Joel’s family purchased their eroded rock pile property in 1961 in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and by following biological and permaculture concepts have turned it into perhaps the most abundant farm in the region. He left his town job on September 24, 1982 and returned to the farm full time, turning a homestead operation into a commercial salaried enterprise. They raise salad bar beef, pig aerator pork, pastured poultry and market it directly to some 8,000 families and a few wholesale clients. Their success attracted media attention and wanna-be interest over the years, resulting in being featured in award-winning documentary FOOD INC., the NYT bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and countless other venues. Joel speaks worldwide, consults for farms and ranches, and has written 15 books covering how-to and broad cultural resiliency themes.