When Jason Craig was a young boy, he spent as much time as he could in the woods across the street from his house. Describing himself then as feral, Craig experienced a typical American upbringing in suburbia, though raised by divorced parents. While most boys his age played basketball, Craig fell in love with the natural world, spending his childhood adventuring in secluded, wooded acreage where he found meaning and purpose.
Today, in rural Polk County, North Carolina, he and his wife homeschool their children on a working farm. The economics of staying close to the land instead of working away from home means spending the majority of each day being physically productive: growing vegetables and raising pigs, chickens, and dairy cows. His enthusiasm for making the most out of a contemporary agrarian lifestyle has caught the interest of others—specifically, young men and their fathers. Craig hosts retreats and workshops at his homestead, St. Joseph’s Farm, because he believes gritty farm work and physical labor are invaluable experiences….