Gill Farmer Experiences 'Miracle Healing'

Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm shares recovery journey

by Eveline Macdougall For the Recorder
July 18, 2025

The western Massachusetts farming community is made up of hardworking folks who generally work with family members or small crews, but who also keep tabs on one another through farmers markets, agricultural meetings, and other events. When a farmer experiences hardships, their peers care deeply and offer support when possible. Over the last few years, concerned locals have followed staggering and mysterious challenges faced by Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill. Botkin is widely considered a regional hero due to his generous dedication to educating others about seed saving, four-season gardening, and other aspects of growing and eating organically grown produce.

“I was profoundly, chronically ill for about five years,” Botkin said in a recent interview. “I couldn’t work, think, write, or sleep. I got worse and worse, and thought I was dying.” Botkin described “an anguished, circuitous journey that was expensive, frustrating, and apparently fruitless.” In addition to living with Hashimoto’s disease, a thyroid condition, he experienced many other troubling symptoms that prevented him from functioning. “I pretty much gave up,” he said. “I tried everything, to no avail.” Neither regular doctors nor alternative practitioners could offer clear diagnoses or prognoses.

Read the full article at https://recorder.com/2025/07/18/eveline-macdougall-july-19-62400832/

Posted: to Laughing Dog Farm News on Fri, Jul 18, 2025
Updated: Wed, May 6, 2026