Last week I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Utah Grower’s Gathering in Salt Lake City. Megan Robertson, our rep from Johnny’s Seeds, brought us together for a fun afternoon touring the Petersen Family Farms, trying out new tools, enjoying a delicious farm-to-table dinner and networking with other small-scale growers in the area.
So what do these tools do exactly?
Johnny’s Seeds specializes in providing seeds and tools for small commercial growers operating on a more human-scale (versus relying primarily on tractors and large equipment). They’ve worked with some of the notable growers in our field like Eliot Coleman and J.M. Fortier to create tools to help market growers. So it was great to connect with our rep and get a chance to demo some of the tools we may consider bringing onto our farm in the future.
While we’re still in the infancy of our farming operations we’re being very thoughtful about our purchases. We don’t want to purchase a gadget just because others rave about it. We want to make sure it fulfills a real need and could add substantial value before making that investment. We’ve read a lot of Ben Hartman’s work on applying the principles of lean management to farming and don’t want to accumulate extra items that contribute to inefficiencies in our operation. So it was fun to try different tools to see how they might be useful to us in the future.
Farm tour time!
I also really enjoyed touring Luke Petersen’s farm and hearing his heart for using this place as a way to build community. Their entire operation is based on this notion that a farm can be a catalyst for bringing people together and to connect them with nature. They have a beautiful market with incredible displays that mix old and new in such a thoughtful manner. While our own little farm stand doesn’t even compare to the scale of their market, we also hope it will serve a similar purpose in bringing community together on our farm. We want people to have a meaningful connection with where their food comes from and to be inspired by the possibilities of growing here in what can be a challenging climate.
It always boils down to people
While touring the farm and trying the tools was educational and entertaining, by far the best benefit was connecting with other local farmers. There were almost 50 people present, representing over 20 different farms, primarily in the Salt Lake area. There were a few new growers along with some who had been farming for over 40 years. Some focused on produce, others on flowers, a few on animals, but all with the intent to make a difference in their community by providing the highest quality products possible.
I was surprised by the number of farmers using permaculture principles as well as the number of non-profits using their farms to provide training and community for many marginalized communities. There were farms working with women getting out of abusive relationships, adults with special needs, at-risk youth and impoverished neighborhoods. Their stories were inspiring and it was energizing to see their passion as they approached farming in a way that goes beyond the bottom line.
Onward and upward
I left the evening feeling hopeful, happy and well-fed (our farm to table dinner made with all local ingredients was AMAZING)! It’s important to take time to make connections with local farmers and to realize we’re all in this unpredictable business together. We can be an encouragement and inspiration as well as a wealth of knowledge to one another as we all experiment and learn as we go. No matter what industry you are in, building meaningful relationships is always the best part!
