Hero of the Week: April 15, 2024: John Moody and Joel Salatin

“Joel Salatin brings a unique eclecticism to the food/farm discussion. In love with the land, dubious of government, quintessential entrepreneur but distrustful of anything that diminishes the commons, his perspective brings depth and breadth to the table. The idea behind this blog is to offer snippets of goings-on and just enough commentary to connect the dots.” ~ Description of Joel Salatin’s The Lunatic Farmer blog

In a period where our very liberty faces significant challenges, it is crucial for individuals and communities to build resilient local food systems and support food freedom. In this regard, our Heroes of the Week—John Moody (farmer/homesteader, buying club founder, author, speaker, and activist) and Joel Salatin (proprietor of Polyface Farm, author, and lecturer)—have made remarkable contributions.

John and Joel are the founders of the popular Rogue Food Conferences, held each year at locations around the U.S., including at Polyface Farm, and featuring speakers like frequent Solari Hero of the Week Congressman Thomas Massie. The conferences cover topics such as “creative butchering options, circumvention instead of compliance, buying clubs and other alternative local food approaches, building community, beating the government and creating lasting change through social media and humor, and more.”

Both John and Joel have been Solari Report Food Series guests on multiple occasions, discussing topics such as homesteading, the war on meat, food emancipation, and regenerative farming. As Catherine comments, “Yes, we need to grow food and we need to grow livestock, but the best way to protect your local food system is to grow farmers and ranchers, and John and Joel have been doing a great job.”

Solari has been a long-time Rogue Food Conference sponsor, and Catherine will be a first-time speaker at the May 2024 Rogue Food Conference at Polyface Farm.