Beth Hoffman – författare

When Camille Sugarbaker Honeycutt, the pretty but crazy 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen, dies suddenly, her twelve-year-old daughter CeeCee has barely a hope left in the world. To her rescue arrives Great Aunt Tootie in the most magnificent car CeeCee has ever seen, and she is whisked away to the storybook city of Savannah. For some flowers, Aunt Tootie holds, are born to bloom only south of the Mason-Dixon line and soon, among the sweet scent of magnolias and the loving warmth of Tootie and her colourful collection of friends, it looks as though CeeCee has arrived in paradise. But when a darker side to the Southern dream threatens this delicate, newfound happiness, Aunt Tootie and her friends must rally to CeeCee's aid.Warm yet heartbreaking, and generously spiced with humor, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is the story of a girl who loses her mother but finds many others under a balmy Georgia sun.

Beth Hoffman was living the good life: she had a successful career as a journalist and professor, a comfortable home inSan Francisco, and plenty of close friends and family. Yet in her late 40s, she and her husband decided to leave the big cityand move to his family ranch in Iowa—all for the dream of becoming a farmer, to put into practice everything she hadlearned over decades of reporting on food and agriculture. There was just one problem: money.Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019. Between rising land costs, ever-more expensiveequipment, the growing uncertainty of the climate, and few options for health care, farming today is a risky business. Formany, simply staying afloat is a constant struggle.Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth’s eyes as a beginning farmer. She must contend with her father-in-law,who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very badfor the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass-finished beef is a nightmare. Thecouple also must balance the books, hoping that farming isn’t a romantic fantasy that takes every cent of their savings.Even with a decent nest egg and access to land, making ends meet at times seems impossible. And Beth knows full well that she is among the privileged. If Beth can’t make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don’thave other jobs to fall back on? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personalexploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.

Beth Hoffman was living the good life: she had a successful career as a journalist and professor, a comfortable home inSan Francisco, and plenty of close friends and family. Yet in her late 40s, she and her husband decided to leave the big cityand move to his family ranch in Iowa—all for the dream of becoming a farmer, to put into practice everything she hadlearned over decades of reporting on food and agriculture. There was just one problem: money.Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019. Between rising land costs, ever-more expensiveequipment, the growing uncertainty of the climate, and few options for health care, farming today is a risky business. Formany, simply staying afloat is a constant struggle.Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth’s eyes as a beginning farmer. She must contend with her father-in-law,who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very badfor the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass-finished beef is a nightmare. Thecouple also must balance the books, hoping that farming isn’t a romantic fantasy that takes every cent of their savings.Even with a decent nest egg and access to land, making ends meet at times seems impossible. And Beth knows full wellthat she is among the privileged. If Beth can’t make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don’thave other jobs to fall back on? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personalexploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.