O’Neill: Offering our souls to the world

Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.

I sit writing at my desk as the woodstove ticks and the predawn darkness presses against the windows. The coffee is hot and good, and I am at peace. The week has been hectic but wonderful, and I look back on it with feelings of reverence and gratitude. My mind is full of thoughts of connection, of fostering relationships and transmitting love out into the world through our work.

Brother Lito and I have been traveling regularly, heading out to meet the fine folks who work at dispensaries. We bring with us boxes from the farm: pepper jelly, salsa, winter squash, onions. We bring big smiles and a desire for connection. It feels good to be excited to get out in the world again, to meet new people, to share the food and herb we’ve worked so hard to grow and prepare for folks to enjoy.

I’ve been reflecting on just how much of a homebody I had become in the last few years, calcifying into a smaller set of movements than in times past. I had anxiety about leaving the farm and was choosing to hunker down and focus my efforts here. It was a necessary step for the continued refinement of our farm, managing increased food production and leaning into our individual roles within the whole, but I’m glad to begin a new chapter of greater movement.

As Lito has stepped more into the leadership role of our cannabis production, I’ve been able to focus more on vegetables and our market channels while Amber runs the cut flower aspect of the farm. We all share the livestock duties. Each of us has developed our skill sets these past few years, and it feels good to look back and see how far we’ve come. As a year-round operation selling at farmers markets through all four seasons, we’ve refined our methods to maintain production, preserve excess for later and increase the quality of our offerings with each trip around the sun.

This past cannabis harvest was our best yet, and as we venture forth into the wider world of dispensaries, it feels good to have herb that we’re thrilled about. It’s always more fun to be a farmer when things go right. We were blessed this year with good weather, we nailed the timing on harvests to bring in the highest quality, and it shows in the results.

When the soil is alive and is tended with love, the crops get better over time. We are seeing increased terpene numbers and high cannabinoid testing that backs our intuitive relationship with the soil and the inhabitants within it. When the soil thrives, so too do the plants, and the resulting relationships help support humans’ being.

Grandpa always said “let us be happy in our work,” and coupled with Pops’ “love is my religion,” our ethos is to put good energy into our efforts so that we can put good energy out into the world. Our craft is the foundation for our interactions, for the ways we build and maintain community, for the support we offer and the gratitude we feel for the support we receive.

Human interaction is give-and-take, a mutual honoring of the sense of connection that draws us together. It is a fundamental need, a biological necessity to be in community, to share the steps of life together. As we head out into the world, we are reminded of this importance, and it drives our decision-making and our methods. It feels good to connect with people, to develop new relationships, and to share the food and herb that we’ve put our souls into growing.

With the sunny weather this week came thoughts of spring, visions of seeds and crops  dancing in my head. Another round of cool weather seeds went into Paperpot trays yesterday; salad mix, lettuces, tatsoi, shikubu red choy, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, beets and scallions. Belstar broccoli, Farao cabbage, Skywalker cauliflower and Veronica romanesco went into 72 cell trays. I’ve begun planting out the January sowings into the tunnels as bed space opens up, and the earlier February sowing is starting to size up with the bits of sun we’re getting.

I’m glad for the recent warmth, because it’s been a tough run for my market tables lately with the darkness of winter slowing production. I love the feeling of standing behind my table and displaying the goods we’ve produced. I love the banter and exchange with people who come to buy our products. It is a deep responsibility to sell food and herb that people will take into their bodies, and we want the exchange and experience to be as nourishing as possible.

Sales is far too often likened as a basic economic transaction, but much is stripped away in this reductionism. When artists sell, each work is a piece of themselves, and it is the same for our farm. We offer our souls to the world, the wellspring replenished by love in a constant cycle that drives us to be better with each new season. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!