Ben & Hannah Yoder - Preserving Culture Over Profit | #81
Episode description
Farm tour #6.
On today’s episode, I speak with Ben and Hannah Yoder of Savage Mountain Farm. Drawing on their Amish–Mennonite heritage and a commitment to natural farming, they share how they’ve built a livelihood that prioritizes culture, family, and the small farm way of life.
Ben and Hannah Yoder run Savage Mountain Farm, a 150-acre diversified, full-diet CSA on the Pennsylvania–Maryland line, rooted in Amish–Mennonite heritage and natural methods, raising produce, mushrooms, and pastured livestock while blending regenerative farming with homeschooling, community engagement, and a family-centered lifestyle.
Key Topics:
- Reviving Amish–Mennonite farming heritage
- Building a full-diet CSA in a rural area
- Preserving small farm culture over profit
- Keeping unprofitable crops for their cultural value
- Homeschooling and raising kids through farm work
Timestamps:
00:01:00 Ben’s discovery of his Amish–Mennonite farming roots
00:09:00 Early farming experiences, WWOOFing, and meeting Hannah
00:11:00 Starting their farm on rented land and the move to their current site
00:14:00 Designing a full-diet, full-choice CSA for a rural market
00:22:00 Preserving small farm culture over the capitalist mindset
00:26:00 Why they keep unprofitable crops for cultural and family reasons
00:27:00 Children’s role in daily farm life
00:35:00 Hannah’s path from urban gardening to sustainable agriculture
00:49:00 Homeschooling philosophy and keeping kids engaged with life and work
01:00:00 How farming builds autonomy, resilience, and life skills
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