The National Day of the Cowboy (NDOC) movement is a grassroots initiative to preserve and celebrate the cowboy culture and heritage in the United States. The movement was launched to recognize the significant contributions of cowboys, cowgirls, and ranchers to American history, culture, and the economy. It seeks to ensure that the legacy of theContinue reading “National Day of the Cowboy: Preserving the Legacy of the American West”
Author Archives: Traci Houston
Farm Table Talk: The Freedom to Do Everything—Except Feed Yourself
You have freedom in the bathroom.You have freedom in the bedroom.You have freedom in the womb. But when it comes to your kitchen—suddenly, your personal autonomy disappears. Let’s talk about why the ability to control what you grow, eat, and buy is one of the most regulated, restricted, and manipulated aspects of modern life—while, somehow,Continue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Freedom to Do Everything—Except Feed Yourself”
Canning Beef Stew: The Ultimate Ready-to-Eat Meal in a Jar
Home-canning isn’t just about preserving ingredients—it’s about preparing entire meals that are shelf-stable, nutritious, and ready to serve in minutes. Few things are more satisfying than opening a jar of rich, home-cooked beef stew, heating it up, and enjoying comfort food without the prep work. With the raw pack method, this process becomes efficient andContinue reading “Canning Beef Stew: The Ultimate Ready-to-Eat Meal in a Jar”
Farm Table Talk: The Manhattan Project for Compost
If there’s one thing modern agriculture gets painfully wrong, it’s waste management. Every year, millions of tons of food scraps, organic matter, and potential soil gold end up rotting in landfills instead of being returned to the earth where they belong. And honestly? It’s embarrassing. We have the knowledge, the technology, and the systems toContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Manhattan Project for Compost”
En/en: The Jackpot Gene in Rabbit Coat Patterns
If you’ve ever felt lost in the complexities of rabbit genetics, rest assured—there’s one gene that refuses to play mind games: the En/en gene, responsible for broken patterns in rabbits. Unlike many genetic traits where recessive carriers lurk unseen, making prediction trickier than solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded, the En/en gene doesn’t hide. It announcesContinue reading “En/en: The Jackpot Gene in Rabbit Coat Patterns”
Farm Table Talk: The Myth of Modern Food Supremacy
For all the talk about human ingenuity, technological advancements, and cleverness in food production, let’s get one thing straight: we have not “outfoxed” nature. In fact, we’ve done quite the opposite—we’ve dismantled ecosystems that once sustained more life than they do today. 500 years ago, North America was an absolute powerhouse of food production—without industrialContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Myth of Modern Food Supremacy”
Farm Table Talk: The Summer Chaos—Why My House Looks Like It’s Been Abandoned
You know it’s summer on the farm when the inside of the house starts looking like a crime scene, and frankly, I have zero regrets. Every year, when the weather warms up, priorities shift. Suddenly, it’s not about sparkling floors and neatly folded laundry—it’s about getting things built, planting things in the ground, keeping animalsContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Summer Chaos—Why My House Looks Like It’s Been Abandoned”
The Microbial Underground: Why Soil Life Determines Farm Success
If you think the hardest workers on your farm are the ones with hooves and feathers, think again. Beneath the soil surface, billions—yes, billions—of microscopic organisms are pulling off the kind of heavy lifting that even your best farmhand couldn’t dream of. Bacteria, fungi, and other unseen powerhouses are the foundation of healthy, productive land.Continue reading “The Microbial Underground: Why Soil Life Determines Farm Success”
Farm Table Talk: The Great Fake Speaking Gig Scam
If there’s one thing that simultaneously excites and enrages me, it’s emails like this—ones that dangle a dream opportunity just within reach, only to reveal themselves as yet another cut-and-paste scam designed to prey on hopeful professionals. Take this gem: “Hey Traci, My team sent your LinkedIn profile over and I was impressed! Would youContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Great Fake Speaking Gig Scam”
The Price of Poverty: Why “Cheap” Food Costs More in the Long Run
If you ask the average person why low-income households rely on processed foods, they’ll likely say, “Because it’s cheap.” And, on the surface, they’d be right—when a box of instant mac and cheese costs less than a bundle of fresh spinach, the math seems simple. But dig a little deeper, and the economics of “poorContinue reading “The Price of Poverty: Why “Cheap” Food Costs More in the Long Run”
