio at https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmc...
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Check out more at:

www.dontipping.com

Courses & Farm Tours: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/workshops-and-tours

Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

I recently attended the 45th EcoFarm conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove (near Monterey, CA) and wanted to share some observations and thoughts as a full time farmer for the past 30 years about what I perceive as the state of the west coast organic farming movement.

Check out more at:
 www.thetippingpoints.net
Audio at https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmc...
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Check out more at:

www.dontipping.com

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Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

Agrobiodiversity refers to the biodiversity of edible crop species. Of the estimated 585,000 total plant species globally, it's estimated that 7000 humans use for food but only 200 are in widespread use and 3(corn, wheat, & rice) comprise 70% of total global caloric intake. This is an unfortunate trend that puts people, regions and nations in danger of starvation and breakdown of global food supply chains due to climate change, natural disaster and war. Agrobiodiversity is foundational to our health and wealth and human civilizations. 

Check out more at:
 www.thetippingpoints.net
Audio at https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmc...
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Check out more at:

www.dontipping.com

Courses & Farm Tours: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/workshops-and-tours

Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

The Agrarian Renaissance Episode 13: Homestead Movie Reaction Salon with Jonah Mesritz, James Teepe & Don Tipping. 

We watched the Homestead movie from Angel Studios recently and were intrigues to see how Hollywood would depict an post apocalyptic scenario. What did they get right? 
And what was overlooked?
What did we like & appreciate?

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 www.thetippingpoints.net
Audio at https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmc...
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

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Seeds & Tools - https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/

Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

Some friends and I recently saw the movie from Angel Studios called Homestead out in the theaters right now.  We all generally liked the movie (and are looking forwards to what the ensuing series has in store) and it's nice to see this topic which has risen in popularity in recent years getting some mainstream attention.
However.....
As a homesteader and organic farmer for the past 30 years I was disappointed that they got some significant things wrong, or failed to devote more attention to these important details:

1) The movie centers on an enormous mansion in the mountains. This is just not realistic and creates a distorted view. If they had the money for this house then they could have set up a better homestead in terms of food production, which is the main point of homesteading!

2) Your Food storage is more important than your armory. I mean what do you need all those guns to defend if your root cellars and walk in coolers are inadequate and lacking?

3) Minimal gardens shown. There's no long rows of corn, potatoes and root vegetables. There should be at least an acre plus garden if you aim to feed over 80 people!

4) Lack of Livestock. Besides chickens there does not appear to be larger livestock like cows, sheep, goats for milk and meat. Animals are central to any functional homestead for feed, grazing and manure for making compost. 

5) Idealized Fall Abundance. The movie is shot in what appears to be the height of harvest season around the Fall equinox with grapes, peaches and apples ripe. This is the easy time to eat from the land. Going into winter, it would have been nice to see more canning, drying and preserving.

6) Firewood! To heat and cook with fire in that huge mansion and the tent village you would need A LOT of firewood. It would have been nice to see woodlots being tended and big sheds full of wood and all the associated firewood management equipment. 

7) Insufficient Infrastructure. There were minimal barns and sheds and cabins. Once again the movie centers on a huge (10,000 sq. ft. minimum) mansion and most people are left outside sleeping in tents! 

Check out more at:
  www.thetippingpoints.net
Audio at https://open.spotify.com/show/5ki9cmc...
Workshops: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/w....
Seeds & Tools - https://w

Check out more at:

www.dontipping.com

Courses & Farm Tours: https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/pages/workshops-and-tours

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Growing Tips https://www.siskiyouseeds.com/blogs/news/

Off the Grid

Today is the winter Solstice and over the longest night we had a wild and blustery storm roll in bringing gusts that toppled trees onto power lines and shutting power off to about 10,000 people in our rural river valley. The irony of the lights going off on the coinciding with the darkest night here in the northern hemisphere did not escape me. All our community message boards were lit up with people anxiously asking if anyone around them has power, as if sitting with the dark and lack of electronic communication was too much to bear. So many people crying out into the dark, “anyone? Can you hear me? Please tell me it will all be ok and I will have all the perks of electricity back soon. How will I make coffee this morning?!”

Whenever this happens, I can’t help but smugly smile inwardly knowing that almost 2 decades ago set up the first grid tied, battery backup solar system in Oregon. So, when the power goes out, I don’t even notice and with Starlink, our internet is uninterrupted as well. Before establishing this homestead, which does had 200 amps of grid power available, I had lived on an off grid homestead nearby where we had to generate all of our electricity with solar panels and a micro-hydropower system which used falling water from a nearby steam to generate DC electricity 24/7. At that location we got our domestic water from a gravity water line fed from a mountain spring. The simple life to be sure, which certainly requires lots of hands-on maintenance but has the added benefit of the knowledge of how to do so. When I was establishing this farm, it felt like a step backwards to get back to on the grid living, however, we quickly became accustomed to all the electricity after years of having to ration ourselves based on if the sun is shining, or how much juice we had in our battery pack. We used to have a 1 light on per person rule to conserve electricity and decisions whether to do a load of laundry or run power tools were everyday occurrences.

So, when Oregon began offering cost-share programs to incentivize homeowners to install solar back in 2006, I jumped at the opportunity to achieve some degree of energy independence once again. We sold our diesel farm truck that we had been running on biodiesel to afford the upfront costs which made sense to us at the time. We still had an old beater farm truck. A new inverter had recently been invented which converts DC power to AC that had the technology to balance many power inputs and outputs such as solar, hydro and generator power in and home power and “net-metering” which is the term for selling power back to the grid. The solar installer joked that I was installing the most expensive flashlight in the world! The idea of the power going out when I had a solar system and having no power seemed absurd to me, but this is how most of the solar systems that you see on roofs are set up, with no battery backup whatsoever.

read more on Medium: https://medium.com/@dontipping/off-the-grid-9772277d18f9?sk=f1193fc9ca8c46fe05c719b109e3c482

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