Mary and Emma have an enlightening conversation this week with grower and legal educator Eva Moss, discussing an aspect of the homestead dream that is too often overlooked. Knowing farm law and preparing for unexpected issues through healthy communication before they come up creates legal protection for all parties involved. Eva shares with us the story of how a life transition left her and her farm legally vulnerable. With help, she found her way through that experience all the wiser, and now uses her voice and legal knowledge to educate the farming community through her work at Farm Commons. Throughout the episode, Eva speaks to the power of finding healthy pathways forward in our relationships within the business, with each other and with the land. She reminds us that we have the power to create our own solutions and that we have significant creative power to (legally) cultivate the lady farmer life we’re dreaming of if we take the time to talk about our needs and goals. Mary, Emma and Eva also discuss how to cultivate a slow life as a hardworking homesteader and the important distinction between self-sufficiency and community resiliency.
1:30 - Mary and Emma catch up and talk about Plastic Free July! 
7:30 - Introducing Eva Moss
Let’s get into the episode: 
9:25 - Eva introduces herself 
18:30 - Creating a foundation...grounded in the law 
21:30 - Eva’s homestead story 
26:30 - Finding pathways  
32:00 - A great place to start 
39:30 - Looking ahead 
47:00 - Setting boundaries 
50:00 - Grappling with “homesteading” 
57:00 - Carving out community 
59:30 - What does the Good Dirt mean to you? 
 
Shop our Plastic Free July zero waste products in the marketplace! 
Use Code: plasticfreejuly for 15% OFF
 
Things Mentioned:
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ (Plastic Free July )
https://lady-farmer.com/collections/zero-waste (Lady Farmer Marketplace)
https://growheartstrong.wordpress.com/ (Heart Strong Farm)
https://farmcommons.org/ (Farm Commons)
https://ncfarmlink.ces.ncsu.edu/ (North Carolina Farm Link)
http://www.mocolandlink.org/farm-listings (Land Link Montgomery )
https://thistlefarms.org/ (Thistle Farms)
https://www.usda.gov/topics/rural/cooperative-research-and-extension-services (Cooperative Extension)