The O'Neill brothers reflect back on season one and look forward on season 2.

In May 1982, Mark O'Neill and his wife Anne moved from Southern California to the hills of Northern California to build a life that was self-sustaining and more closely connected to the natural world.  The moved into a tiny cabin without heat on raw land.  Now, 40 years later, that land is a thriving family farm that provides livelihood and sustenance for multiple generations of O'Neills and provides healthy food for their community.  Just before the 40th anniversary of Mark and Anne arriving on the land that is now Happy Day Farms, the brothers sat down with their dad at Lito's kitchen table and recorded this very special conversation about the last 40 years of the farm.

Green Uprising is a multi-generational, extended family farm in Willits California that has been working more than a decade to rebuild and develop a beautiful old farm, with apple, pear, plum, and walnut orchards, a couple of small vineyards, lots of wild blackberries, a small goat herd, several vegetable gardens, hoophouses, the beginnings of a food forest and a medicinal herb garden.  In this episode, the O'Neill brothers sit down with three members of the Green Uprising family: Thea Grusky-Foley, Sara Grusky, and Micheal Foley.  

All three of these folks are very active in local food communities and have long running friendships with the O'Neill brothers based on strong mutual respect.  This episode is a recording of a wonderful conversation between the five of them while sitting around an outdoor table on the Green Uprising farm. Listen in as they discuss food sovereignty, the cultural norms around store-bought vs home-grown food, belonging in a place and the magic of belonging to the Eel River watershed,  and building the world you want to live in.  

Erin Kelly is a professor in the department of Forestry & Wildland Resources at Cal Poly Humboldt. 

Her research interests center around the ways that humans interact with forest and she is actively engaged with restoration work in Northern California. 

The O'Neill brothers have a fun and lively discussion with Erin about the timber wars, the cannabis green rush, restoration economies and the role of nonprofit organizations in them - plus Erin gives a clear explanation of how California's cap and trade carbon market works. 

Joey Burger  is a Permaculture Educator and a Regenerative Cannabis Consultant.  He was born and raised in a Healing Arts Intentional Community deep in the hills of Northern California that grew its own food and medicine.  Joey was gardening from a very young age, and as an adult became a community organizer and an educator who brought the cannabis community together for events to share information and genetics.   The O'Neill brothers and Joey grew up close to each other in a particularly special area where Southern Humboldt county and Northern Mendocino county meet, and have been friends for many years.  In this episode, they talk about the recent history and current state of cannabis markets, how the collapse of the green rush has some silver linings for the legacy cannabis community, the benefits of regenerative agriculture practices, and some of the community gatherings Joey has recently been organizing. 

Adina Merenlender  is the author of author of Climate Stewardship: Taking Collective Action to Protect California. She is a well respected conservation biologist with decades of research experience and a deep understanding of Californian ecosystems.  In this episode, Lito and Casey talk with Adina about the book and go into some specifics about water deficit, community clean energy, and the advantages of using homemade natural inputs rather than store bought nutrients.  The brothers loved Adina's book and their enthusiasm comes through in the interview. And just like in the book, the conversation has a feeling of hope woven throughout despite the topic. 

Taylor and Daniel Stein are homesteaders whose family farm in Northern California produces organic vegetables and cannabis.  The Stein family and the O'Neill family are guided by similar principles and philosophies when it comes to farming and living in connection to the natural world. These overlapping values formed the basis of their close friendship, the warmth of which comes through when listening to their conversation in this episode.  While sitting around the kitchen table at Lito's house, Taylor, Daniel, Casey and Lito talk farming, the anxiety that comes with living out of touch with nature and the peace that comes from reconnecting with natural cycles,  fire management, and the complexities of stewarding land that was stolen.

Tony Alvarez is a professional forager and plant medicine guide in Northern California.  Through his forays, Shroomy Walkabouts, he has introduced hundreds of people to the joy of foraging for wild food and medicine.  He also works with individuals, families, and other groups to access the healing and growth potential of sacred plant medicines.  In this episode Tony,  Lito, and Casey share some of their personal foraging experiences, explore the concept of human communities being either mycophilic or mycophobic, and talk about how microdoses of psilocybin mushrooms can lead to greater connection to both the natural world and other humans.