Another Day in Paradise

Celebrating 4/20, I interviewed my HappyDay Farm friends about their lives as farmers in beautiful Bell Springs Road in Laytonville in “Another Day in Paradise” –a special edition episode (for this NorCal holiday) on “The Positive Fantastic” podcast.

I know it’s not part of the moon cycle rhythm of publishing episodes, but, in honor of my Mendonesian roots, I interviewed local cannabis farmers Amber and Casey O’Neil of HappyDay Farms in Laytonville. The O’Neils are dear friends of mine, and I have so enjoyed getting to see HappyDay’s evolution from a cannabis farm to a fully integrated vegetable and herb farm firsthand.

In 2018 HappyDay won the Regenerative Cannabis Farm Award at the Emerald Cup for their inspiring implementation of diverse and holistic farming practices. On their steep and sloping property on Bell Springs road, the couple has created a family farm endeavor that utilizes rotational grazing practices, cover cropping, hedgerow plantings for pollinators, and an array of fermented plant juices (which the couple affectionately refer to as FBJs).

In addition to supporting the health of the soil where they live, they engage in stewardship practices to maintain the land. I always marvel at their operation when I visit HappyDay farms because they have spent over a decade learning the ropes of how to create a truly sustainable farm model that can and does provide ample fresh food for their community.

HappyDay offers a CSA and farm stand, both of which are largely feeding folks within a twenty mile radius of the farm. HappyDay continues to generate some of the best outdoor, sun-grown cannabis this county has to offer —which many of you know is no small feat in the Emerald Triangle, where cannabis cultivation has been taken very seriously for many generations. 

I am always so impressed with Amber and Casey’s work ethic, community presence, and joy for life. This family works very hard, pretty much all the time. When they’re not in the garden, they’ve been known to be hard at work advocating for sustainable policy measures in the cannabis farming & regulating legislature. Both Amber and Casey have devoted an enormous amount of time to make the voice of the cannabis community heard throughout the large transitions in the cannabis industry and legalization process. When I arrived at HappyDay to record this podcast episode, Casey was deep into a policy phone call. 

Additionally, the O’Neils give back to their community in their free time. They intentionally grow an abundance of food that allows them to donate their surplus to the local food bank. They have been strong supporters of the EBT market match program, which enables low income individuals and families to double their spending dollars at the farmer’s market. By fundraising for those matching funds and growing great food that is available at the market, HappyDay is attempting to address the issue of equity of access, giving opportunities for seniors, and those on government food aid, to afford eating really well. In my own time of need, after my house burned down, Amber showed up at my mom’s place where I was staying with boxes of produce and jars of weed. Their generosity amazes me. I don’t know two people who are living more in service to their community. 

And while farming isn’t always an easy job, I marvel at the graceful way that the O’Neils have navigated a right livelihood through their farming lifestyle. To me, HappyDay farms embodies a great success whereby these local farmers are investing their sweat equity into nourishing their community.

In this podcast episode, I asked Amber and Casey to share about how they have succeeded and what they have learned along the way. The conversation that follows is a retrospective of their decade plus farming the same site, reckoning with their access to land, the struggles to maintain mental health amidst the daily grind of farming, and their development of a family farm enterprise with healthy communication. I hope that you’ll enjoy this special 420 edition, live from the heart of one of Mendo’s homegrown weed farms. 

I wrote a feature article about HappyDay for “Word of Mouth” Magazine that explored life at HappyDay for those of you that are wanting even more “Great Success!”

Check out my channel at YouTube.com/morinatura to a see video of Casey and Amber walking their Kune Kune pigs home after a day of eating acorns under the oak trees at Happy Day Farms. 

*You can also find out more about HappyDay Farms by checking out their website,  HappyDayFarmsCSA.com

*For email inquiries, send your message to: happydayfarms42@gmail.com

*On instagram you can check out the handles @happydayfarms AND @amber.happydayfarms IG