Meet an Eco-Farmer: Restoration Farm Why did you begin farming? We teach a class called “The Dream Giver,” and while meeting with a couple who had a dream of establishing an organic farm, we caught the dream. Our dream was different in that we wanted to grow crops that no other farms in the area were growing. Our choice was heirloom tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. Have you always been an ecofarmer, or did you make a change? Yes. We have chosen to grow our products completely chemical-free, and that includes any organic chemicals that we could use. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? We are in our 60s so the biggest hurdle is maintaining the energy to do chemical-free farming. The first big hurdle was not listening to the people who said we couldn’t do this at our age, or because we had never farmed before. What do you enjoy most about farming? We enjoy taking land that was in need of being restored and working to make it productive. We enjoy watching what we have sown break through that restored soil and become a healthy plant that is good for people to eat. It is really satisfying to have customers tell us how great our microgreens, vegetables and tomatoes taste. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Lupine Knoll Farm Jonathan Spero, Lupine Knoll Farm Why did you begin farming? I like working in the dirt. I like being outside physically working, and I like the quiet of the field. I began plant breeding because it is a way a person working in the dirt can make a lasting difference and contribute to the quality and diversity of the food supply for many people. Have you always been an ecofarmer, or did you make a change? I have always used organic practices. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Finding land to farm. It took until I was almost 50 years old. What do you enjoy most about farming? I like physical work outdoors. I like mud between my toes. I like producing high-quality food and new seed that will produce more high-quality food, and that open source will mean others can reproduce that food and those seeds into the future. Looking to create new open-pollinated varieties of sweet corn, I planted a 100-foot row of each of 14 sugary enhanced f1 hybrids and picked a favorite. Eight generations later, Top Hat, one of my first releases, was selected out of Tuxedo, one of those 14. Tuxana (white corn) Festivity (multi-color corn) and Ana Lee (yellow corn) all come from a cross between Tuxedo and an Anasazi landrace corn. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Feral Heart Farm Aaron Dinwoodie, Feral Heart Farm Why did you begin farming? To learn how to grow my own food and share that skill with others. Have you always been an ecofarmer, or did you make a change? Yes, I’ve always been an ecofarmer since I started farming. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Accessing quality farmland and water. What do you enjoy most about farming? That’s hard; there are so many things, I don’t like to play favorites. The thing I enjoy most about farming is growing seed to seed, seeing plant crops live out their full life cycles. In other words, seed saving. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Francis Flowers and Herbs Farm Earcine Evans, Francis Flowers and Herbs Farm Why did you begin farming? My family farmed growing up. I returned to the land 12 years ago to be nourished and renewed after being away for such a long time. In my time away I became a cosmetologist, owned a beauty salon and nearly lost my life to chemical poisons, which led to my personal journey to rediscover the knowledge that my grandmother had while raising me. Thus, Pure Cine All Natural Hair and Skin Care was born. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? Yes, I farmed with organic and biodynamic farmers in the beginning to learn about methods that would lead to well-stewarded land and good health for myself and others. I’ve never used any chemical or industrial pesticides, fungicides or herbicides on my land. What do you enjoy most about farming? I love being so closely connected with nature, memories of my ancestors and a way of life that honors my predecessors and heals both the heart and mind. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: King’s Crossing Farm Jimma & John Byrd, King’s Crossing Farm Why did you begin farming? My family has owned the land for many years. We wanted to use an organic system of agriculture to produce pecans. It’s very important to us to know how our food is grown, so we grow our own. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? From the time we took over the family farm we have always used organic methods. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Switching from conventional to solar power for irrigation and personal use. What do you enjoy most about farming? Great expectations for the next pecan crop and eating healthy food year-round. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Rama Farm Marilynn Lynn, Rama Farm Why did you begin farming? As a young child I recognized that I was happiest when pulling weeds or picking backyard raspberries. This understanding inspired a life-long pursuit of back-to-the land self-sufficiency. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? If the definition of eco-farmer is one who works with nature instead of against her than that would apply to our farming philosophy since the beginning. What do you enjoy most about farming? There is joy in every aspect of farming. Highlights include watching a new customer’s surprise when they bite into a peach and juice runs down their chin, seeing the miracle of alpaca births and devotion of the dams, picking a ripe piece of fruit that you have cared for since it was a tiny bud in an unopened flower, and being surrounded by the authenticity of plants and animals. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Mountain Meadows Farm Mountain Meadows Eco-Farmers Why did you begin farming? I love the land — hiking in West Virginia where I was born and raised, a World War II victory garden, fishing in Canada, and duck and goose hunting on a wheat farm in North Dakota. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? Yes. As a career pathologist with a special interest in breast cancer, I wanted the healthiest beef I could produce. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Paperwork requirements, organic certification, label approval, Whole Foods Market requirements, government requirements. What do you enjoy most about farming? Seeing herds of mother cows and calves in every direction on pasture on a beautiful summer day; improving our land. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Godsell Farm Mark & Pam Godsell Why did you begin farming? Our goal was and is to educate those interested in learning about farm life before technology took over and to promote the humane treatment of animals, all while making it a fun and enjoyable experience for all ages. A trip to the farm provides hands-on learning. We offer a hatchery program for local schools to bring the farm to the classroom and are starting an “adopt the farm” program where they can hear about daily life on a diversified farm in the classroom. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? Yes, it is truly a mission of ours — sustainable living, non-use of large equipment to farm, bringing today’s children to the farm to learn and explore where their food comes from. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Making a living, as Pam is still employed outside of the farm. What do you enjoy most about farming? The animals and how they contribute to the fields; the growing and sharing of veggies to our CSA members; having kids to the farm that have no idea where their food comes from — how crops are raised, how an egg does or doesn’t become a chick. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Quail Hill Farm/Peconic Land Trust Quail Hill Farm Summer Crew Why did you begin farming? I lived for a decade in Love Lane Cottage and Studio, Mousehole, on the Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall, England. When I learned that the cliff meadows, located at the end of our lane, were considered part of “the earliest ground in Britain,” how could I refuse? Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? Always. As a child of the 1960s, not having been raised on a farm, I asked the most obvious question: Why would I disrupt the ecology of a place with substances I had no part in producing and with no knowledge of the long-term effects? What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? Facing the conservative stance of an intransigent system — relatively new, yet in the grip of a powerful industry — and adamantly resistant to change. What do you enjoy most about farming? Sun, wind, rain, the texture of soil, late light brilliant on the hedgerows, the sound of the air reflected through a hawk’s wings, the miracle of a tiny seed able to produce a 12-foot stalk, and a flower and food as nourishment. I also admire the shine on the steel shanks of the chisel plow. (more…)
Meet an Eco-Farmer: Apple Ridge Farm Brian & Lisa Bruno, Apple Ridge Farm Why did you begin farming? I started farming while in college to make a little extra money one summer and caught the bug. Have you always been an eco-farmer, or did you make a change? Yes, we’ve been farming sustainably since the beginning. What was the biggest hurdle you have overcome? The biggest hurdle has been growing the business beyond my own capabilities by hiring employees and turning over some of the responsibilities of running the farm to them. What do you enjoy most about farming? I enjoy doing something real and feeding people truly good healthy food that was produced with no shortcuts. (more…)