So I sat there thinking about my job as I ate a German Chocolate Brownie that I had generously received as a sample from our baker, Jessica, who wants to add them to our offering. The brownie was amazing and we will be adding them to the web site soon, but I was not thinking about all the wonderful foods I get to eat. I kept thinking about all the incredible people I meet through the farm.
Our former General Manager, Tom, used to distill all the craziness that we deal with on a daily basis down to “It’s just people and products.” And this week his words were ringing true for me because before you even have products to feed people, you must first have the people. There is no artistry in the fields or in the ovens without the farmer or the baker. So to really get to know your food, you have to know the people behind it first.
I have known this for many moons I think, but for some reason, this week, this notion of the faces behind the food has truly shaped my week. And honestly it has changed the mission of the farm going forward. I’ll explain here.
I have to admit that I have been so steadfast in my belief in Organic farming that I have at times missed the food forest because of my focus on the Organic tree. I have realized that a healthy and sustainable food industry cannot be captured in one certified Organic label. The health of our food industry is shown in the faces and the stories of the producers and their families. It’s greater than one label.
The Organic question has come to the forefront recently as I have met a fellow chile grower from Las Cruces, a baker from ABQ, a grass-fed rancher from eastern NM, and a mixed vegetable and nut grower from the Phoenix area. Every one of us shares the passion for the land and keeping chemicals off the earth. Every one of us is trying to expand his/her operation to become more financially sustainable in this challenging economic landscape for small producers. The only real difference I saw as I took a step back from their operations is that we hold a certification and they do not. Have I been too myopic in looking for partners?
We all like to think that we make the right decisions all the time. Humility is definitely not human nature. As the sage philosopher Jack Handey once pointed out, “It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.” Now I don’t think I will cry for you, but I will admit that I have probably missed opportunities to strengthen our partnerships that we try to find and foster over the years.
We will continue to have our farm certified Organic. We have been certified since 2003 and don’t see the need to change that. It works for us and I really like the NM Dept. of Ag Organic folks. They have supported me and this farm since we broke ground. It is good to have that support.
So the expansion will be in who are partners are. I can no longer feel good about not helping a grower find a home for her/his food just because they do not have a certification. So I will be taking these situations on a case by case basis and making sure that they are chemical-free, are stewards of the land, and hold the same beliefs in the social justice aspect of agriculture that we do. If they are also certified Organic, great! But we will no longer exclude growers from the table just because they do not certify.
My last last thought on this stems from the necessity of certifications. If you are selling your goods as a (faceless) commodity then you need a third party to verify and certify a product. But when you are able to meet a producer, walk their operation and ask them questions, the need for third party certification seems redundant. Why have third party verification when we can have first person verification?
You have built your relationship with this farm (your farm) not on an Organic sticker that we slap on the fruit, but rather in trust. You trust that I will be there for your needs, just as I trust that you will be here to give support and loyalty to the farm. So in a very basic sense, I just ask that you trust me to grow and find the best food for you and your familia as we continue to grow our partnerships throughout the southwest. As always thank you for the support and please let me know if you have any questions.
Farmer Monte