“In the short four years that we’ve been in existence, I would say that we’ve given hope to people that you can actually have control over your food system — regardless of the scale of farming — and that you can also run a viable agricultural business.”
We’re also mindful of our water usage, focusing on soil moisture retention versus just always trying to add more water, and giving the microbes a happy place to flourish, as well as the pollinators, and biodiversity. We just added chickens to our farm, so we’re happy to be incorporating that. And we have a robust composting program with a lot of members of the community; businesses like landscape companies and horse farms in the area come and deliver all their manure to us, that we turn into amazing compost.
It also comes down to how we treat our team. With regenerative practices, people always think about the land and the soil, but it’s also about how you take care of your people. I pride myself on encouraging wellness, and I believe we have a very high retention rate of people not missing days of work simply because they love what they do. They believe that they’re part of a bigger mission, so people take off when they need to but if they don’t need to, then they’re at work. I’m really happy to see people on this healing journey with me.
TRJ What is FarmerJawn doing to be a model for other farming businesses when it comes to regenerative practices? CB The bottom line is that we allow the soil to take care of itself by giving it room and space. We don’t do too much. We don’t make too much fuss. The majority of the first year-and-a-half of the healing process for every piece of land I go on is without equipment. For other pieces of land, we have to till in the beginning to get to the seeds so that they can germinate and die off. At the same time, there is a balance between business and doing what’s best for the soil. Typically, people go with production over people. While that could be smart from an economical standpoint, it’s not for the health of the soil and its nutrient density in the long run. So FarmerJawn really does focus on making sure that our soil is happy. Anywhere we go, we want to make the spaces better than when we got them.
So, what has FarmerJawn been able to do, and what market have we made? In the short four years that we’ve been in existence, I would say that we’ve given hope to people that you can actually have control over your food system — regardless of the scale of farming — and that you can also run a viable agricultural business. It’s not enough to just be a farmer; you need to know how to run a business as well. I have the experience of being an urban farmer, and I also have the experience of being more ruralish. Most farmers don’t have that insight and come from rural areas, like the large farmers out in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County. When you mention urban farming, they say it’s impossible to make that work. They can’t see it. And then there are
smaller farmers that want to get a piece of land. When you talk to them about, like, driving a tractor, it’s just daunting to them. I’m trying to help figure out a middle ground between them. Because both farmers — no matter the size of the land they’re farming — have something to share. We all are fighting the same type of pests; you have to fight harlequin beetles on a half-acre of land the same way you would on 30 acres of land. I’m trying to help find the common ground between these different types of farmers, while recognizing that the food grown closest to us is the food that’s best for us.
TRJ There’s a myth that farming in urban areas can’t be done. What do you say to that? CB A majority of people live in urban communities. That’s why we need to grow food in urban communities. And there are still people living in suburban and rural areas, so obviously we need to have food growing in those places as well. Currently, the food that we’re primarily eating, whether it’s from grocery stores or restaurants, is from 1,500 to 3,000 miles away. We have the power to do better. We have the natural resources, and we have the land. I really want to see us improve in that regard.
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ISSUE 02
AGRICULTURE AS CULTURE
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