Personal Essay Archives - Modern Farmer

Personal Essay

Why Seeds Matter

In mid-March 2020, California became the first state to order its nearly 40 million residents... (more)

Jennifer Jewell
In Defense of Wasps 

When I am talking to folks about wasps, I usually have to stop a couple... (more)

Anna Lovat
September 20, 2023
In Becoming a Farmer, I Found Community and Unearthed My Trans Joy 

Earlier this year, I put a call out for help preparing my farm for spring.... (more)

Sage Agee
July 21, 2023
Farming by Committee: How We Organize Our Agroforestry Co-op

We’re talking about the nuts again.  It seems to be a perpetual topic of conversation... (more)

Benjamin Brownlow
June 26, 2023
Why I Keep Coming Back to Seed Catalogs

In the middle of the unforgiving Canadian winter, there’s one thing that brings me spring-like... (more)

Vanessa Chiasson
April 12, 2023
How I Went from a Non-Recycler to a Vermicompost Queen

Just a few years ago, I barely recycled. Living in a Hobbit-sized apartment in Brooklyn,... (more)

Ariel Kanter
April 6, 2023
The Lambing Field

It’s midnight in the lambing field. In the darkness, we only see shapes; we notice... (more)

Frances Valdes
March 26, 2023
Why Don’t American Farmers Embrace Peasant Farming?

Last June, I quit my office job and booked a flight to France. I was... (more)

Nicole Grennan
February 21, 2023
I Was ‘The Goose Lady.’ Then Avian Flu Came For My Flock

The first bird was on the chicken coop floor, stiff and lifeless, when I came... (more)

Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
February 14, 2023
The Cold Swim Home

Island life has its perils. While we no longer have to weather traffic jams and... (more)

Marcie Callewaert
January 26, 2023
Ten Features to Revisit This Holiday Season

As we look back and reflect on the year that was, we here at Modern... (more)

Modern Farmer
December 26, 2022