“Everything starts here.”
Herbal Revolution Farm describes the land and farm as a breathing, sustainable ecosystem. They are stewards of the land and work with wildlife such as red-tailed hawks and deer. They coexist on a magical herb farm along the coast of Maine, where they are committed to building land stewardship and connecting people to plants.
To find out more, we spoke with Katheryn Langelierfounder and CEO of Herbal Revolution farm and pharmacyabout the importance of agriculture.
Q: What inspired you to start Herbal Revolution? How does your personal mission align with that of the farm?
Starting Herbal Revolution was definitely something I struggled with. Well, maybe not stumbled in, but grew go inside. I’ve been working with plants since I grew up in rural Maine. This was in the ’70s and ’80s, so I spent all my time outside. I grew up getting to know the plants in my environment and as I continued to grow, so did my desire to become more intimate with these plants. I just really wanted to work with plants.
I worked on farms, and by the time I became a teenager, I was living in the woods without water or electricity. I just followed this path until the point where I finally realized I wanted to do this forever! That led me to found Herbal Revolution. I was in massage school at the time because I wanted to better understand the functioning of the body and how plants could work with the body. I just knew I couldn’t be inside.
I had been running my own herbal pharmacy for over 10 years at the time and used it within this massage practice. People were like, “Wow, that’s a really good body butter you made, can I buy that?” The company evolved from there.
Q: What does it mean to be a farmer at Herbal Revolution?
I started farming in my late teens and interned on farms, but these farmers did not call themselves herbalists, even though they grew herbs and made herbal preparations. It wasn’t anything special; using herbs was just a part of life.
That’s where it all starts: the precious plants we grow during the warm months and then turn into winter bounty. How are we going to preserve them to get us through the winter and into the next season? We are in constant contact with the plants when we are working with them in the garden or in the field, and we still work with them in the non-growing seasons. For me, without my farming and working with the plants, there would be no Herbal Revolution. That is the heart of my work.
Q: I like the idea of incorporating astrology into your herbal education and products. What inspired you to do that?
Just down the road, where my sister and I grew up as children, there was a large sundial, and I was fascinated by it! Children are fascinated by the sky, right? It is beautiful. It’s huge. It’s curious. Then you begin to learn more about how our ancestors and indigenous people have had these deep connections with the Celestials throughout time.
When I came across Rudolf Steiner and biodynamic agriculture, I discovered seasonal connections, because everything in our bodies is connected. We are not just a heart, we are not just a liver, we are all of them, and astrology approaches life and the body from that perspective.
Question: Why is herb cultivation important for the future?
I think agriculture is important for the future anyway, and herbs are an essential part of that. To me it’s all the same, but we do need more herb farms that take a sustainable approach, even though it can be more challenging to do it that way.
It is so important that communities have access to small, organic, regenerative, sustainable farms for a number of reasons. They are good for local economies, they build community and they support community well-being. I also want to believe that they are spreading the principles of land stewardship and the coherence of caring for the land by honoring the age-old ecological relationship we have had with plants.
I have always believed that everyone should have access to seeds and the knowledge to grow, harvest, save or prepare those seeds. Or at least the option if it’s something they’re interested in.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in growing medicinal herbs for your business?
I think the growing part – having the resources to make it financially viable – is probably the biggest challenge. That said, sometimes it’s a matter of understanding weather patterns because we experience weather patterns everywhere these days.
I’m especially worried about my garlic this year. Will it rot? Will it grow? In recent years we have lost many perennials due to thawing and freezing and we no longer have stable winters with a solid snow cover.
Q: I was hoping you would comment on this because I feel like people in urban areas don’t always understand the unique challenges that small farms face. For example, here in the Southwest we definitely have a water challenge. Do you face similar water challenges there?
Normally we don’t have a problem with that in Main, but we have had a number of droughts recently. I will say that herbs are fairly resilient, but that said, that’s not the case when they’re just little babies, and if we don’t get rain or have a way to get water on them in those early stages, it can be really challenging.
We have all kinds of crop loss variables, from not getting enough rain to way too much rain. We had so much rain last fall, and that’s why I’m afraid the garlic has rotted. It was all over the map.
During the drier seasons we considered digging a farm pond and tried to figure out what irrigation would look like in the future? But these systems are very expensive and costly. It’s a great example of why we need people to support small farms, because it’s much harder for us to compete with the prices that larger farms offer.
I think it’s really important that people recognize that we’re trying to provide good wages to people and celebrate people who work in the field. This is hard work.
Q: What are your local pollinators there?
We have native bees, monarchs and other butterflies. We’ve been working with honeybees for a while, but it’s a lot of pressure to keep those little bees alive! So now we’re more focused on supporting our local pollinators.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would have liked my younger self to start the business earlier. At the same time, it wasn’t like I woke up one day and thought, “I’m going to start a business!” My life gradually led me to this place.
And as for my younger self, I might have told her to save some money. Start squirreling something away for the older me!
Q: What is your Spirit Herb?
It’s funny, Mugwort is the first thing that comes to my mind. For me it’s constantly evolving.
Thanks Katheryn. You are an inspiration to my generation of herbalists, aspiring farmers and plant lovers.
We invite everyone to take a look Herbal Revolution Farm! As Katheryn said above, when we support local farms, herbalists, and small business owners, we support a healthier planet and reduce the carbon footprint when purchasing our everyday goods.
Lauren Ann Nichols-Sheffler attended the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism and received her certificate in Medical Herbalism. She owns it Blue yarrow herbs also known as Herbal Vice, an herbal product company that practices bioregional herbal medicine by growing plants and sourcing locally. Lauren loves educating and advocating for plant sustainability. She is the purchasing and sourcing manager for WishGarden Herbs.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
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