For all the talk about education preparing the next generation, one glaring omission remains: where does food come from, and how do we care for the land that sustains us? Kids grow up learning math, history, and science, but regenerative agriculture? Indigenous land stewardship? Nothing. And yet, those two things are arguably more important thanContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Regenerative Agriculture Should Be in Every Classroom”
Author Archives: Traci Houston
Frizzled Feathers: The Genetics Behind the Curly Plumage in Chickens
Love them or hate them, frizzle chickens are one of the most visually distinctive birds in poultry breeding. With their curled, windswept feathers, they look like someone cranked up the humidity and forgot to bring a brush. But behind that quirky appearance is a straightforward genetic mechanism that makes frizzles both easy to breed andContinue reading “Frizzled Feathers: The Genetics Behind the Curly Plumage in Chickens”
Farm Table Talk: Tariffs Won’t Save America If You Won’t Support It Yourself
Let’s talk about all these tariff-loving, bring-businesses-back-to-America folks out there—the ones preaching that tariffs will magically fix everything, forcing companies back into American hands. Sounds great in theory. But let’s look at reality for a second. Where do you buy your vegetables?Where do you buy your fruit?Where does your meat come from?Where do you getContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Tariffs Won’t Save America If You Won’t Support It Yourself”
Cooler Ground: What Driving Through Illinois Taught Me About Soil, Microclimates, and the Power of Mulch
Driving back from the Homestead Freedom Festival this weekend, I kept glancing at the thermometer on the dash. The numbers weren’t static—they danced with the landscape. Rolling past lush roadside woods and ponds, the temperature hovered around 93°F. But as I entered long stretches flanked by bare cropland—open fields, no trees, no water—the numbers shotContinue reading “Cooler Ground: What Driving Through Illinois Taught Me About Soil, Microclimates, and the Power of Mulch”
Farm Table Talk: The Art of Pretending People Matter—And Why I’m Not Playing Along
You ever hear through the grapevine that an event happened—something you’ve been attending for years, something you’ve helped cook for, clean for, organize for—but somehow, nobody thought to invite you this time? Yeah. That. Let’s talk about why the whole “Oh, but you KNOW you’re always welcome!” line is absolute nonsense. If You Want SomeoneContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Art of Pretending People Matter—And Why I’m Not Playing Along”
Ponds as Land Stewardship: How Strategic Water Management Strengthens Ecosystems
Water is often framed as a finite, competitive resource, where one person’s gain is another’s loss. But what if water could be managed in a way that benefits everyone—landowners, ecosystems, and even downstream neighbors? Despite legislation restricting pond construction in some regions under the premise of “water hoarding,” evidence suggests that small-scale water retention actuallyContinue reading “Ponds as Land Stewardship: How Strategic Water Management Strengthens Ecosystems”
Farm Table Talk: The Joy of the Harvest
“You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.”—Isaiah 9:3 There is no joy quite like harvest season. After months of work—planting, tending, waiting—the moment finally arrives. The fields yield their crops, the animals provide, and the farmContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Joy of the Harvest”
Farm Table Talk: The Recipe for Food Freedom
Food freedom isn’t just an idea—it’s a movement, a responsibility, and a reclamation of what real nourishment should be. Joel Salatin’s recipe for food independence? Simple, practical, and absolutely necessary if we want to build a better future for our children. Step One: Get in Your Kitchen Because nothing screams food sovereignty like knowing howContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Recipe for Food Freedom”
Agouti vs. Self: Cracking the Code of the A/a Gene in Rabbit Coat Colors
Rabbit coat colors can sometimes feel like a puzzle, but the A/a gene is one of the clearest and most important pieces in figuring out how patterns develop. It dictates whether a rabbit displays the wild, banded agouti pattern or the sleek, solid look of a self-colored rabbit. Understanding how this gene works allows breedersContinue reading “Agouti vs. Self: Cracking the Code of the A/a Gene in Rabbit Coat Colors”
Farm Table Talk: Humanity—Experts at Creating Problems, Masters at Denying Them
Humans have a remarkable ability to create absolute chaos, stare directly at the obvious solution, and then actively refuse to use it. Take the case of 12,000 abandoned Freedom Ranger chicks. These birds were bred and raised as meat birds—that’s their intended purpose, their biological function, their role in the agricultural system. And yet, despiteContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Humanity—Experts at Creating Problems, Masters at Denying Them”
