Tractor Beam Launches as the Future Farmer's Almanac -- A Literary Guide for Bold Ideas and Hopeful Futures

Rooted in Soilpunk, Tractor Beam Invites Readers to Imagine a Thriving Planet 

DENVER, March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For centuries, farmers have turned to almanacs — part guide, part inspiration — to navigate the seasons and plan for what's ahead. Tractor Beam is a new kind of almanac — a Future Farmer's Almanac planting bold ideas about how we might shape a thriving planet. Rooted in the emerging genre of Soilpunk, Tractor Beam explores radical visions of hopeful futures built from the soil up, blending earth science, regenerative ideas, and storytelling to imagine what's possible when we work in harmony with nature.

Supported by Tractor Beverage Company, the only USDA Organic Certified beverage for food service, Tractor Beam is an extension of the brand's commitment to cultivating a better food system and a better future.

"Ideas can take root in the most unexpected places," says Duke Stump, Chief Brand Officer for Tractor Beverage Company. "Tractor Beam is our way of tossing some seeds out there, a way to see what might grow when curious minds and hopeful hearts come together. We're not trying to predict the future; we're just inviting people to imagine what's possible."

Launching March 20, 2025, Tractor Beam is a bold new literary platform that blends regenerative agriculture, soil science, and earth-centered innovation with visionary storytelling. Each quarterly issue is designed to reflect the changing seasons, reminding us that renewal, growth, and transformation are part of life's natural cycle.

"Tractor Beam is a community rooted in the life-giving power of soil, a force that grounds us, feeds us, and fuels imagination," says Lana Porter, Co-founder & Editor-In-Chief of Tractor Beam. "We believe fiction shapes our future, and through storytelling, we can cultivate bold ideas that inspire change."

The debut issue, titled "Generation," explores themes of renewal and possibility, blending tradition with innovation to imagine what new futures might grow from old wisdom. Like an almanac, each quarterly issue of Tractor Beam will reflect the changing seasons, reminding us that renewal and growth are part of the cycle of life.

Claire Gustavson, Co-founder & Editor-In-Chief, adds, "Our goal is to build a community of storytellers who see hope as an active force, one that drives innovation and redefines what's possible. Each story is accompanied by thoughtful annotation that grounds its ideas in real-world science and research, helping readers connect bold imagination with practical possibility."

Tractor Beam's inaugural Soilpunk Open Call celebrated stories that challenge convention and imagine bold possibilities for the future. Judges included LinYee Yuan, founder of MOLD; Joycelyn Longdon, founder of Climate in Colour; and Paul Goodenough, Emmy-nominated writer and founder of Rewriting Extinction.

The Narrative Category Winner, Gunnar de Winter, is a Belgian biologist turned science writer whose fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, Heartlines Spec, and Future SF Digest. His winning story, Desert Beetle Song, earned high praise from Judge Longdon as "an incredibly powerful story... wholly transportive, organic, and engaging." 

The contest also recognized two additional winners. Chisom Umeh's Ancestor's Gift was selected as a standout for its powerful reflection on legacy, land, and the wisdom we inherit. Christopher Muscato's Hush Up and Eat Your Dirt, Child earned honors for its inventive and deeply human exploration of soil as both sustenance and survival. 

These stories don't just challenge what's possible; they imagine what's better. Writers inspired to contribute to future issues can submit their work at tractorbeam.earth. Submissions for the Summer 2025 issue are open now through May 15, 2025.

About Tractor Beam

What if our brightest hope wasn't in the stars, but in the soil beneath our feet? Tractor Beam is a quarterly fiction publication dedicated to Soilpunk: radical visions of hopeful futures built from the ground up. Our stories explore bold ideas around farming, food, earth science, and beyond — reimagining how humans can live more harmoniously with nature. Tractor Beam is financially and ideologically supported by Tractor Beverage Company, the first USDA Organic Certified beverage for food service. Tractor is committed to creating a food system free from harmful chemicals and inspiring people to think differently about the power of healthy soil.

Media Contact:

Chrystie Heimert

[email protected]

802-338-2556

SOURCE Tractor Beverage Company