Call To Farms
Tim Eng and Sophia Eng | Sprinkle With Soil
Tim Eng and Sophia Eng | Sprinkle With Soil
The Call To Farms podcast is dedicated to the pursuit of self-sufficiency, self reliance, and sustainability. Tim and Sophia Eng are a military family, both born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and are self-taught first generation regenerative farmers who are building a homestead in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Their multi-generational family have been actively homesteading on a 5-acre piece of land. This podcast is dedicated to their journey and is a call for others to join them in pursuing self sufficiency, self reliance, and sustainability.
4d ago
In this special midweek episode of The Call to Farms Podcast , Tim and Sophie sit down to share a timely December housing market update and the real conversations they are having every day with families across the country. This episode goes beyond headlines and rate talk. It pulls back the curtain on what is actually happening right now in lending, home buying, refinancing, and debt consolidation, especially for first time home buyers, veterans, and single income families feeling the pressure of today’s economy. You will hear why mortgage rates are not reacting the way many people expect, why debt consolidation has become one of the most urgent needs this season, and how strategic tools like HELOCs, cash out refinances, and VA loan programs can be used responsibly to create breathing room instead of stress. Tim and Sophie also share real client stories that highlight why working with an advisor who educates and advocates matters, how buyer concessions are showing up across the country, and why preparation now can make a significant difference heading into 2026. This episode is also an invitation. If you are thinking about buying your first home, planning a move, or simply want clarity on the process, join Tim and Sophie for their First Time Home Buyer Class this Thursday at 7:00 PM Eastern . This free class will walk through the home buying process step by step, explain current market conditions, and help you understand your options clearly and confidently. If you are looking to protect your family, reduce financial stress, and learn how to become more resilient long term, you are also invited to their Life Insurance and Infinite Banking Workshop on Thursday, January 29th at 7:00 PM Eastern . This session breaks down how families can use whole life insurance strategically, not as a product pitch, but as a financial tool for stability, control, and legacy. Whether you are a first time buyer, a homeowner feeling stretched, a veteran planning your next move, or a family looking to live more intentionally, this episode will give you practical insight and a clear next step. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interested in learning more about home buying? Join our live, online workshop on Thursday, December 18th at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Get your copy of Becoming Your Own Banker and be sure to bring your questions to our live workshop! Interested in learning more about protecting and securing your homestead and family? Join our live, online workshop on Thursday, January 29th at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
6d ago
What does it mean to devote your life to one thing and do it with care, humility, and soul? In this episode of The Call to Farms , Sophie sits down with Jonathan Stevens, baker and author of Hungry Ghost Bread , the award-winning book that is part recipe collection, part meditation, and part poetic devotion to sourdough. Jonathan is the founder of Hungry Ghost Bread in Northampton, Massachusetts, where for over two decades he has shaped hundreds of loaves by hand, fired a wood fueled oven daily, and fed a living sourdough culture that quite literally sets the rhythm of his life. This conversation is not about scaling, optimization, or hustle. It is about intention. Jonathan shares what it means to be a wild yeast farmer, why he does not count loaves, how regional grain and living fermentation shape both bread and community, and why real food work resists shortcuts, technological or otherwise. Together, Sophie and Jonathan explore hungry ghost mythology, cultural memory, poetry, economics, and the quiet spiritual discipline of feeding people well. They also discuss: Why bread made with care still matters for culture and health The humility required when working with living systems What modern food has lost and what local bakeries can restore Poetry as a form of nourishment Why every town needs a bakery Whether you are a baker, farmer, fermenter, or simply someone longing to live with greater alignment, this episode is a reminder that how we do something matters and that meaning is often found in the most ordinary acts. Flour, fire, time, and trust. Step into the fire and meet Jonathan Stevens. Hungry Ghost Bread ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interested in learning more about home buying? Join our live, online workshop on Thursday, December 18th at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Dec 8
In this powerful continuation of Tim’s return to West Point, he takes listeners deeper into the halls, fields, and memories that shaped him as a young cadet. Revisiting these places twenty years later opened up a surprising reflection on purpose, identity, and calling. Walk with Tim through Bradley Barracks, the new library, and the charged atmosphere of a Corps football game. Follow him into Arvin Gym, where the echoes of the IOCT and the sharp chlorine drifting from Crandall Pool brought back the intensity of survival swimming classes and the pressure he once pushed through as a young leader in training. As he reconnects with classmates, many now Full Bird Colonels, Tim gains new clarity on the path he ultimately chose. This episode explores the truth Tim discovered: the leadership forged at the Academy did not lead him into the career he once imagined. Instead, it became the foundation for the life he built in homesteading, lending, real estate, and serving veterans across all 50 states. It is a story of ambition, redirection, and learning to appreciate the unexpected ways a calling can unfold. At the heart of the episode is one question: If Tim could do it all over again, would he still choose West Point? Listen in as he shares the answer and what it means for anyone navigating their own path of service and purpose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interested in learning more about home buying? Join our live, online workshop on Thursday, December 18th at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Dec 1
Is the salt in your kitchen actually nourishing your body, or quietly doing damage? In this episode, Sophia interviews Michael Sileck, Chief Mineral Officer at Baja Gold Salt Company and Sea-90 Ocean Minerals, to uncover the truth about salt. From lead testing and mineral reports to microplastics and modern processing, this conversation cuts through fear and misinformation with science and clarity. You will learn why table salt is not real food, how mineral rich sea salt is harvested, how to read lab reports properly, and why ocean minerals are now being used to rebuild depleted soils and strengthen livestock naturally. Michael also shares the forgotten work of Dr. Maynard Murray and how his research laid the foundation for restoring soil using sea minerals, a story that reshapes how we understand health from the ground up. Whether you are new to real food or already deep into regenerative farming, this episode will change how you see salt forever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save 10% on Baja Gold by Using Code: GOODSOIL Save 10% on Sea-90 by Using Code: GOODSOIL Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Nov 12
When Tim Eng, a West Point graduate, Iraq veteran, and now “The Homesteading Agent,” returned to the U.S. Military Academy for his 20-year reunion, he thought it would be just another family trip. But standing once again on those storied gray grounds, watching the cadets march in precision, something deeper began to unfold. In this powerful and vulnerable episode of Call to Farms, Tim and his wife, Sophia, open up about how West Point shaped him—the discipline, the grit, the scars, and the transformation that followed. They talk candidly about what it means to be forged by fire, about the tension between the soldier he became and the homesteader he is now, and how revisiting his past became an unexpected path toward healing, faith, and rediscovering love. This is not a typical reunion story. It’s part therapy, part testimony, and a look into legacy, sacrifice, and the cost of leadership. In this episode, Tim shares why he chose West Point and what it really takes to get in, the unspoken mental and physical toll of elite military training, and how war, family, and faith reshaped his definition of service. He also talks about the healing power of storytelling and returning to his roots. If you’ve ever wrestled with your past or wondered how to find purpose after seasons of duty and endurance, this episode will hit home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be sure to secure your ticket for the 2026 Homesteaders United Conference! Join Waitlist Here Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Oct 30
As the seasons shift, so does the pace of life on the homestead and in the housing market. In this end-of-October update, we’re talking about what it means to slow down with purpose : harvesting the last of our livestock, drying up our dairy cows, and using this season of rest to rebuild and improve our infrastructure for the year ahead. On the housing front, don’t miss this window . You have just 2 days left (until October 31st) to reach out to Sophie for an especially low interest rate if you’ve purchased a home in the past three years and are ready to refinance and lower your rate . Tune in for a grounded conversation on stewardship of both your land and your finances. 👉 Reach out to Sophie today before the October 31st deadline to lock in your savings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save 15% on Redmond Products by using our discount code: GOODSOIL Save 15% on NULU knives by using our discount code: HOMESTEADNULU Save 15% on Ryze mushroom coffee by using our discount code: HOMESTEADINGAGENT15 Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Oct 2
As September closes and October begins, Sophia and Tim dive into the latest housing market shifts. With Jerome Powell’s recent message hinting at a slight lowering of the Fed rate, the market has seen a surprising pickup in activity. More buyers are stepping out, referrals are increasing for Tim, and while housing inventory remains tight and prices continue to soften, offers are finally flowing again. They break down what this means for families navigating real estate in today’s environment. On the homestead, big changes are underway as Fall settles in. Sophia and Tim share updates on bringing back a couple of their bred cows onto new pasture, now fully fenced with barbed wire they recently completed on leased land. That installation, captured step-by-step in a brand-new video course, was just released inside their Call to Farms online community . (See the link below to learn more.) They’re also installing long-awaited ball waterers which were planned and budgeted for six months, just in time for winter. This project ties directly into Tim’s SAFE Method, outlined in his new book FM 5-21: Fortify Your Farm , showing how creating redundant systems prevents burnout (like hauling heavy water buckets during East Tennessee’s freezing weeks) and keeps the homestead sustainable. They also reflect on recent travels: Sophia and the children’s educational field trip to The Koji House in Virginia, learning about koji’s role in both culinary traditions and sake-making. That full tour was captured in a new YouTube release on the Sprinkle with Soil YouTube channel link below if you’d like to watch behind the scenes. The family also toured several college campuses, including a chiropractic school in South Carolina that caught their eldest daughter’s interest. From housing markets to homestead projects to raising resilient kids, this episode is packed with insights on balancing family, farm, and future planning. 👉 From Federal Service to Financial Freedom: Free Webinar for Federal Employees 👉 Learn more about the Call to Farms community & fencing course here. 👉 Watch the Koji House tour on the Sprinkle with Soil YouTube ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save 15% on Redmond Products by using our discount code: GOODSOIL Save 15% on NULU knives by using our discount code: HOMESTEADNULU Save 15% on Ryze mushroom coffee by using our discount code: HOMESTEADINGAGENT15 Tune in now and join the Call to Farms ! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Aug 26
Have you ever wondered why fermented cod liver oil has been called one of the most powerful ancestral foods for families? In this episode of Call to Farms , we sit down with Addie Bartlett , CEO of Green Pasture Products , to uncover the story behind this age-old superfood and why it’s making a modern comeback. Addie shares her personal journey into the world of nutrient-dense foods, the inspiration behind Green Pasture, and how fermentation preserves the vital vitamins that support gut health, immunity, and overall vitality. We also explore the balance of science and tradition, sustainable sourcing, and the role fermented foods can play in your family’s wellness journey. Whether you’re a homesteader, a parent trying to feed your family real food, or simply curious about ancestral nutrition, this conversation is packed with insights, practical tips, and stories that will inspire you to rethink the way you nourish your body from the soil to the kitchen table. Tune in to discover: The fascinating history and process behind fermented cod liver oil Practical tips for incorporating nutrient-dense foods into family meals Common myths about cod liver oil and fermented foods—and what’s actually true Ways homesteaders and small-scale families can connect with ancestral nutrition today Don’t miss this episode if you want to bring tradition, nutrition, and real food back to your table! 🎧 Listen now and nourish your family the ancestral way!
