280. Hannah Breckbill on Collaborative Farm Ownership

The Thriving Farmer Podcast

Does a farm run by its workers affect its success and how it operates?

In this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, Michael talks with Hannah Breckbill, who helped start Humble Hands Harvest. This organic farm in Northeast Iowa is run by its workers. Now in her 12th year, Hannah and her team practice no-till farming, showing their dedication to sustainable food and supporting the local community.

Listen in to find out how Hannah runs this community-focused, worker-owned farm.

You’ll hear:

• How Hannah got started in sustainable agriculture 1:00
• About Humble Hands’ journey to owning land 5:01
• What Certified Organic means to Hannah 8:51
• About what the help on the farm is like as a worker-owned farm 11:06
• More about the biggest challenges Humble Hands faces with their business model 18:37
• About what kind of education/encouragement they offer the queer farming community 29:38
• What Hannah’s advice is for beginning farmers 31:43

About the Guest:

Hannah is starting her 12th season with Humble Hands Harvest, a worker-owned vegetable farm growing food for the people of Decorah, Iowa. She holds a vision of a cooperative food web that regenerates rural livelihood as well as soil and ecosystems. She launched the Queer Farmer Convergence in 2018 and loves to be gathered on the land with fellow farmers and land stewards.

Resources:

Website - https://humblehandsharvest.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/humblehandsharvest Facebook - facebook.com/humblehandsharvest

The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor!

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