We Not Me Farms Ministries

06/06/2026

Something exciting is coming!

We are working behind the scenes on a new community-focused store in Panacea and look forward to sharing more details with you soon. Stay tuned for updates, announcements, and ways to get involved.
https://youtu.be/k7Cg6X6IalI

06/05/2026

ZEOLITE: The Volcanic Mineral That Helps Soil, Water, and Animals
Nature's Sponge for the Farm and Garden

Many of the most useful tools in agriculture are not new inventions. Some have existed in nature for thousands of years.
https://youtube.com/shorts/hhuMDeVWNfw
One such tool is zeolite.
Zeolite is a naturally occurring volcanic mineral formed when volcanic ash reacts with groundwater over long periods of time. Under a microscope, zeolite resembles a honeycomb filled with tiny channels and cavities. This unique structure allows it to absorb water, hold nutrients, and capture certain compounds that would otherwise be lost.
Because of these properties, zeolite has become a valuable resource for farmers, gardeners, livestock owners, and homesteaders around the world.
One of the most common uses for zeolite is in gardening and soil improvement. Zeolite helps retain moisture while allowing excess water to drain away. It can also hold nutrients near plant roots, reducing fertilizer waste and improving plant access to essential minerals. This makes it especially useful in raised beds, container gardens, and areas prone to drought.
Zeolite is also widely used in composting. By helping retain moisture and reducing nutrient loss, it can improve the quality and efficiency of compost piles while helping to reduce unpleasant odors.
For livestock and poultry owners, zeolite is often added to bedding areas. Chicken coops, barns, and animal shelters can benefit from its ability to absorb moisture and reduce ammonia odors. Cleaner bedding conditions can improve comfort for both animals and caretakers.
Another important use for zeolite is water filtration. Certain forms of zeolite can help remove impurities and ammonia from water and are commonly used in aquariums, ponds, and filtration systems.
While zeolite has many legitimate agricultural and environmental uses, consumers should carefully research health-related claims often associated with zeolite supplements. Not all claims are supported by scientific evidence, and individuals should consult qualified professionals when considering any health product.
For homesteaders, gardeners, and small farms, however, zeolite remains a practical and affordable resource. It is not a miracle product, but when used correctly, it can improve soil performance, reduce waste, and support more sustainable growing practices.
Sometimes nature provides simple solutions to everyday challenges. Zeolite is one of those solutions.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Good stewardship often begins with understanding the resources available to us. Whether you maintain a backyard garden, care for livestock, or simply enjoy learning about sustainable living, zeolite is one more tool worth exploring as you work toward greater self-sufficiency and responsible land management.

06/05/2026

Dagnabit!

Are those farmers annoying good folks with their smelly, loudmouth, rude farm animals again?

I guess so...

**Disclosure: I have some wonderful neighbors who farm and this doesn't apply to my neighbors. I just thought truth was funny.

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

MINISTRY JOURNAL ENTRY
A Beginning in Panacea

Today brought a possibility that has both Kurt and me excited.
After months of planning, researching properties, discussing ideas, and trying to determine the best path forward for the ministry, we may have found our first physical location in Panacea. The space is located in a small shopping strip alongside a pizzeria and an antique store. While it is not the large ministry property we ultimately hope to acquire one day, it may provide an important first step toward establishing a local presence and beginning ministry operations.
The concept is simple. The ministry would accept donated items and offer them for resale at reasonable prices so that individuals and families can obtain needed goods at affordable costs. It would also provide a foundation from which additional ministry programs could potentially grow in the future.
The space itself is modest but functional. It consists of four walls ready for a fresh start, two restrooms, and two changing stalls. One feature we particularly like is the available parking, which should make access easier for visitors and volunteers alike. Another encouraging aspect is that the neighboring space is currently vacant, creating the possibility of future expansion.
At this stage, there are still many questions to answer. Kurt plans to speak with county zoning officials to determine exactly what activities are permitted at the location and what requirements must be met before opening. We are especially interested in learning whether prepared food sales or related activities would be allowed as part of future ministry operations.
While nothing is finalized, today feels different. For the first time, it seems possible that the ministry may soon have a place to call home—a place where ideas can become action and plans can begin taking physical shape.
If the location proves viable, there will be much work ahead. Permits, setup, donations, inventory, organization, volunteers, signage, and countless other details will need attention. Yet for now, we are allowing ourselves a moment of excitement and gratitude.
Every ministry begins somewhere.
Perhaps this little storefront in Panacea will become the first chapter of a much larger story.

05/29/2026

JOURNAL – One Jar at a Time
Today was one of those long but rewarding days. (Written Thursday for a Friday post)
The pressure canner has been running most of the day. The chicken is finished, the pork is currently working its way up to pressure, and the grapefruit has been cleaned and packed into jars for tomorrow. The only remaining project is the beets. I have not decided if I want to can them plain in a pressure canner or pickled in a water bath canner.
I wish I could have recorded more of the process to share, but living and working from an RV is not always conducive to filming. Space is limited, and sometimes the work simply needs to get done. While I may not have video of the process, I am sharing photos of the finished products.
Another encouraging development this week is that the microgreens germinated in just two days. It is a small reminder of how quickly food can be produced when conditions are right and why growing systems of all sizes will play an important role in the ministry's future.
A few days ago, we finished canning sweet potatoes. Looking at the jars on the shelf serves as a reminder that small efforts add up over time. What begins as fresh produce that might otherwise spoil becomes food that can be enjoyed months from now. In a small RV, where refrigerator and freezer space are limited, shelf-stable food becomes even more valuable.
One of the unexpected discoveries along the way is that sweet potatoes make an excellent substitute for pumpkin in many recipes. Did you know you can make cookies with sweet potatoes? If you would like the recipe, send us a message.
One thing I have learned through this process is that many worthwhile skills can seem intimidating until you actually begin. When I first purchased the pressure canner, it sat in the kitchen for months. I was honestly intimidated by it and a little nervous about getting started. Thankfully, a few instructional videos and a willingness to learn changed that. Today, pressure canning has become another useful skill in our journey toward greater self-reliance.
When you consider the ability to purchase meat at today's prices and safely preserve it for a year or more on the shelf, the investment in equipment, time, and knowledge begins to make a great deal of sense. Food prices continue to rise, but the knowledge gained today can continue to provide benefits for years to come.
Today's meat came from Sam's Club, and we are thankful for the provision. However, our long-term vision is to support local farmers whenever possible and to develop a more direct connection to the source of our food. Once the ministry has an established farm base, we hope to purchase livestock directly from local producers—or raise some ourselves—and process it for long-term food storage, ministry use, and community support.
Every jar placed on a shelf represents more than food. It represents preparation, stewardship, self-reliance, and a commitment to building something sustainable for the future.
The work may seem small today, but every jar, every seed, every lesson learned, and every step forward helps lay the foundation for what we hope to build tomorrow.

05/29/2026

Texas doesn’t need to rely on food shipped halfway across the world when hardworking Texas farmers and ranchers are already producing it right here at home. 🇺🇸🌾🤠
From the cattle ranches and cotton fields to the pecan orchards, citrus groves, wheat farms, hay fields, and family-owned ranchland spread across the Lone Star State, Texas agriculture helps feed millions of Americans every single year. 🐂🌽
Behind every harvest is a family waking up before sunrise, working through brutal summer heat, droughts, storms, dust, long exhausting days, and unpredictable weather — all to help keep food on tables across America. ☀️🌵🚜
Because in Texas, agriculture is more than just business.
It’s: 🤠 generations of hard work 🌾 rural Texas pride 🇺🇸 American independence 🚜 and the backbone of small-town Texas communities
From the Hill Country and Panhandle plains to East Texas pine country, South Texas ranches, and Gulf Coast farmland, Texas farms and ranches support local jobs, feed stores, truck drivers, equipment shops, rodeo towns, farmers markets, and thousands of families who depend on agriculture every single day.
Many Texans believe something simple:
If Texas farmers and ranchers can grow it here… America should support the people producing it here first. 🇺🇸🌽
Because once ranchland and farmland disappear beneath endless development and concrete, they rarely come back.
Texas runs on strong communities — but it also runs on hardworking farmers and ranchers most people never see. 🚜🐂🇺🇸
Support Texas farmers. Support Texas ranchers. Support local agriculture. Support the people helping feed America every single day. 🇺🇸

05/26/2026

HYDROPONICS
Growing Beyond the Limits of the Soil
https://youtube.com/shorts/wOk1C39GLMU
For most of human history, farming depended on one thing above all else: good soil.
But what happens when the soil is poor, contaminated, rocky, flooded, drought-stricken, or simply unavailable?
You grow without it.
Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants using nutrient-rich water instead of traditional soil, and while the concept may sound futuristic, it has rapidly become one of the most practical tools for modern food production. From urban warehouses to shipping containers, from desert regions to disaster recovery zones, hydroponics allows people to grow fresh food almost anywhere.
Even in a Conex container.
At its core, hydroponics works because plants do not actually “eat” soil. Plants absorb nutrients and water through their roots. Soil simply acts as the delivery system. Hydroponics removes the middleman and delivers nutrients directly to the plant in carefully controlled water systems.
The result can be faster growth, reduced water usage, fewer weeds, and the ability to farm in places where traditional agriculture struggles.
Leafy greens are among the most common hydroponic crops, but the systems can support far more than lettuce and herbs. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, beans, onions, and even potatoes can be grown hydroponically under the right conditions.
That surprises many people.
Potatoes are traditionally associated with rows of dirt and underground harvests, yet hydroponic systems can grow them vertically or within specialized nutrient chambers, often producing cleaner crops while using significantly less space.
And space matters.
One of the most exciting developments in hydroponics is container farming — transforming shipping containers into climate-controlled growing environments. Inside these converted Conex units, lighting, temperature, humidity, nutrients, and irrigation can all be regulated year-round.
Rain, drought, heat waves, and poor soil become far less limiting.
A single container can produce substantial amounts of food while occupying only a fraction of the footprint of conventional farmland. For ministries, communities, preparedness projects, food outreach programs, and remote locations, this creates opportunities that once seemed impossible.
Fresh produce can be grown close to the people who need it.
Hydroponics also opens doors for regions affected by environmental challenges. In areas where soil contamination, salinity, hurricanes, or erosion make farming difficult, controlled growing systems provide another option instead of complete dependence on imported food.
That does not mean hydroponics replaces traditional agriculture.
Healthy soil remains valuable and important. Gardens rooted in the earth still provide resilience, biodiversity, and connection to the land. But hydroponics can serve as an additional layer of food production — especially when the ground itself is unreliable or when space is limited.
It is not about abandoning the soil.
It is about expanding the ability to grow.
As technology improves and more communities explore localized food systems, hydroponics may become one of the most important tools in future agriculture. Not because it looks futuristic, but because it answers an ancient human need:
Reliable access to food.
Whether inside a greenhouse, a warehouse, or a converted shipping container, the principle remains the same.
Life finds a way to grow — even without the ground beneath it.

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