Gill farmer experiences ‘miracle healing’: Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm shares recovery journey

After a several-year hiatus, Laughing Dog Farm in Gill will soon resume offering on-site mentoring for those interested in learning from farmers Danny Botkin and Divya Shinn, who have decades of experience in many agricultural realms, including raising goats and cultivating food using permaculture and other earth-friendly practices.

After a several-year hiatus, Laughing Dog Farm in Gill will soon resume offering on-site mentoring for those interested in learning from farmers Danny Botkin and Divya Shinn, who have decades of experience in many agricultural realms, including raising goats and cultivating food using permaculture and other earth-friendly practices. Courtesy Danny Botkin

Divya Shinn and her husband Danny Botkin have raised 25 generations of goats, totaling about 275 animals. The couple has returned to their Laughing Dog Farm in Gill and are picking up the pieces beautifully after a several-year hiatus due to mysteriously ill health suffered by Botkin. Shinn is shown here with Starlet and Pepe.

Divya Shinn and her husband Danny Botkin have raised 25 generations of goats, totaling about 275 animals. The couple has returned to their Laughing Dog Farm in Gill and are picking up the pieces beautifully after a several-year hiatus due to mysteriously ill health suffered by Botkin. Shinn is shown here with Starlet and Pepe. Courtesy Danny Botkin

Gill farmer Danny 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 food using environmentally healthy methods.

Gill farmer Danny 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 food using environmentally healthy methods. Courtesy Danny Botkin

Danny Botkin and Divya Shinn of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill enjoy bountiful harvests by practicing what they call “guerrilla gardening.” They avoid conventional methods like direct seeding, tilling, and planting in long, straight rows.

Danny Botkin and Divya Shinn of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill enjoy bountiful harvests by practicing what they call “guerrilla gardening.” They avoid conventional methods like direct seeding, tilling, and planting in long, straight rows. Courtesy Danny Botkin

According to Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill, their mission is less about production or sustainability at this point than about educating those interested in learning about the dynamic, low-tech, permaculture tactics Botkin has honed over the years, with great success.

According to Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill, their mission is less about production or sustainability at this point than about educating those interested in learning about the dynamic, low-tech, permaculture tactics Botkin has honed over the years, with great success. Courtesy Danny Botkin

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

For the Recorder

Published: 07-18-2025 10:44 AM

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.

Theories abounded; one was a severe mold allergy due to the funkiness of Botkin's home. “For years, I lived in a four-story place cobbled together in the 1970s by Renaissance commune hippies. We tried renovating, but ultimately were advised by contractors to demolish and start over.” Over a period of three years, Botkin and his wife, Divya Shinn, boarded with friends, then moved to a series of local apartments while their small new home was built. “At least I knew Divya would have a safe place to live in the event of my death, which I thought was coming sooner than later.” 

According to Botkin, the mold theory didn’t hold up: “The strain found in our basement was different from the one discovered in my urine. We tried leaving no stone unturned in terms of conventional medicine, alternative medicine, and integrative medicine – including an expensive stay at a Tijuana (Mexico) clinic specializing in desperate cases. For several years, I was scoped from top to bottom and even swallowed a small camera so they could take a look. Still: nothing definitive. It was very frustrating. I couldn’t function.”

Botkin explored aspects of the immune system, as well as polyvagal theory. “People carry accumulated trauma and stress,” he said, “and many of us live in ongoing fight or flight modes, which prevent deeper healing. I’ve learned that it’s vital to reconnect with moments of joy.” After struggling for years, Botkin “got sick of it all and decided to take a radical approach: I quit everything. I stopped taking supplements, stopped going to doctors, and resolved to try something different. I forced myself to get up every morning to work on the farm, even if it meant starting with a square inch of soil. I progressed to one square foot. Day after day, no matter how terrible I felt, I came to the farm from a nearby apartment and got to work, slowly and painfully.”

He started to feel improvements. “I consider it a miracle healing; nobody knows why I got sick or why I got better. It may sound odd to hear an old Jewish atheist talk about a miracle healing, but that’s what happened.” Focusing on gardening and the comeback of his farm, Botkin took it hour by hour and experienced a resurgence. Meanwhile, he and Shinn were contacted by a young couple interested in accessing gardening space. “They were expecting a baby, and wanted to get their hands in soil,” said Botkin. “It was great to have them around. We came back to our land, moved into our new house, and got our goats back.” They'd given the goats to fellow farmers with no expectation of getting them back; Botkin says the return of the goats is a big part of the resurgence of Laughing Dog Farm. He and Shinn have raised 25 generations of dairy goats, totaling over 275 animals. “They’re a blend of Saanen, Alpine, and Nubian,” said Botkin, “each with their own name. They represent legends of milky greatness.” 

Botkin emphasized that the mission of Laughing Dog Farm is “less about production, or even sustainability, and more about sharing, teaching and inspiring the dynamic, low-tech, permaculture tactics I’ve gleaned and practiced with great success.” He operated a small CSA for 14 years and “hauled a lot of produce to farmers' markets. But teaching and sharing is the only thing that really makes sense to me now, in terms of doing something integral and hopeful.”

In 2021, pandemic restrictions combined with Botkin’s illness halted all workshops, internships, and farm visitors, “but we’ve been back on the land for one year now, and are open to mentoring motivated volunteers once again.” They plan to offer several workshops this fall and invite interested folks to get in touch by email: Dannybotkin@gmail.com.

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“The theme of my workshops is what I call guerilla gardening. I encourage people to question the rules, because a lot of folks make the mistake of emulating commercial farms by mimicking practices like direct seeding, too much tillage, not enough mulch, and long straight rows. Guerilla gardening, on the other hand, is opportunistic: use what you have and be extemporaneous. Repurpose and salvage. We hardly even buy seeds anymore, since local seed swaps and giveaways are so generous.” As Botkin and Shinn settle back in at Laughing Dog Farm, they’re excited about resuming their decades-long practice of inspiring others, and doing so with an increased sense of gratitude and joy. 

Eveline MacDougall is the author of "Fiery Hope." To contact her: eveline@amandlachorus.org.