You can't complain when a farm goes up for sale if you're not supporting the farmer. On this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael is back on the Zooms with her Frederick County Homesteader friends — Sam Armel (founder of Frederick County Homesteaders), Jaclyn Mommen (Laurel Grove Wine Farm and Patti's Place), and Kristin Tesdall (Five Roots Farm) — to talk about the inaugural Love Your Farmer Week, June 14th through 20th, and why this hands-on volunteer week is built around the busiest, most stressful stretch of a farmer's year.

The conversation moves from the practical (how to sign up as a volunteer or a host farm, what kinds of jobs are on the docket, why mobility and age aren't barriers) into bigger territory: the late-frost destruction of vineyards and orchards, the misconceptions about crop insurance, the largest farmland transfer in American history happening right now, why the average farmer is 58–64 years old, and how regenerative agriculture is really just remembering what our grandparents already knew.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) Why Love Your Farmer Week is hands-on, not a farm tour

(01:00) The dates, the time slots, and the Google forms — built for everyone from kids to elders

(02:00) Why now? Because this is the busy season — and the season when farmers feel most behind

(03:30) A frost-damaged spring, lavender beaten down by rain, and what farmers are really up against

(05:00) Why crop insurance isn't the safety net most people think it is

(06:30) Jaclyn's actual yesterday: market, vineyard, interns, dinner, then biological treatments 'til 1:30 AM

(08:30) Animals don't keep a schedule — Kristin's escaped sheep and milking routine

(10:30) The origin story — how 2020 grocery shortages launched Frederick County Homesteaders

(13:30) Skill shares, sauerkraut, and the Snowden Bridge moms group

(15:00) What Kristin needs help with — skirting fleeces, processing wool, and education

(16:30) What Jaclyn needs help with — mulching pathways, weeding, and the new market garden

(18:30) Five farms signed up so far — and why "small and well-loved" is the right start

(19:30) The hidden labor — books, taxes, websites, social media on top of everything else

(20:30) The largest farmland transfer in U.S. history is happening right now

(21:30) Younger farmers, smaller acreage, and Geraghty's Microfarm as a model

(23:30) "Feed your community, not the world" — and why 20-acre farms are the future

(24:30) Regenerative ag isn't new — it's what our grandparents did before chemical agriculture

(27:00) Where to find Patti's Place and Laurel Grove Wine Farm

(28:30) Where to find Five Roots Farm

(29:00) Where to sign up — for volunteers and for host farms

(30:30) Spring Farm Hop recap and what's next

ABOUT LOVE YOUR FARMER WEEK

A new initiative from Frederick County Homesteaders, running June 14–20, 2026, where community members can sign up to volunteer directly on participating local farms during the height of harvest-prep season. Designed to accommodate civic groups, businesses, 4-H and FFA chapters, church groups, homeschool co-ops, families, and individuals — with time slots and tasks suited to all ages and mobility levels. Five farms are signed up for year one; first-come, first-served as volunteers register.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

• Volunteer — sign up via the Love Your Farmer Week page at frederickcountyhomesteaders.com (search "Love Your Farmer Week")

• Host farm — local farms, homesteads, markets, and vineyards can still sign up through June 5 • Need help figuring out what your farm could offer? Reach out to Frederick County Homesteaders directly — they'll help brainstorm

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Frederick County Homesteaders: frederickcountyhomesteaders.com (volunteer + host farm sign-ups on the Love Your Farmer Week page)

• Laurel Grove Wine Farm & Patti's Place: laurelgrovewinefarm.com • Patti's Place hours: Wed–Sun 10–4 (Sun 11–4) • Café Thu–Sun 11–3 • Patti's Place on Instagram: @pattisplace_lgwf • Laurel Grove Wine Farm on Instagram: @laurelgrovewinefarm

• Five Roots Farm: fiverootsfarm.com • Five Roots Farm on Facebook: Five Roots Farm • Five Roots Farm on Instagram: @_fiverootsfarm_ • Five Roots self-service farm stand: open 7 days, 9 AM–dusk • Five Roots at Stephens City Farmers Market: second Saturday of each month

THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon.

Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us.

Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday