Rebecca

I am originally from Louisiana, USA and was an (unconventional) Master Gardener there. I had my own small farm where I exercised organic-like practices in my 1/4 acre garden and 1/2 acre orchard, as well as animal husbandry. I raised rabbits, chickens and dairy goats. I loved to experiment implementing my animals in my gardening production and rotations such as fertilization, cleaning out beds, clearing new garden areas, composting, etc. I taught a couple classes specifically in that area as well, since it is not something that is commonly done. I have a great passion and a desire to educate the general public about wholesome, organically produced foods and growing their own groceries, as well as education in food preserving methods and fermentation. In addition to that I also am a natural health and wellness educator and am constantly looking for ways to encourage others in their lifestyle choices. My husband and I are in our early 30s, married two years, and are looking to relocate and start implementing our passions for self-sufficiency and supplying and educating the general public in REAL, wholesome foods.

Experience

I went through the Master Gardener program and certification in Louisiana, USA I worked at M.A.S Tomato greenhouses for 5 years, being promoted all the way to greenhouse manager during my work there. I worked my own self-sustaining farm on my parents property for 3 years, gardening 1/4 acre, having 1/2 acre of orchards, raising milk goats, meat rabbits and meat and laying chickens. The past two years I have been limited to a small garden area, but we made it the talk of the town and added a small greenhouse in this past year, selling non-gmo seedlings we had raised to the community. I also have a pretty vast knowledge of food preservation, dehydration, fermentation and making soft goat cheeses.

Partner(s)

I will be farming with my husband who, though he has a little less experience, is a hard worker, fast learner and even more passionate about real and wholesome living than I am!

Farm Vision

My desire would be to build a farm from the ground up, or totally replenish and reorganize an existing space. I would plan to start at a manageable pace, such as smaller garden area and chickens, and build on that as I have means, time and opportunity. The large scale dream would be to have a sizeable market garden with a wide variety of herbs and vegetables, greenhouses for winter production and raising organic, non-gmo seedlings for the surrounding communities, orchards for u-pick options and market sales and of course bee keeping, chicken tractors for both layers and meat birds, rabbits for fertilizer for the garden and orchard, some small beef cattle if room permits and a small dairy for milk goats. Of course in this there would need to be a commercial kitchen for food washing, packing, preservation and dairy processing. If it were at a fully large scale, workers would be supplied via internship programs, so as to spread knowledge and passion of providing our food in the right way. For the farm itself, the goal is to grow things in such a way as the farm will become fully self-sustaining, each part contributing to the others, and the sales covering all wages, supplies, growth and expenses. The goal would not only be market production, but also educational experiences via tours and classes, possibly virtually online, but in person would be ideal!

Relationship with Farm Owner

In some ways, I think someone that has a great space, but no idea what to do with it would be a great match The plan I have in mind has been in practice, study and development for years, so while I am open to ideas and suggestions, I do have some methods I like to stick with and won't waver from. I naturally am a teacher and a giver, so if they are open and want to learn the ins and outs of the farm, I'd be more than happy to show/teach them, and they will always have a fresh supply of produce/eggs/milk/fruit/meat... whatever is in production at the time, (and probably some fresh made artisan bread from me time to time. :) in addition to preserved foods and such. In my opinion, the owners and workers get their needs met first, and as things grow and produce more, then you provide to the public. If they would like to have monetary investment involvement, that would also be welcome as it will help productivity and profit come much quicker. As market exposure and popularity increase, the farm owner would get a percentage of all sales made as his/her part. The greater the investment in terms of land, buildings, etc. the greater the return they will receive.