Dear Grandpa Owen
It started on a twelve-acre farm in Texas in 2015. But looking even further back, it really started in the mid-seventies in Camp Verde, Arizona…
This is Amy’s Story.
Dear Grandpa Owen,
Growing up in the city, I enjoyed frequent trips with my dad and my brother to visit you in Camp Verde, Arizona. I have vivid memories of chasing chickens, and them chasing me! I bottle-fed a calf when I was three. And, I watched you talk to the animals without saying a word. You just had this connection with them that I could feel to my core. It is difficult to describe, but I knew I had that gift, too, even at that young age. You modeled for me what I knew I wanted in my life. From that point forward, I knew I needed to raise and grow my own food someday and do it in a way that honored the animals completely. You were a gentle soul and a great listener. I know you would be so proud to see what you have inspired in me. I have combined my teaching experience and Master’s in curriculum and instruction with my growing regenerative farming education and experience, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
There is a lot that happened along the way that helped create Fearless Farmers as it is today. As I started sharing my story, I found that so many others had relatable experiences.
First, I found myself in an unexpected year-long grassroots advocacy effort in my late twenties, where I led moms across the state of Arizona to lobby for our legislators to allow me to write a law protecting breastfeeding moms who choose to breastfeed in public. A lifeguard approached me while breastfeeding my infant under a towel and told me to use a restroom at a city pool to feed my baby. It passed in one legislative session, and I taught families across the state how to get involved and register to have their voices heard regarding legislation important to them. This has had a lasting effect in the state beyond the breastfeeding legislation. After the law passed, I knew I needed to work to protect access to nutrient-dense food for children beyond the breastfeeding years.
Second, after waking from a somewhat routine surgery at age 30 with debilitating nerve pain, I spent ten years in and out of doctor’s offices, procedures, ERs, and operating rooms with world-renowned surgeons, trying to find a cure for the medical mishap. After countless surgeries, and a move from Chandler, Arizona, to Austin, Texas, I finally connected with a neurologist who discovered the solution. She hypothesized that somewhere along the way, one of the procedures or surgeries probably “fixed” the problem but that my nerves were still remembering and cycling the pain signals. Her recommendation was to work with a registered dietician and get my micronutrient levels tested. She had a hunch that my scores were going to be off the charts, and they were! My poor nerves needed major support from proper vitamin and mineral intake in order to achieve a balance in my body. I had endured a large amount of medical trauma, and my body was not interested in regaining normal functioning on its own. After a year of multiple micronutrient tests and continued adjustments to my supplement regimen, I was finally pain-free and able to remain pain-free by eating nutrient-rich, whole foods.
I realized then that I needed to source, support, and ultimately become a regenerative farmer so that I could provide myself and my community with not only nutrient-dense foods for healthy living but education so they, too, could learn why regenerative agriculture is so important, and why their support of regenerative farmers could mean healthy lives for their families too.
Our family purchased a small amount of land in Dripping Springs, Texas, and started an educational farm offering camps, classes, homeschool semester courses, and tours to our community. This began the next chapter in my life, the one where I could use my education and experience to positively impact the lives of those in my community through regenerative education so they, too, could be empowered to make decisions for the health of their families.
We offered summer camps, classes, homeschool semester-long programs, and educational tours. In addition to teaching the educational programs, I managed gardens, honey bees, egg-laying hens, broiler chickens, meat rabbits, and meat goats, and we milked dairy goats twice daily. Talk about bootstrapping! A surprising outcome appeared. Not only were the youth impacted and excited to continue attending programs on the farm, their parents were picking up on the importance of not only utilizing regenerative practices, but several even bought land to begin their own educational farms offering similar regenerative educational programs for youth in their communities.
I enjoy getting drawings, texts, and phone calls from families and their children telling me what they've grown, new recipes they've created, and how they are living healthier lives and helping others learn how to do the same. I often tell youth - each one, teach one - we all have a responsibility to share this information with as many people as possible.
We launched Fearless Farmers in early 2020 with five farms under contract in four different states to operate a pilot homeschool program for youth similar to the one offered at our farm. Then, the pandemic hit. We pivoted and pivoted again.
We now have an incredible team, who all joined the project pro bono in the beginning, knowing, just like I have always known, that humanity needs to wrap our collective children in so much love, just like you did with any children who gathered around you, Grandpa. I know humanity must work diligently and rapidly to meet children’s needs right now. The jobs that will be available to children in 2030 will look very different than those available now. It’s time to support and empower teachers and all those who enjoy teaching children about the benefits and skills that are necessary to contribute to the reversal of global warming through regenerative agriculture.
It is my hope that through the training and curriculum offered through Fearless Farmers, educators and farmers are equipped to empower children and their families to continue this work in the decades to come collectively. Grandpa, although you are no longer here to bake me your homemade cinnamon rolls or take me fishing, I will continue to honor your legacy of connection with nature and children through this big work. It is my hope that children everywhere feel your love in the work I do every day.
With so much love and gratitude,
Amy
