A Food and Farming Vision

by FL MORRIS

Motivations.

From Capitalism To Human and Environmental Health

Our ultimate goal: to be a part of a local food system that allows food farmers to shift the focus of our production efforts away from tasks that center marketing, customer communications, capitol acquisition, and sales and storage related infrastructure. To work to re-delegate the marketing, bookkeeping, physical distribution, and some of the risk away from the farmer. To encourage a focus almost exclusive to the production of robust, delicious, flavorful vegetables and livestock crops, bound for the very community in which they live.  We envision a *truly* community supported food and agriculture system that not only supports farmers in their work, creates good paying jobs in the community, but also leaves no family or individual without access to fresh produce AND/OR meals made from locally sourced ingredients.

Farmer, Kitchen, Eater. 

A Community Collaboration

Many of us in food production, or who aspire to produce food, want to be farmers - primarily. We believe that farmers who grow food are providing an environmental service, a talent, and a nutritious product that supports human life with it's very nature. 

My 18 years experience in the field has provided a realization that the most challenging aspect of small scale vegetable production is marketing- getting that perishable product out to an eater at a price that covers costs and a farmer’s living wage. As an incredible, and very much missed, farmer and educator Chris Blanchard said - “We are not limited by what we can grow, but rather by what we can sell”. See CommunityKitchen.coop to see the culmination of our collaborative attempt to face this issue head on.

Alternative Solutions.

A different approach

We wish to continue to share our knowledge of growing food at small scale, and work to improve our own practices- keeping our own farmers’ mind and body in good health. We value opportunities to learn from others and work within a group of diverse voices. We are a firm advocate of barter, and continue to incorporate opportunities to trade farm produce, meat, and plants for products and services provided or produced by members of our local community. We are currently looking for more partnerships, connections, and opportunities to grow food for people who live near our farm. We look forward to increasing our community engagement as we navigate the next phase of our farming careers- and life's work.