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In this heartwarming episode of “Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom”, we sit down with the owners of Mystical Farms VI in St. Croix, Randall and Lindsey Simmonds, who have spent over two decades growing food, nurturing land, and raising a family committed to self-sufficiency and community wellness.

What started in 2003 with one crop has grown into a multi-generational way of life—blending homeschooling, a landscaping business, and resilient farming practices that center sustainability and service to others.

In this episode, they share:

• What it looks like to raise a family with intention, tradition, and purpose
• Why farming is a family practice, a lifestyle, and a form of resistance
• How Mystical Farms VI is modeling sovereign food systems for the territory and
• The joys and challenges of building a home and future around the land that feeds us all

This is a story about growing together—on the land, in love, and for the future.

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In this deeply insightful episode of Of Seed and Soil: Unincorporated Voices of Food, Farming, and Freedom, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown sits down with Dr. Hadiya Sewer, philosopher, environmental justice advocate, and Co‑Founder & President of St. JanCo: the St. John Heritage Collective. Together, they explore the vital intersections of land rights, food sovereignty, and environmental justice on the island of St. John and throughout the Virgin Islands. They also discuss how Dr. Sewer's mission of fostering sustainable, community-led stewardship of land and culture in the face of climate crisis and ongoing colonial legacies continues to fuel her work locally and nationally.

In this episode you will hear:
---How land conservation becomes revolutionary when centered in liberation and autonomy
---The importance of preserving ancestral heritage, advocating for land rights, and reshaping land-use planning in environmentally resilient ways, and
---What food and land justice look like in practice—and why they’re inseparable from cultural survival in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This is not just a conversation about land - it is an invitation to listen, learn, and support efforts that center Indigenous and Caribbean sovereignty. It’s about building sustainable ecologies, reclaiming ancestral stewardship, and imagining futures rooted in justice.

Learn more about St. JanCo and their work at www.stjanco.org

Explore Dr. Hadiya Sewer’s broader work and philosophy at www.hadiyasewer.com

Subscribe for more stories of resilience, resistance, and radical care from the people tending to the land that feeds us.

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On this episode of “Of Seed & Soil”, host Sommer Sibilly‑Brown speaks with Shelli Brin, founder of Que Sera Farms, a woman-owned regenerative farm based in St. Thomas with extended projects across St. Croix and Tortola.

Shelli brings a lifetime of farming experience: born into a family of agriculturists, fishermen, and community leaders, she has dedicated herself to nurturing agroforestry, beekeeping, microgreens, and farm-based education.

Together, they explore:

—The roots of Que Sera Farms—from ancestral land to mission-driven enterprise
—Transformational work in agroforestry, beekeeping, and regenerative design across island farms
—The challenges of farm restoration, rebuilding infrastructure, and sustaining regenerative agriculture in the Virgin Islands

This episode is a deep dive into how one farm’s regenerative vision can help to reshape our entire island food system.

To learn more about Que Sera Farms and join their community efforts visit www.queserafarms.com

Tune in every other Thursday to hear stories of land, legacy, and liberation. Visit VIGF at www.goodfoodvi.org or follow us on Facebook at / goodfoodvi and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/goodfood_vi....

Of Seed & Soil is sponsored in part by the Wild Seeds Fund.

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