The image of a rancher riding across vast open lands, tending cattle, evokes a deep connection with nature. While ranching has long been associated with rugged individualism and wide-open spaces, it is also at the heart of a lesser-known but crucial narrative: environmental conservation. Today, responsible ranching practices are playing a pivotal role in conservingContinue reading “Ranchers and Environmental Conservation: A Symbiotic Relationship”
Author Archives: Traci Houston
Farm Table Talk: Wild Comes With Tooth and Bloom
There’s a fox visiting our farm. At first, it felt like a breach—an uninvited guest slipping through the grass, helping itself to a chicken or two. Not ideal, but not exactly scandalous either. If you welcome wildness, you have to accept that it doesn’t just arrive with birdsong and butterflies. Sometimes, it shows up hungry.Continue reading “Farm Table Talk: Wild Comes With Tooth and Bloom”
The Hidden World Beneath Our Feet—How Soil Life Shapes Our Planet
Beneath our feet, an invisible world is at work—one that sustains every living thing on Earth. It’s easy to overlook soil, treating it as mere dirt, but in reality, it’s a complex, living ecosystem teeming with microbes, fungi, and decomposers that cycle nutrients, build fertility, and support biodiversity. At the heart of this system isContinue reading “The Hidden World Beneath Our Feet—How Soil Life Shapes Our Planet”
If You Give a Homesteader a Fruit Tree
If you give a homesteader a fruit tree, they’re going to want to plant it right away. Once they plant it, they’ll imagine bushels of fresh fruit for pies and preserves. Dreaming of preserves will remind them they need to get their canning jars ready. While gathering jars, they’ll realize they’re running low on lids.Continue reading “If You Give a Homesteader a Fruit Tree”
Horses and Cowboys: A Timeless Partnership
The image of a cowboy riding across the open plains, silhouetted by the setting sun with his horse underneath him, is one that has come to symbolize the essence of the American West. This partnership between cowboy and horse is more than just one of utility—it’s a relationship built on trust, respect, and a deepContinue reading “Horses and Cowboys: A Timeless Partnership”
Farm Table Talk: Working Together for a Shared Harvest
“The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.”—1 Corinthians 3:8 Farming is never a solo endeavor. Even the smallest homestead relies on the interconnected efforts of people, animals, and the land itself. Seeds don’t grow without water. CropsContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Working Together for a Shared Harvest”
From Waste to Wealth—How to Make Your Home More Regenerative
When we think about living sustainably, we often focus on what we buy—organic produce, eco-friendly packaging, or ethically sourced goods. But true sustainability isn’t just about consumption—it’s about what happens after we use something. Waste is one of the biggest overlooked opportunities in sustainable living. Every banana peel, coffee ground, and discarded vegetable scrap holdsContinue reading “From Waste to Wealth—How to Make Your Home More Regenerative”
Farm Table Talk: Wisdom in the Field
“The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. … The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and He gives the farmer great wisdom.”—Isaiah 28:26, 29 Farming is more than a skill—it’s a relationship. It’s a conversation between the land and the farmer, between the seasons and the harvest,Continue reading “Farm Table Talk: Wisdom in the Field”
Farm Table Talk: Keep Planting, Keep Working
“Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.”—Ecclesiastes 11:6 Farming is unpredictable. You can do everything right—prepare the soil, plant at the right time, care for the animals—and still face setbacks. A storm can wipe out aContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Keep Planting, Keep Working”
Eating for Life—What Nature Can Teach Us About Real Food
In a small school farm in northern California, middle school students conducted a simple experiment that left a lasting impression. They placed various foods into a worm box—one side filled with processed snacks like Twizzlers, gummy bears, and Velveeta cheese, while the other held whole foods like apples, bananas, beef, and fresh green beans. AContinue reading “Eating for Life—What Nature Can Teach Us About Real Food”
