In 2011, Dr. Weiss, disillusioned with the conventional medical system, sold all of his assets and purchased a historic 300 acre property in Long Valley, New Jersey. There, he founded Ethos Farm to Health, a space where health, sustainability, and community converge. “The conventional medicine system I was in continued to collapse… I decided it was a good time to change course,” he reflects.

Ethos Farm is more than just a farm. It is a living laboratory for regenerative agriculture. From just three acres of cultivated land, the farm produced over 40 tons of food last year, feeding hundreds of people weekly. Dr. Weiss explains, “The nutrition of food is dependent on the soils that the food comes from.” Regenerative farming rebuilds soil health, restores ecosystems, and strengthens the connection between food and wellbeing.

By healing the soil, we heal ourselves, creating a cycle of nourishment that benefits both people and the planet. On the farm, Dr. Weiss integrates lifestyle medicine into his practice, a form of healthcare that emphasizes living habits and preventative care rather than solely managing chronic diseases. “Our current medical system is really expensive and unfair and ultimately creates the management of chronic diseases. It doesn’t really do anything except just keep you sick,” he says.

For Dr. Weiss, the magic lies in the plants themselves. “We evolved around them. They evolved to heal us, and if we take care of them, they’ll take care of us, and everything surrounding them.” Ethos Farm to Health is the embodiment of this vision, a place where soil, plants, people, and healthcare are interconnected in a regenerative cycle, nurturing both individual and planetary health.

Volunteered and Interviewed by Ella Whipple