Archives for January 2015

I, like many of you, are probably looking at your taxes for last year. Going through the numbers something jumped out at me, our advertising budget. It was tiny. It almost made me feel sorry for the little fella. I wanted to go out and buy a billboard or paint a bus or hire a dude in a gorilla outfit to spin a banana with the words, “Don’t Panic, It’s Organic!” But then I drank a cup of half-caff Chai tea and calmed down. No crazy expenditures this week.

Looking at these numbers made me question something though. How the heck can we continue to grow when we only spend .7% (don’t miss the decimal there kids) of our entire budget on advertising? And the answer is so simple, our members do the advertising for us. We are fortunate.

So coming into February, I thought that we should try something new to thank you for all your hard work you do in spreading the good word about the farm. Having you spread the word for us allows us to keep your money in building you a better farm rather than printing coupons.

Therefore, the editors at HaulMark and I have gotten together to declare this February the “Good Friends, Good Food” month. And how this will work is pretty straight forward. For every new member you bring to the farm this month, you will receive a $20 credit to your account after their second order. We have never done this before, but I feel pretty confident that our members can tell our story better than any advertising is able to do. So let’s try this out for the month and see how it works. You find people interested in eating better and we will give you free food.

Back to the farm now. We are coming into the last month of our “off-season.” I love calling it that because there ain’t much “off” about this time of year. But still it is cold outside so we cannot call it our season either. Regardless of what you call it, March 1st is when things really amp up. That is when we can finally get plants back into the open fields. We have pushed it into February in the past, but it never works out well. The fields are too sleepy in February. But March is when the magic returns.

So February is our last chance to get drip irrigation supplies ordered, row cover to protect the plants from frost, wind and bugs, and to make sure fresh seeds are ready to hit the soil. A very exciting and anxious time around the farm. In addition to all the supplies we order, we also start stocking up our barn with interns as well. And seeing as how it is supposed to snow tonight and it is too early to talk about Chinch Bugs, let’s talk about our internship program.

When people hear or think about an internship they think about businesses trying to find cheap labor. A loophole. But for me and our farm this could not be further from the truth. Our internship program is a gateway drug to try and get folks to call a farm their office. I hold this type of hands-on training very dear because it was the path that I took to take a green thumb and forge a lifestyle.

I lived in tents, teepees, and trailers on other farms to develop the skills that I thought I needed to start my own farm. And after three years of training, it was time to launch my own. Now in all honesty, I probably needed more training than I had received, but I had a solid enough foundation to take the leap.

Now, 15 years later, I can look back at that move to intern on a farm as one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I also look around at our employees and see that we employee 10 of our former interns. And not all at the farm. In the office, in the fields, in the warehouse, and behind the wheel. Our interns have been/are/will be an integral part of our mission as a farm and as a business. Teaching the next generation of growers does not only build up our farm, but it shapes the future of the local food scene.

So our goal is not only to train these farmers in the field, but we also want to impart on them that New Mexico is a viable place to run a sustainable farm. The demand is here. We want to see more hands in the dirt and more food in your belly. Slowly but surely we are getting there.

Gracias,
Farmer Monte

Seeing as how this seems to be the week for all the states of our various unions, why not continue it with your farm. And so I would like to give a quick rundown on 2014 and what we are looking at for the upcoming year.

2014 was a big year for the farm I feel. I think that it was the year when I truly came to grips with the fact that it takes a village to feed our communities. From the very beginning the farm has always been about more than one person, and now, it seems to have grown past the work of just one farm. When I look at things now, our family farm has really grown to become a family of family farms. And it makes me smile to see this direction.

For a long time I have really disdained the notion that someone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” We live in a connected world. We live in communities. Every single one of us is exposed to inspirational people, books, ideas, and mentors on a daily basis. So to fool ourselves that we live in a vacuum of self-reliance is just silly to me. And in all honesty, the richest part of the journey comes after independence. It is when we realize the strength associated with interdependence.

It is the idea that when we choose to give up a little control, we can get so much in return. This happens in our lives as well as in our businesses. By letting go of this idea that “I have to be an island,” things change. And this transition is one that I think we started this year. Our farm (your farm) does so many great things, but we do not have to do them all. We can work with partners who also do great things and it only strengthens the work we do. It is not competing with our work, but enhancing it.

With these partnerships, we have been able to gain access to quality foods, varieties, and value that we have never had before as a farm. And this comfort and understanding of how we fit in the overall local food industry came to the forefront in 2014. As I said, I could not be happier about this direction. We are really putting together (with your help) something that is not and has not been done in NM.
So how does that tie into the future of the farm? 2015 will definitely be building on this foundation that we energized last year. Right now we are trying to put together final touches on an incredible beef program that will bring you greater access to New Mexico’s highest quality beef on a year-round supply. This is looking to be a very promising addition to complement our expanding fish, pork, and chicken offerings. Look for this in the coming weeks.

Looking at my Chinese New Year calendar, 2015 looks to be the year of Quality. We have restructured our packing line in the warehouse so that fewer hands touch the product before it gets to you. But we have made bigger strides than that. We have made the connections to growers within our region who are looking to bring fresh produce into New Mexico and be able to grow their farms.

The relationship with the CSA allows them to let us know what is fresh from their fields, so we can plug it in to your orders. This ends up being a pretty seamless flow of product for you, but it is made possible by the partnerships that we have been building.

For example, the produce world is standing on its head right now. Winter freezes have caused some of the most devastation that we have seen in years. But, thankfully, our partners have sheltered you from this reality. Because you support their farms every week, we get first priority when things get tough. So as grocery stores see skyrocketing prices and limited availability, you see consistency and fresh quality produce. All made possible by our partners.

The one hurdle I want to clear this year is to add recipe kits on the web site. These would basically be kits that would have all the ingredients and a recipe to make a healthy and quick meal at your casa. Picture a fish taco dinner for 4, all you would have to do is click one button and all the ingredients would then be added to your order. I think this will be a fun way to bring excitement and convenience to your kitchen experience.
Thanks for all your support. Let’s have a great year.

Farmer Monte

I had a very eye-opening dinner this week that I want to share with you. I was not in some fancy-smancy restaurant in San Francisco or New York, but rather at my very own dining table sitting on my very uncomfortable chairs that I have been meaning to replace for many moons. Anyway, back to my plate, 7 oz of catfish, sauteed kale, oven roasted potatoes, and fresh slices of bell pepper for some color. By all regards a healthy and pretty darn tasty meal I’d say.

But none of that grabbed me. As I looked at my plate, I asked a question that I seldom ask when I cook at home—how much did this meal cost? Maybe you ask yourself that more frequently, but being a thick-headed Norwegian, I just asked myself this for the first time in a long time. The answer that I came up with was $6! I thought my mental math was wrong. Too much wine can fuzzy the calculator you know. No way I could have a fish dinner with Organic veggies for $6. So I double checked my math, $3.50 for the fish and $2.50 for the medley of veggies.

I thought to myself that I would have paid $6 to get fast food tacos with an order of abdominal cramping. Or cheap burgers topped with a sodium headache. How could this be? How can our fresh and healthy food be the same price?

It was at this point when I started to think about all the times I have heard over the years that “It is too expensive to eat local/Organic.” Or “It’s yuppie food.” Folks, I do not want to sit back and allow this ridiculousness to continue. We as a community should not allow people to make such unfounded statements any more.

The statements that we should make is that we care about the health of our food, we care about the health of our earth, we care about the health of our local economy, AND we care about the health of our wallets. Therefore, because we care about all of these things, we choose to buy locally and Organically. The more we know and learn as educated consumers, the less we are able to fallback on excuses that carry no weight. Sunshine truly is the best disinfectant. So let’s shed light on these issues.

OK, so I will jump down off my Soap Box (which is made with 100% recycled materials by the way) and give you an update on our move to the southern part of the state to see what the demand is for healthier food options.

Many of the smaller communities around our state just are not on the radar of natural food stores. The populations just cannot sustain a brick and mortar store. And this is where I feel the model of the CSA can bridge this access to better food options. Our deliveries or drop-offs do not need the same population density for our model to work. We don’t need expensive stores to make the model viable, we just need support from the community. Our low overhead keeps us very flexible and we can add drop-offs in a day.

So with this in mind, let me share a success story for how our model can get into a community very efficiently.

Alamogordo, NM. Population ~32,000. We drive right through Alamogordo to get to our members’ kitchens in Ruidoso. So this week there was some interest in their community to get a drop-off started. 4 days, Facebook, 1 drop-off location, and 36 new members later, we will start bringing Organic/regional foods to Alamogordo. To me this represents a total success story for the future of how our statewide food system can look.

You are probably saying, “Dude, Farmer M, you cannot drive from ABQ to Alamogordo for 36 orders? That does not make sense.” And you’d be right if that was our only drop. But, we are not only going to Alamogordo, we hit 6 communities on a big loop that fills up our delivery truck and makes the whole trip financially viable for us.

Seeing the support from new communities like this brings the vision into focus for this rural land of enchantment we call home. We have to look at each community in NM not as a single entity but rather a part of the whole. Seeing the state through this collective lens will bring amazing food access to areas that again just are not on the radar for stores. This brings an exciting potential to our state I think.

Have a great week.

Farmer Monte

First up, a reminder that fish is now happening and on the web site for orders. Salmon, tuna, scallops, tilapia, catfish, and shrimp. A great line up and a good foundation for building a wonderful addition to the party. Jump on the web site and try some out.

Pork. We just processed 5 of our pasture-raised pigs from our South Valley farm and all the pork is now available on the web site. Stock up your freezers because the pork never lasts long. We are trying to raise more pigs, but even doing 120 a year does not fill our demand. So fill those freezers while it is here.

Last bit of housekeeping news this week—delivery days. Last year we implemented multiple delivery days for all of our members in the greater ABQ area and Santa Fe. So keep this in mind if you miss your cut-off time (like I do). You can manage your account to have deliveries the same day every week or you can change days very easily to best fit your needs. We have a lot of new members right now so I wanted to definitely point this out to remind everyone.

This week I want to talk about a new direction that we are expanding into in the southern part of the state. Somehow and someway, we have built a really strong and loyal member base in the Las Cruces and El Paso area. This, in all honesty, has surprised me because we have not had any people in those areas. No boots on the ground.

During a lunch over the holidays we were talking and asked the question, how can we put more energy into those areas who support the farm? Then literally 3 hours later, Cameron Banks one of our seasoned drivers asked me about moving him into an expanded sales role. Next thing you know he is packing a delivery truck not with orders but with his house (and dog) and moving to the LC.

So I am happy to announce for our southern members that help and energy is on the way. We are hoping to continue to build on the support that you have already given us to add more pick-up locations and eventually home delivery.

Folks, I cannot stress enough just how important the collaborative CSA model is for the future of the local food scene. Farms and suppliers coming together to market under one roof or delivery van is the future of the local food scene. As Hans and Franz from Saturday Night Live used to say, “Hear me now and believe me later.” But the collaborative CSA is it.

The USDA is already getting ready to dump the food hub model. They do not work. They are sexy on paper but in reality they are not effective. Why?

The reason they do not work is because they are nothing new. A Food Hub is a cute way of saying “middleman”. They are yet another organization that get in between you and the person who grows/bakes/milks your food. And with every middleman who touches your food, you as the customer lose freshness and value. And both of those we should not stand for in our food system. Our food system should be as direct as possible from grower to you. Anything else we have to call it what it is, a compromise.

The good thing is that we are seeing this movement happen all over the country right now. Farmers, ranchers, and ladies who love tamales are coming together as one. And as one these suppliers are finding solidarity, consistency in sales, and increasing sales year over year.

Our partnership grew by 13% last year. With that, more trees are being planted at Excelsior Orchards, more dairy cows are needed to fill your cereal bowl, more bread is in the oven, and we are filling more greenhouses for year-round vegetable production. All of our partners are growing. And these partnerships will be what we continue to cultivate in 2015 and beyond. With all of your support, a special thing is emerging here in New Mexico.

So cheers to Cameron and all of our members down south and cheers to you for making this farm such a fun and progressive place. We could not do it without you.

Happy munching, amigos.

Farmer Monte

It probably comes as no shock to you that eating better is always one of the top new year’s resolutions that people hope to achieve every new year. I get it too, the holidays are a tough time for even the most devout healthy muncher. So we start the year strong and usually by the time we celebrate the life of Dr. King, our “I have a dream” speech that we give ourselves at the beginning of the year has become “I had a dream.” Resolutions over. Back to our old ways. So how the heck can we avoid this treadmill?

I believe that we are able to stick to resolutions in 2 pretty easy steps. The first is that we have to set realistic goals for ourselves. I’m not going to run the first marathon of my life this St. Patty’s Day. And probably not going to have six-pack abs by Groundhog Day. So when we look at eating healthier, we have to realize that it is a commitment to changing or refining a lifestyle.

The food we eat is a choice. This may sound pretty self-evident but I think it needs to be thought of like this. For the first time in human history, we have to make food choices. What type of carrots do I want to buy? That question was not an issue for our grandparents throughout the Great Depression. “Do we have food to eat?” may have been the question rather than are the carrots Organic? We are fortunate to be at a point in history that we can make food choices. I honestly think it is a pretty big sign of development and making progress as a people.

So we need to be cognizant that our health and our lifestyle is comprised by the sum of our choices as an individual. To distill it down, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say “My lifestyle is my choice.” I really like this idea as well because it cuts through all the excuses and leaves us with personal accountability and free will. Pretty simple.

With that under our belts we come upon the next stage of a successful resolution—fun! Is your resolution fun? Because having fun is one of the most sustainable emotions that we have as humans I think. Therefore, in order to make a resolution stick, make it fun and make it a choice.
Here is a great example of this sticking power. Last January, we got a flood of new members. The farm, like most gyms, is a very active place in January as resolutions are churning. We have been able to keep over half of the members who signed up last January. Sure we lost some resolution folks, but we have retained over half of them. And this retention has not happened by accident. We strive to make your food experience fun, educational, and rooted in your choice of substitutions. I am not here to force feed any of you. I want you to make the choice to eat healthy and then we will put the choices in front of you.

With all of this said, I want to share some cool stuff that we have been working on to help keep you on track this resolution season.

Fish. After much discussion and diving into logistical scenarios, I think we have a plan to add fish to our offering. This has proven to be harder than I thought it would be. Between country of origin, sustainable practices, farm vs wild caught, and prices, fish is no easy addition. So here is what we are looking at adding to the web site this week.

Shrimp, scallops, tilapia, tuna, sockeye salmon, and catfish. We have been working with Craig Risk and his team at Seattle Fish Company of NM to bring our members the highest quality fish while remaining very conscientious of sustainable practices. Craig is a member of the farm as well so it makes it easy for him to think like a member 🙂 Please let me know if you have any questions about this move.

Hydroponic. I do not think that we will see any colder temperatures than we have already seen hit our greenhouse trial and the verdict is pretty amazing. Green growth. We have over 10,000 plants in just 3,000 square feet and they are all growing wonderfully for this time of year. I would like to invite folks down to the South Valley farm next Saturday 1/10 at 10 am to check it out firsthand. We will be talking about the system along with looking at potential expansion of this project and its application for urban ag.

Cheers to a New Year, Farmer Monte