Year: 2020

Dear Friends, Several Fridays ago, I tuned into a live-stream conference at the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The conference speakers reported on their research into the properties of full-spectrum hemp, under the title Exploring the Mechanisms Underlying Analgesic Properties of Minor Cannabinoids and Terpenes. Homestead customers may not know much about [...]

Dear Friends, By now you may realize that Laura’s Mercantile is part of an effort to build a regenerative agricultural system. For our part, this involves our regional Laura’s Homestead Alternatives accounts and our online store. In addition (this is Kentucky, right?) it also includes a distillery, Wildcat Willy’s (now: Regeneration Distillery)! One of the [...]

Dear Friends, Yes, I’m stubborn. At a close friend’s birthday party, she circled her guests around, and recognized each of us for what she admired. Was I brilliant? No. Was I beautiful? No. I had the quality of “perseverance.” Let’s just say I’ve embraced my inner mule. Here, you see me with Bingo, our Jerusalem […]

Dear Friends, For me, at least, reality is setting in: with Covid, we are in for the long haul, until there is a widely available and effective vaccine. Having just started new businesses to complete our circular economy, particularly Wildcat Willy’s farm-to-table restaurant, the stressors on me and our teams are obvious. I have two [...]

    Dear Friends, We are almost through with planting here at Mt. Folly, and my mind has turned to next year’s seeds. This May, to mark the Covid cancellation of the Kentucky Derby and increased demand for milled organic grains, Laura’s Mercantile sent Bloody Butcher corn seeds to our grain customers. During the lockdown, […]

Dear Friends, Obviously, these are disquieting times. If one more person instructs me to “stay safe,” I’ll set my hair on fire! Of course, we need to avoid getting sick. Simultaneously, we need to think hard. When I’m trying to figure something out, the first thing I do is assess where the information is coming [...]

We're happy to share Laura's Homestead Alternatives CBD has topped the list at CBD Validator, an independent website ranking the highest-quality CBD oil products on the market. CBD Validator bases their ratings on a few select qualities: The type of CBD (full spectrum vs. isolate) Extraction method Assurance: availability of certificates of analysis for CBD, [...]

Dear Friends, By golly, I think we’ve got it! “Got what?” you ask. A way to farm which is regenerative, coupled with hemp and a local food system which reduces carbon emissions, builds community, and creates jobs in a coal state. Many of you know that my story has 35 years of twists and turns. […]

Dear Friends, Deep in January, I love to wake early and look at pictures from the year past. The pictures show much nature, from our discovery of endangered Running Buffalo Clover, to bees in the buckwheat cover crop. A couple of my favorites are below. One of the reasons it became endangered was the loss […]