Recently I had the honor of sitting down for a conversation with a great man by the name of Joel Salatin. Many of you will already know of Joel, but for those who don’t, Joel is a pioneer of regenerative agriculture and a long-time activist for farmers.
He owns and operates a 550-acre farm in Virginia called Polyface Farm, which Joel inherited from his parents. This wasn’t their first farm; their original farm was actually in Venezuela. During the revolution it was expropriated, forcing the family to flee back to the US, having lost it all.
Starting again in Virginia on some barren land, Joel’s parents restored the soil and began building a sustainable farming business—the same business Joel would eventually go on to inherit. But this didn’t mean he had an easy ride. Joel and his wife worked tirelessly to save money and innovate in order to turn the farm into a viable business.
Using regenerative agriculture, the farm was transformed from a fairly inefficient, low-production operation into a profit-making business. Joel found novel ways to turn land that would normally be considered non-viable or low-yielding into high-producing pasture. Grazing pigs in forests. Using chicken tractors. Rotating animals intelligently. Alongside this, Joel shunned many of the modern trappings that make farming destructive to man, animal, and land.
No pesticides. No chemical fertilizers. No vaccines for livestock. Just good old hard work and developing an understanding of cycles so they could work in harmony with both animal and land to produce healthy, organic food that could serve the local community. A key part of their success was uncovering ways to keep costs low and extract more profit from their work for themselves, rather than having it siphoned off by middlemen—which is sadly the case for most farmers.
By bringing production in-house when it came to butchering and packing, then selling straight to the customer—no corporate overlord robbing the family of their profits—Joel turned Polyface into the model farm for those seeking to go back to the land and do it in a way that can turn a profit if need be.
Rather than keeping their secret formula to themselves to stop competition, Joel did the exact opposite. He wanted to share what they were doing on Polyface with as many farmers or would-be farmers as possible, recognizing that true food security and human liberty come from having a decentralized food supply chain that produces real food within the community.
As a consequence, Joel has become America’s most outspoken activist for farmers, doing everything possible to show young people the benefits of farming and how to do it in a way that offers them the best opportunity for success—without dependence on machinery and the Big-Ag poisons that have destroyed so much of the land. Listeners will know that it’s long since been my own opinion that homesteading and farming are the solution to many of our problems, including technocracy.
Having studied history and realized how people survived hard times like the Great Depression, and recognizing the tell-tale signs that we have some serious upheaval ahead of us, my wife and I went back to the land in 2020. Our small farm is nowhere near the size of Joel’s, and yet we still produce enough food to sell some produce to our neighbors—who themselves sell to us—creating community and real food-supply resilience.
It sure does reduce your anxiety about where this is heading when you know a five-minute walk allows you to buy fresh goat’s milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and meat—and not from just one neighbor, but half a dozen. If (or when) a food crisis ensues, supply chains break, or complex digital systems suddenly go dark, these kinds of communities will be just fine. There is more than enough food being produced locally to ensure the populace survive without resorting to chaos.
Similarly, protective bonds are built. People come to know one another and so have pre-existing relationships that motivate them to take care of one another during hard times. Security is increased this way, and it’s far harder to control people who can survive outside the system—especially when it comes to food, energy, and water. But also, farmers hold real assets: land. Something that cannot be wiped out at the stroke of a key.
During the Great Depression, one in three Americans lived on a farm. Today it’s less than one in a hundred. And these farms are not the self-sustaining units capable of feeding an entire family and neighbors anymore. They are large tracts of land producing a single grain, using poison fertilizers, to serve the needs not of families but of Big Ag. This means any future crisis in the economy, geo-engineered weather, failing digital systems, or the supply chain will hit way, way harder than the 1930s did—hence why we call it the Greater Depression. The time to act is certainly now.
Joel recognizes these threats also, and so when he travels the world advocating for people to go back to farming the old way, he is doing a great service to the overall cause of pushing back against systems seeking to control us. We both agree that the more of us who make this shift, the better. Our small, self-sustaining units will absolutely be the last bastions of real health, real food, and real community moving forward. It is the genuine parallel system that ensures you’re not dependent on the state.
So having said all of that, I was extremely excited to finally get to talk to Joel, someone I have learned a tonne from—as have many others I come across who have returned to the land. Joel’s name always comes up, not only because of what he says, but how he says it. Joel is a Christian and has boundless optimism, grounded in realism—the right combination for being an advocate and activist. I have never come away from an interview with Joel not feeling more motivated than when I began it.
How the interview came about is actually kind of funny, because I never expected I’d get a chance to interview Joel. My channel is small, and Joel is extremely busy. But it just so happened Joel had been invited to do a short workshop tour in Central Europe this March, and a friend of mine was contacted asking if he knew anyone who might be able to support the project. My name was mentioned, and so I became involved in the project, which is how I connected with Joel and managed to schedule this interview—a real stroke of luck.
As discussed in the interview, I will be meeting Joel in person in a month’s time when he travels to Poland for his workshops. These will be practical workshops that actually take place on farms between March 7–11, 2026: three unique workshops across three different farms, as well as two lectures at a health festival. Of course, if any of you would like to join us and come and learn from Joel, you’re more than welcome to do so. It will be a great opportunity to learn from the man himself and hang out in the beautiful Polish countryside.
Tickets are available using the link below. The website will give you more details on the locations and about the talks and workshops. If you use the code Mike, you will receive a 10% discount. Of course, I can support with logistics also for anybody that would like to come be a part of the event.
In closing, enjoy the interview. I know many of you are seeking to become more self-reliant and have, or are in the process of, going back to the land. I have helped a lot of people with this transition over the last few years and had many consultations in January in which people said, “Mike, I want to start a homestead!” This is music to my ears, because it is a genuine revolution that is occurring—one that actually works, hence why you don’t hear much about it.
Mike
Website Detailing Joel’s Upcoming Polish Tour: https://joelsalatin.pl/en
For a 10% Discount on Tickets use Code: Mike
SUBSCRIBERS ONLY CONSULTATION OFFER
In recent weeks I’ve received a number of inquiries regarding my availability for 1–2–1 consultations. For more than four years I’ve been guiding clients towards positioning themselves and their families to protect their wealth during the high-risk environment we are now in.
From managing the Great Taking and asset confiscation, to protecting pensions and 401(k)’s — this is where I specialize. I also support people with creating a Plan B and preparing to become more self-sufficient. Normally, I only offer a limited number of consultation slots each month, but given what is unfolding, I am opening my diary up in the coming months to focus on consultations.
As a thank-you to my subscribers for their support throughout 2025, I am offering 20% off all consultations booked before the 10th February. This is the first time I have ever discounted my consultations.
As such, if you would like personal, one-to-one support to secure your wealth, now is a great time to book. The discount can be accessed via the link below.
GROUP COACHING FOR INVESTORS BEGINS FEBRUARY
I’m excited to let you know that bookings are now open for the February cohort of Group Coaching for Investors. Group coaching is your opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge required to preserve and grow your wealth going into the reset.
Because group coaching is delivered live with Mike on Zoom, the cohort is kept intentionally small to ensure everyone gets real value. For that reason, spaces are already limited.
What’s included in group coaching:
12 sessions live on zoom
Each session focuses on a key topic, including the Great Taking, protecting pensions and 401(k)s, gold and silver strategies, ratios, cycles, and more
Group discussion and Q&A after every session
Wealth preservation skills and strategies I am actively implementing to protect and grow my families wealth going into the reset
Additional workshops you can watch in your own time
Access to my monthly investor mastermind, where market risks and opportunities are discussed
For more information on group coaching, please click here. If you would like to discuss potentially joining us for group coaching or have any questions, please email parallelsystems@protonmail.com
