The Journalist-Farmer - AC Shilton
Photo: AC Shilton
“I have editors in New York who call me at 7 [pm], or people who want to set appointments at 8 o’clock. And I always just explain, ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go work on my farm.’
”
This week, I bring you the delightful AC Shilton, the investigative journalist of Netflix’s “The Innocent Man” fame who recently added farmer to her resume: Last year, the self-described city kid and her park ranger husband went all in on their bucolic fantasy, purchasing a 45-acre fixer-upper ranch in rural Tennessee.
Here, AC shares the real story of how she now divides her day between tending chickens and penning pieces for the likes of The New York Times and Outside magazine (spoiler: it’s not easy). She also dishes on learning to farm by the seat of her pants, prepping her farm for climate resilience, and why farming may be the perfect antidote to our modern scourge of arrival fallacy.
Here’s the rundown:
A day in the life of an investigative journalist–farmer
What it costs to start a farm
“This has brought me more joy than anything I could have ever imagined”
Pastured eggs, honey and Dexter cattle
Planning her farm with climate change in mind
Learning to farm as city kids
Rural loneliness, recent injuries, and advice for wannabe farmers
Follow AC’s investigative projects, lifestyle writing and farming via her website, Twitter, and on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this show, subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss the next one (and don’t forget to leave a rating and review). The theme music is by Paul Damian Hogan.