The fresh face of the modern day farmer

I grew up in Vermont, so I will forever have the image of an old white man in blue overalls and a John Deer tractor imprinted in my mind every time I think about farming. So when I met a young, fresh, and fashionably dressed farmer (oh, and did I mention female?) during my adventures with Sukkot on the farm, it made my head spin. The very fact that I was there camping out on farm should tell you right away that something was...well...different.



This is a different breed of farmers, many of them are first generation farmers, and see farming as a political statement rather than a family business. It’s not about dairy farms and tractors and big barns anymore. We’ve all read the headlines that farming is hard business and impossible with out government subsidies. The subsidy for this new brand of farmer is unexpected and includes yoga studios, art shows, hosting camping trips, using vending machines to distribute their produce, and renting studio apartments as a way to support their career/life style choice of farming. And just to clarify, in case you’re thinking what I’m thinking: these aren’t yuppies trying their hand at farming, these are people who have been farming for a living for ten years.

Steph and Paul of  Green Oaks farm,  explained the principles that guided their decision process around deciding if they should expand their farm:

They also explained that given that they share a well with another farm and neighbor, and that California is in a drought, they needed to start preparing for the future. So they demolished the old barn that was falling down, and rather than build another they took the wood and used it to make a community center where they plan to host yoga classes and community events.

Want to know and support your local farmer? Joining your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a great place to start:



A stone’s throw from this farm (literally) is Pie Ranch. Once again, there are tell tale signs that something is different. For starters, the farm has a website, a blog, videos on YouTube and sends it’s goods to Mission Pie.

Mission Pie: you know the one, the pie shop in San Francisco @ev from Twitter loves to RT.

Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.

Along with being a bonified farm Pie Ranch has a mission:
to inspire and connect rural and urban people to know the source of their food, and to work together to bring greater health to the food system from seed to table. They also host youth from regional high schools to participate in farm-based programs and activities. Pie Ranch also works with educators and community collaborators in diverse urban, suburban and rural settings to help students apply what they’ve learned at Pie Ranch in their daily lives. An integral piece of Pie Ranch’s vision is to partner with youth around food & farming.  Our main focus is on providing the opportunity for repeat visits rather than one-time experiences on the farm. We believe that repeat visits build upon themselves; youth connect to the land, to the staff, and to each other. Trust and respect grow as youth experience the cycle of days, weeks, months, seasons, and years.

Check out Farmer John talking about a day in the life Pie Ranch (you may now him from the documentary “The Real Dirt on Farmer John.”)

Craving a hay ride? Or perhaps you are craving fashion tips from your local farmer... joining your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is a great place to start!



Related links:

Farmers Use Vending Machines to sell produce: Mother Nature Network

Hot Organic Farmers (photos): Huffington Post

Farm Girls (video)