Hayes Family Alaska

10/20/2026

⛽ BUYING FUEL ON A REMOTE ISLAND IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA

First, let me say we're incredibly thankful we have access to gasoline and diesel.

Seriously. It's a blessing. Now, allow me to explain how it gets here. Fuel gets loaded onto a barge. Then another barge. Then possibly another barge. By the time it reaches our island, it's traveled more than most Americans do on vacation. And apparently, every barge wants child support. 🤣

There's a transportation surcharge. A fuel surcharge. A delivery surcharge. A surcharge for the surcharge. And somewhere along the way, the original surcharge got pregnant and had three more surcharges.

People ask what do we pay per gallon. 🫣

DON'T. 😅

You seriously don't want to know. We just hand over our debit card, avoid eye contact, and pray it's not declined. 🤣

Welcome to ALASKA LITE™. Where the fuel is available, and that's all the financial information we're emotionally prepared to discuss. 😂⛽

Photo of a Fuel Barge Petro Mariner.

10/20/2026

There's three levels of crazy.

Level 1: Farming in Virginia.

Level 2: Moving from Virginia to Southeast Alaska.

Level 3: Moving to Northern Alaska, where it's 75 below zero and the sun clocks out for the winter.

We made it to Level 2.

We may be adventurous, but we still have a few functioning brain cells. 😂

10/19/2026

Nighttime Photos of the Bay... 🌙

10/16/2026

"No Enemies" By: Charles Mackay
English Chartist Poet (1814–1889)

Having no enemies isn't necessarily a testament to your goodness. Sometimes it's a testament to how little you've been willing to stand against.

But Mackay understood something important: A life lived with integrity may cost you the approval of others. And sometimes, that's the price of having convictions.

I'd rather be disliked for standing on principle than admired for having none. ❤️

10/16/2026

So yesterday, our son casually says, “You know, food goes in through cheeks and comes out through cheeks.”

And just like that, a perfectly normal family meal was ruined forever. 🤣

I cannot unhear it. I cannot unsee it. And now, every time we sit down to eat, all I can think is…

Well, he's not wrong.😭😂

Parenthood. Where your children teach you things you never wanted to know. 🤣

10/12/2026

Today, our son turns 13. 🥳🥰🫶

Most children ask their parents for birthday presents, adventures, or something special.

Our son asked us for a promise: “Dad, and Mom, please make sure what happened to our family never happens to anyone else, EVER...”

Thirteen years old. And that is what weighs on his heart. No child should have to witness what ours has. No child should have to watch his parents fight so hard just to protect their family.

So today, on his 13th birthday, we make him that promise, before God, as we pack up our lives again. We cannot undo what has been done to us. We cannot give him back the innocence this past year has taken.

But we can fight for accountability, fight for change, and do everything within our power to make sure this never happens to anyone, and those responsible are held to the fullest accountability.

Because what happened to our family should never happen to another.

Happy 13th birthday, sweetheart. We hear you. Dad and I, will never stop trying to make that promise a reality. ❤️ Our family is okay. We are taking things one day at a time, we are leaving Edna Bay, we will continue to fight, and call on every legislator, investigator, Alaska State Agency, etc., that is willing to listen our story. We've been seeking justice since the day we stepped foot here... Almost an entire year now, and we will never give up... 💪 We've made a promise to our son before God. 🙌

10/12/2026

Work in silence. 💪

10/12/2026

10/10/2026

TO EVERY FARMER IN AMERICA: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. 🇺🇸🚜

One thing our own lawsuit has taught us is this: You have a whole lot more bark when you actually bite and make somebody spend a few dollars defending their actions.

Farmers, especially our dairy and beef producers, how much more are you willing to lose before you say ENOUGH?

Your land? Your livestock? Your livelihood? The farms your grandparents worked themselves into the ground to build?

Maybe it's time to stop being so damn compliant and start being a little rebellious. LEGALLY.

I'm not talking about violence or breaking laws. I'm talking about using those very laws to challenge the people and government agencies making decisions that affect your survival.

And no, I'm not going to tell a farmer who can barely afford feed to go hire a $500-an-hour attorney.

HERE'S WHERE I WOULD START:

STEP 1: FIND YOUR PEOPLE.
Find other farmers who are fed up. Dairy, beef, poultry, hog, grain, produce. ALL OF YOU. Organize by county, state, and eventually nationwide. You are stronger when you share information and work together.

STEP 2: FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Document every financial loss, every regulation affecting your operation, every government decision, every denied benefit, and every expense you believe resulted from government action.

STEP 3: INVESTIGATE THE LAWS.
Start digging into the Administrative Procedure Act, USDA regulations, the Packers and Stockyards Act, federal agricultural programs, and state laws. Find out whether government agencies are actually following the laws they're supposed to enforce.

STEP 4: DEMAND THE RECORDS.
File Freedom of Information Act requests. Request state agency records. Ask for the studies, communications, and documents used to justify policies affecting your farms.

STEP 5: LEARN HOW TO CHALLENGE THEM.
Research administrative appeals, self-representation, free agricultural legal clinics, and coordinated litigation. Individual farmers may be able to represent themselves, although class actions and representation of other farmers generally require attorneys.

STEP 6: IF THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS IT, TAKE THEM TO COURT.
State agencies. Federal agencies. Whoever may have acted unlawfully. Identify the violations, follow the required procedures, and pursue the remedies the law allows.

AND HERE'S THE PART I REALLY WANT FARMERS TO UNDERSTAND:

You do not need permission to question your government. You do not need permission to organize. You do not need permission to request public records.

And you certainly do not need permission to investigate whether the people making decisions about your livelihood are following the law.

Not every bad policy is illegal. But that doesn't mean every policy is beyond legal challenge, either.

STOP THINKING YOU HAVE TO SUFFER QUIETLY JUST BECAUSE SOME GOVERNMENT AGENCY TELLS YOU HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE.

Be stubborn. Be relentless. Be the farmer who reads the fine print, demands the evidence, questions authority, and refuses to be intimidated.

BE A REBEL WITH A PAPER TRAIL. 😎

Because there's a difference between complaining about the system and legally challenging it.

And maybe, just maybe, it's time America's farmers reminded everyone that the people who feed this country are not powerless.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. ORGANIZE. INVESTIGATE. CHALLENGE. AND WHEN JUSTIFIED, LITIGATE.

🇺🇸 AMERICAN FARMERS, IT'S TIME TO STAND UP FOR YOUR FARMS. ❤️🫶