How we Farm, Part 1: The Brief

5 minute read
published: 12/21/20
written by: Curtis 

Part 1: The Brief

We farm with people. Their comfort, safety, training, and motivation hinge on a positive workplace culture that prioritizes these ideas. We believe a healthy and safe workplace is the foundation to producing food with vitality and vibrance. Further, the purpose of all farms should be to produce food of the highest quality at scale that generates enough returns to sustainably support the farm stakeholders - namely the farmers, the customers, the community, and the land. 

"...the purpose of all farms should be to produce food of the highest quality at scale that generates enough returns to sustainably support the farm stakeholders - namely the farmers, the customers, the community, and the land. "

Business savvy is certainly important to success in farming, but we believe economic viability is actually inherent in an operation that measures its success in the quality of its produce. We also believe quality in production is only possible with a workplace and workforce that is similarly supported, nurtured, fair, and diverse. Obviously our production principles play a key role in the quality of our output, but it is our people that implement our practices. 

Every step of our process is critical if we are to have every seed we plant turn into produce. We have found that mindfulness uniformly affects every process we partake in. As farmers, we support living forces into the creation of products that sustain life through our connections and interactions. The gravity of this synergistic purpose can be grounded through exuding positivity into the work that we do.

"As farmers, we support living forces into the creation of products that sustain life through our connections and interactions. The gravity of this synergistic purpose can be grounded through exuding positivity into the work that we do."

Through mindful connection with each seed we sow, deliberate intent in each pass of our weeding hoe, and thankful harvesting thoughts, we as farmers attempt to put more positive energy into the food we grow. 

Practically speaking, mindfulness plays itself out on the farm in many ways:

• Always conscious to our place in the landscape and the presence of the traditional stewards of the land, past and present;
• Seeding and planting are great times to practice focus and care as we meet the plants during a critical point in their lives; we take a moment to align ourselves with this sacred act;
• Cultivation and other crop cultural practices offer opportunity to interact with plants and soil to ensure we nurture them; 
• Communication with plants is not as hard or strange as it may seem; with practice, you can feel comfort, hear cries for water, and understand signals of excess or deficiency;
• Harvest is a time of gratitude for soil, plant, and planets for cooperating to create our sustenance.
  

What we are practicing are the “soft” skills of empathy, compassion, and kindness that allow us as farmers to be mindful about what we are doing. Food and farming in America are disconnected. We recognize that we don’t need to keep using the same, inherently extractive systems. We feel spurred to trial systems and methods that go against this current and offer an alternate solution. 

To wrap things up, we offer these take aways:

• Do what you do with intention and mindfulness. If you aren’t in the right headspace, the product of your work will suffer. If food is your product, your customers will bear this burden.
• Treat staff and workers with respect, train them to think and feel instead of just seeding and cultivating. Compensate them well and fairly.
• Food has energy, it resonates; people have energy, we resonate - our energy as farmers affects the food that we produce. Positive energy and intention are as important as water and sunshine.

You may have expected us to discuss tillage practices, what we spray or don't spray, etc. Check out our other blogs for more of the production operations. 

Our blog series on our farming practices continues with: 

Part 2: Organic or Other?
Part 3: The Details
Part 4: Good Gardening Practices

These blog posts will go December 22, 23, 24, 2020. Stay Tuned!