Birke Baehr

The Young Baehr Remerges-
August 28th 2018

August seems like an odd time for a bear to come out of hibernation. The leaves have been green for months and the many fruits of summer have passed their peak and are now beginning to wane. Which begs the question, why now? Today marks the 8th anniversary of my TEDx talk which propelled me into the spotlight of food activism and engaging me deeper with my passion for real food. At 11 years old it felt like a whirlwind, a rush of energy like an afternoon summer storm pushing me forward to continue my mission of changing the world’s awareness around what we eat.

Growing up in the youtube generation, viral videos became a part of everyday life. These videos were mainly comedic, quite random, and taught very little about the world we live in. When I stepped on the stage of The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC with this message of a better way of eating I had no idea the kind of impact my words would make, let alone reach millions of people. I remember saying to my mom weeks before the speech, that if my talk had only reached 200 people who decided to change their habits around the food they consume it would be enough for me. Because those people will affect their friends, family, and community around them and go on to change their view of our food system as we know it. Creating a healthier future.

Over the past 8 years so much has happened. Every enriching experience has taught me more about about my skills as a teacher and an activist. My mission for years has been simple; educate others on the dangers of the industrial food system while sharing the solutions to the problems we face. My goals could be considered much larger. I want to be a part of the solution for the problems in our food system. Nurturing a more wholesome, ecological, and natural way of agriculture. I want to farm, I want to nourish people with real food, I want to heal the soil, and I want to stop the destructive practices of monocrop chemical agriculture which depletes both our health, and the health of the planet.

In 2012, I moved to Earthaven Ecovillage in Black Mountain, NC with my family from my hometown of Knoxville, TN. Here I lived closely with the land while expanding my knowledge and hands on skills of agriculture, permaculture, animal husbandry, forestry, alternative energy, and so much more. I had a lot of growing up to do. I also needed to learn more about agriculture and land stewardship.

In 2015, I began an internship working closely with Buchi Kombucha, a local food producer based in Asheville, NC. It is one of the few companies I’ve found which has ethics that match many of my own around the business practices, quality, and care put into the production of their products. I was able to learn about the inner workings of national and regional food distribution models used by our current food system as well as conscious commerce expressed in Triple Bottom Line economics similar to B-Corp standards, and the challenges of ethical ingredient sourcing by organic food producers. I continue to work with Buchi in many facets to this day, supporting their intention to produce beneficial probiotic beverages to many across this country.

In 2017, I left Earthaven after my 18th birthday to continue to follow my own personal journey. I was looking for a place where I could truly utilize my talents when I landed on a 24-acre farm outside of Asheville, NC. The property has 30 years of established gardens by the previous owners and a lot of potential to grow into the future. I’ve experienced personally what it takes to care for the land and while managing the garden throughout the year. This has helped me gain more understanding that growing food is no easy job. These past 3 years have led to some of the quickest growth in my life while manifesting a place where I could begin to farm, I had to “walk the walk”. Here I’ve also been blessed with many teachers and more knowledge. Studying Ethnobotany, Phenology, Traditional Folk Herbalism, Wild Foraging, French Biointensive Agriculture, Regenerative Agriculture, Appalachian History, Ecology, Natural History, and Land Management. This has also been the ideal place for me to practice so much of what I’ve learned since I began this journey over 8 years ago.

Over the next 3 months you’ll begin to see more regular updates from me, as well as posts concerning gardening, ecology, environmentalism, agriculture, activism, commentary on the industrial food system, organic agriculture, and relative topics to my mission. I’m currently in the process of overhauling my website which should be complete by the end of 2018. I’m formulating workshops and speeches which cover my knowledge around the realms of agriculture, ecology, and the land. So stay tuned.

This doesn’t mean I’ve been completely inactive from activism or the work I’m dedicated to. The fact is although I’ve taken an unannounced hiatus from the Facebook feeds and online presence over recent years... I’m not going anywhere. I’ve only found myself facing the challenges of life, celebrating the successes and learning from the mistakes. Birke hasn’t stopped pursuing his mission since Day 1. If anything my journey has only begun.

I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to all those who’ve supported me, especially the many teachers and my relatives who understand the passion I have for this work. Everyone that’s seen the potential in me to change our perception of the food we eat and helped me hone the tools to practice what I preach.
I just want to express the deepest gratitude and acknowledge a few of the teachers, farmers, and people who’ve supported me along my path. Without them, my life would be very different and my knowledge would be considerably less.

Thanks to my parents John and Tricia Baehr, my Grandfather Don Mills, Joel Salatin, Jeff Poppen(a.k.a. The Barefoot Farmer), Hugh Lovell, Rebecca Beyer, Alan Muskat, Stephen Smith, The whole Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Buchi Kombucha & Co., and so many more.

There’s so many inspirations who constantly impress me with new innovative ways to create a better way of farming, which I believe will help create a healthier future for us all.

Until next time,
Birke Baehr

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