Creating a Positive Future

I thought it might be nice to close the year out on a constructive note. I tend to focus on all the insanity, but there's many good things going on around the world. People are creative, and folks, given our path, we better be able to adapt and be constructive. It will be up to us. My major prof often said our job is to develop farming methods that work to sustain and improve soils. My better half's mentor emphasized building a positive future image of where you're going (in order to get there). In the decades since, we've tired to practice both of these philosophies.

Everyone has needs. Maslow laid out a hierarchy in 1943

Helping people to achieve the fulfillment of all these needs would be a challenge. I don't really think it could be legislated or forced on people. It needs to grow organically. I grew up in a time when I thought we could lift ourselves to a higher place of peace and fulfillment.

Many of us grew up during the '60's. I caught an interesting piece about what those times did for our generation...

(19 min) We explore what growing up in the 1960s actually did to the brain.
This was a decade that delivered the impossible and the unthinkable in equal measure. Moon landings and assassinations. Cultural earthquakes and nuclear drills. A childhood that was equal parts freedom and uncertainty. And somehow, it shaped them into some of the most psychologically resilient people walking the planet today.
From the daily rituals that built independence before they even reached the classroom, to the shared moments that imprinted an entire generation with a unique relationship to hope, loss, and everything in between. If you grew up in the 1960s, this will explain why you think the way you do. If you didn't, this will help you understand the people who did.

Self sufficiency has been my goal since the 60's as the back to land movement evolved. Scott and Helen Nearing's book, "Living the Good Life" was one of the books that shaped my goals. I recently discovered a fellow traveler, John Seymour.
1975: "Crank Peasant" JOHN SEYMOUR on SELF-SUFFICIENCY

(8 min) Author John Seymour, a self-professed “crank peasant”, has been self-sufficient since the mid-1950s. It wasn’t deliberate – he just bought a cow, and things snowballed. But he’s still seen as a trailblazer for the self-reliance movement.
With a bit of everything on his farm – crops, pigs, hens, ponies, a horse, a herd of cows and a batch of home-made beer – he reflects on the ups and downs of his simple, if demanding, life.

Seymour developed a school of self sufficiency

(4.5 min) William Sutherland, self sufficiency course teacher for more than 40 years and co author of John Seymour's self sufficiency book.

As a teen I realized food production was a need, and I had an interest. I graduated with a degree in Agronomy (soil science) and went on to get my MS in soil fertility and forage management. I started a PhD, but realized the publish or perish world of research wasn't for me, so I shifted to a MEd in science ed and that was a good fit for me. Teaching is a profession that is needed most everywhere, including this back woods holler. I hope my teaching career helped some of my students create their own productive future.

Working with others...
Let's look at some different communities as examples of our options.

Why isn't all housing designed like this?

"One of the most beautiful eco villages I've ever been to."
Come wander with me through The Paddock Eco Village on the edge of Castlemaine, Victoria, and discover what becomes possible when homes, food, water, wildlife, and belonging are woven together as one living commons.
This isn't housing designed for profit - it's housing designed for well being.
What makes this place special?
Shared gardens at the heart of the neighborhood
Community chicken coop with a shared egg system
Car-free commons where children and wildlife roam safely
Shared laundry and workshop spaces reducing waste and building connection
Rainwater harvesting systems feeding homes and gardens
Community house hosting gatherings and guesthouse
What I love most is how simple, practical design choices create a truly nourishing everyday life. This is permaculture in action - not just in the gardens, but in the social structures that hold this community together.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Arriving at The Paddock Eco Village near Castlemaine
02:27 Shared workshop, community chickens & the egg commons
04:47 Healthy human habitats: rewilding & living with wildlife
07:06 The commons, wicking beds & community self-management
09:30 Harvest sharing, fruit trees & the village walkway
11:49 Shared laundry, roof water collection & the community house
14:12 Car-free living, ponds & rehydrating the landscape
16:39 Why this model matters: putting life first
21:30 The bigger invitation: weaving people, food & nature together
You can get the gist in about 15 minutes.
This community does have individually owned homes which many people can't afford.

We had a house raising to create our home. We love our house and it is filled with the good spirit of all our friends who helped with the project.

Kirsten Dirksen visits some of the most interesting homes around the world. This channel is about more than unique houses—it’s about the people who build, adapt, and imagine their own ways of living.

Our homes speak volumes about who we are. Creating a comfortable home environment is key to our ability to adapt to the coming changes. A comfortable community is also a big piece of the puzzle.

Have You Ever Wanted To Drop Out Of Capitalism?

(7 min) In exchange for working around 40 hours a week, Twin Oaks’ roughly 100 residents get everything taken care of, free of charge, from food to housing to health insurance. But the community is able to provide so generously because of their successful businesses; for over thirty years, they produced every hammock sold at Pier One and today, they sell tofu to Whole Foods.

If you want more on Twin Oaks this is a nice 28 minute interview.
A Legendary Farmer that Lives on a Commune
Pam Dawling of Twin Oaks Community in Louisa, VA. She ran a 3.5-acre vegetable farm to feed her 100 member intentional community for 20 years. She is also an accomplished author. Learn about the amazing farm and community in this video.

Inside the Commune Selling Seeds to the World |Acorn Community

(18 min) Our family visited Acorn Community in Mineral, Virginia; an income sharing community that operates one of the largest seed business's in the USA.
We met individuals from different intentional communities and ecovillages across the U.S. that had come to help the business, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, package seeds during their busy season. This video takes you on a tour of the co-op community and introduces you to some of the inspiring people we met who were living together and working together.

If this style community interests you, check out the foundation of intentional community. They have a 1000 plus communities listed from all over the world.

Food Production
Control the food, control the people. Get to know your local farmers. May cost more in the short run, but may pay off in the long run.

There's as many approaches to gardening as there are gardeners. Looking back at the past can be useful.
Why We Stopped Planting Corn Like This And Why It Was A Mistake (18 min)
The Ancient Symbiosis That Beats Modern Farming.
Native Americans didn't plant in straight rows. They planted "The Three Sisters"—Corn, Beans, and Squash—together in a specific layout. This wasn't just tradition; it was advanced biotechnology.
In this documentary, we explore the science behind why this ancient method produces more calories per acre than modern industrial machines, and why we abandoned it for a system that is killing our soil.
What you'll discover:
The "Lost History" of the Iroquois food forests.
The villainous reason we separated the crops (it's not what you think).
The biological mechanism: Nitrogen fixation and living mulch.
Why "messy" farms are actually more efficient than clean ones.
How to plant your own Three Sisters survival garden.

I don't use the three sisters method, but we do intercrop our beds incorporating several species.

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about our local regenerative farm, Windy Hill. It is a small 60 acre operation. I've been enamored of small scale farming and production systems, but we really enjoyed our visit to the 3200 acre large scale diverse farm at White Oak Pastures...

(7 min) White Oak Pastures is a 150 year old multigenerational family farm that cooperates with nature to produce artisan products. We work hard to ensure that all of our production practices are Fair, Sustainable, and Humane. We never fail to conduct our business in an honorable manner, for the sake of our animals, our land, and our people who produce and consume our goods. This is our story.

To learn more you might want to check out this 8 part series on this diverse and vertically integrated farm. My introduction to Will came from the Soil Carbon Cowboy series.
One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts

(15 min) Fourth generation cattleman, Will Harris, shares his evolution from industrial, commodity cowboy to sustainable, humane food producer. A growing group of consumers look at beef consumption as a terrible environmental and moral choice. Harris’s work in southwest Georgia shows how he produces healthy beef that regenerates his soils and allow the animals to express their natural instincts. The 150+ jobs he has created are breathing new life into a community left behind and forgotten due to, as Will says, the industrialization of agriculture.

They also contract graze 2000 acres of solar fields to eliminate the need for mowing. That's where they use their sheep.

(5 min) Join our Small Ruminants Production Manager, Bridget Hogan, as she and her team give us a look into what a typical day looks like on the farm and at the solar sites.

Excellent overview of regenerative grazing...

(11 min) Regenerative grazing with Joel Salatin and Michael Godfrey
This short film highlights author and farmer Michael Godfrey of Wheatlands Farm and his neighbor and friend - the one and only Joel Salatin!
Michael and Joel discuss the beauty of regenerative grazing, the financial opportunity it represents for farmers, and how working with nature to steward our grasslands echoes the practices of native populations that built rich topsoils all across the continent long before European settlers arrived.

Greg Judy is a masterful farm and livestock manager.
Greg discusses steps from dead farm to thriving pastures!

(12.5 min) Greg discusses steps from dead farm to thriving pastures! Starting with a dead non-productive piece of land can be very challenging.

All these farmers use a bale unroller to spread hay, urine and manure across their farms.

Here's some recently purchased land at White Oak Pastures. Hay was unrolled and cattle grazed on it a month or so ago. Notice all the manure and think about all the urine deposited in it. This is a primary tool regenerative farmers use to restore fertility. Not too different than preparing a garden.

Non ruminants like chickens and pigs can also regenerate soils...
PIG Farmer Revolutionizes Health Food

(7 min) See the regenerative, pasture based pig operation that turns pork into delicious meat sticks that ship all over the United States

Greg sings the praises of his hair sheep...
If you have small acreage, sheep are your best ruminant animal to manage...

(12 min) If you have small acreage, sheep are your best ruminant animal to manage. With smaller acreage farms, sheep are much better suited than cattle. It takes much more forage to support a cow for year than it does for a sheep. Be careful though with sheep, most people overstock their farm and run out of forage. Remember your flock can easily double or triple in a period of 10 days when they have twin lambs. 20 ewes that have twins, now you have 60 head!

I didn't know clouds were produced by sheep.

(9 min) AFTER THE RAIN | Omeleto

How do you compare these computer generated images to those painstakingly drawn?

(8 min) One of the greatest animated shorts EVER!!! If you aspire to be an animator, you must watch and study this film.
Here's some general foreground of this film. During this time, Walt was very busy making Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, in order to create special effects in Snow White in the way Walt envisioned them, the animators had to run tests. They had to see if these effects were even possible and they wanted to see the audiences reactions.
Walt wanted Snow White to be as lifelike as possible so the audience would observe the movie as a live action film rather then a cartoon. Unfortunately, animation is in 2D so Walt and his staff came up with a solution called "The Multiplane Camera" which gave animation a 3D effect.
Different uses of lightning, color, and realism in animals was experimented in this film.
Walt won an Oscar for this film and totally deserved it.

Facing the Coming Crisis
The old passes on and the new comes in to replace it. So it goes with teams of animators replaced by computer generated images. So it will go in many fields as AI replaces people. What will they do? I hope many of them become local food producers. There's also a need for skilled crafts people from carpenters to mechanics. The thing is others won't create those jobs, the people themselves must be creative and adaptable enough to transition to however the world evolves. Ever noticed how during a crisis, a flood, or blizzard, or tornado, people help each other, and act in a more humane way? It is my hope we will rise to the challenge of the coming crisis.

I don't doubt a major crisis is upon us. Have you noticed the price of precious metals? They are up well over 100% for the year. It isn't that the metals are suddenly more valuable, it is the value of the dollar in steep decline. Did you know the children's book, "The Wizard of Oz" was about silver and gold?
The Disturbing Hidden Meaning Behind The Wizard of Oz

(15 min) The story you think you know about Dorothy and her ruby slippers is a lie.
Hollywood changed one crucial detail when they made the 1939 movie. One detail so dangerous they had to bury it.
In the original book, Dorothy's slippers weren't ruby. They were silver. Those silver slippers held a secret message about the greatest financial conspiracy of the 1890s. A coded warning about corrupt bankers, fraudulent politicians, and a rigged system designed to crush ordinary Americans.
L. Frank Baum hid this message in a children's story, knowing it was the only way it would survive. He embedded clues in every character, every road, every piece of magic. Once you know what to look for, everything about this beloved tale transforms into something far darker, and far more dangerous, than you ever imagined.

People who hold metals and are hoping for $10,000 gold and $200 silver should be careful what they wish for because it means economic collapse for everyone else. Like it or not we need one another, and I hope we can maintain a somewhat cohesive society. The need to barter may re-emerge. Have you got any old mercury dimes or pre-1964 coins? Those dimes are now going for $5.

Health is True Wealth
As long as you're healthy you can adapt to the coming changes. I wonder what RFK will suggest for the recommended dietary guidelines next month? I'm convinced eating a proper diet is key to health.

It is the reason I would love to see a young people's movement into local raised quality food on small farms scattered around our cities and towns. Land prices are the biggest barrier. Greg Judy recommends leasing land to get started. The average age of US farmers is well into the 60's. Like it or not there will be a shift toward younger farmers.

Health is a product of many of the topics in today's column. Being part of a community, living in a home you love, having family and friends in your life, all help to shape our mental and overall health.

So that's my wish for the coming year, health, happiness, fulfillment for you, me, and us all. Next week I'll be back to discussing all the insanity around us and the crazy geopolitics of the day, but believing you are adaptable and resilient will allow us all to cope with the coming changes.
Happy New Year to all the c99 community!