Meet People Trying
We are launching a new journalism project hosted by Anna Sale. It highlights the personal stories and expertise of those working closest to our land, water and nature in the U.S. It’s called People Trying. Meet some of them here.
Debt, Doubt, and Community
Old Salt Co-Op in Helmville, Montana raises and sells beef and runs a local meat-processing plant and restaurants. It also throws a festival every June to celebrate well-raised food and the community effort required to pull it off. People Trying host Anna Sale interviewed Old Salt’s co-founder Cole Mannix on stage at the festival about the sense of purpose underlying it all. It’s a preview for our new series.
Coming Soon
Tyler Huber, Solar Shepherd
Georgia
Tyler Huber runs a regenerative sheep program at Silicon Ranch in Southwest Georgia, where around 4,500 sheep forage under solar panels. He grew up in a community where dairy farming was on the decline and he never imagined being able to earn a steady income through agriculture. After a few false starts, that’s what he’s doing now. He is raising two kids with his wife on the solar farm property while getting direct deposit and a 401k.
Coming October 2026.
“Everybody stops and stares at us moving a few thousand sheep across the road…I think it kind of opens people’s eyes to a new kid in town with a new type of agriculture.”
AlexAnna Salmon, Tribal President
Alaska
Under AlexAnna Salmon’s leadership, the Igiugig tribe installed two hydro-kinetic devices that harness river movements to generate power. It’s an attempt to move the village away from diesel power without blocking or disturbing the salmon migrations that are sacred and ingrained in tribal culture. AlexAnna describes her abrupt decision to return home after college to be the tribal leader after her father’s sudden death, and how long-term tribal decision-making has empowered the community to take risks.
Coming November 2026.
“Consensus based governance takes longer in the beginning to build, but in the end you can operate. And we work across generations, not administrations.”
Shelly Kelly, Relational Rancher
Nebraska
Shelly Kelly ranches near Broken Bow, Nebraska, and directs the Sand Hills Task Force, where she works with other ranchers on drought resilience and grassland protection, among other things. She grew up on a ranch, and by 17, she worked for a federal conservation agency. After a divorce, she started her own cattle operation as a single mother. She herds cattle along with her 9-year-old son, while convincing neighbors that fire can be an important part of protecting the prairie ecosystem.
Coming December 2026.
“I get to promote ranching and conservation and how they really work hand in hand. They’re more complementary rather than competitive.”
People Trying is produced in collaboration with The National Geographic Society, with support from The Walton Family Foundation.
