Bugtussle Farm

06/08/2026

When a farmer came to Eric Smith of Bugtussle Farm with a question about transitioning their land away from conventional agriculture, he had a lot of advice to give. 🌱

This is a small excerpt from our podcast conversation with Eric, someone who, alongside his wife Cher, spent decades rebuilding two worn-out farms in south-central Kentucky into the thriving, regenerative operation Bugtussle Farm is today.

If you’re on that same journey, or just curious about what that transition can look like, we think you’ll love the full episode.

🎧 Listen now → tnlocalfood.org/all-news/podcast-with-bugtussle-farm

07/09/2024

"The effort and care that the Smith family has put into healing the land, bringing it into sustainable productivity, and providing nourishment for the community imparts a value that is impossible to quantify in our current capitalist system. This presents a serious problem for regenerative growers as land prices and taxes rise and the consistently low price for farm products make it difficult to maintain a living wage.

Eric notes, “Land is expensive, food is cheap. The farmer is squeezed at both ends. If the consumer could see through this thick veil and understand what good food is and what it is really worth, maybe they would invest more of their money in nourishment. Nourishing their health. Nourishing the community. Nourishing the farmer. Nourishing the land. At some point, it will be seen that a carrot is not always a carrot. One builds community. One builds corporations.”

Eric and Cher’s life’s work is alive; the farm itself holds the beautiful and abundant benefits of years of stewardship. So long as they are able to walk and tend to their land and livestock, biodiversity builds in place, serving as a vibrant sanctuary of ecology whose positive externalities spread. But what becomes of the land when they are to retire? As Eric and Cher grow in years, the burden of this question becomes heavier. “Now, in our early 50s, we have started to ponder where the farm will head from here. Will any of our four children continue with it?”

>>> Continue reading on The Farmers Land Trust Blog!

https://www.thefarmerslandtrust.org/post/behind-the-buzzword-regenerative-agriculture

Bugtussle Farm

05/04/2024

Sheep and cattle back together now after a month apart during lambing.

04/25/2024

From our good friend, good neighbor, and one of the most important farming mentors of our lives...

04/13/2024

Farming has one of the lowest income rates, and one of the highest costs of operating, so most farmers can't afford to save for or to invest in retirement throughout their career.

Their retirement is in the land they own.

They've spent their lives building their farm - the soil, the fences, the barns, the roads, the markets, the community - and now the only path to retirement is to sell their farm on the market.

Once their land goes up for sale, young farmers who are ready to farm on their own can't afford the land.
Land prices are just too high.

This system is not working.
This system is not benefiting us.
We need a new way to hold land.
We need a new way to pass on established farm businesses to the next generation to benefit communities and we need a new way to provide access and tenure to farmers growing food, medicine, and fiber using regenerative practices.

We need the Farmland Commons.

04/13/2024

I am beginning to really understand how crucial this subject is.

Farming has one of the lowest income rates, and one of the highest costs of operating, so most farmers can't afford to save for or to invest in retirement throughout their career.

Their retirement is in the land they own.

They've spent their lives building their farm - the soil, the fences, the barns, the roads, the markets, the community - and now the only path to retirement is to sell their farm on the market.

Once their land goes up for sale, young farmers who are ready to farm on their own can't afford the land.
Land prices are just too high.

This system is not working.
This system is not benefiting us.
We need a new way to hold land.
We need a new way to pass on established farm businesses to the next generation to benefit communities and we need a new way to provide access and tenure to farmers growing food, medicine, and fiber using regenerative practices.

We need the Farmland Commons.

04/12/2024

We opened our doors just over 8 months ago and have already had 70 individual donors support this important mission of protecting and transitioning land for regenerative agriculture in equitable and just ways.

We are asking you to help us pass 100 individual donors by May 1, which will allow us to:

- demonstrate a milestone of community support

- create an average of 10 donors per month, which is a sustainable step toward supporting organizational viability

- create great leverage as we pursue and secure foundation giving and competitive grants

May 1 is sometimes thought of as the first day of Spring, and is also a day honoring worker struggles and the labor movement. We hope May 1 can also be the day that our young and new organization surpasses 100 donors!

Thank you for your support and for joining us in this work!

https://www.thefarmerslandtrust.org/donate