Being in Conversation with Your Farmers
By Soirée-Leone
Over the years I’ve learned that knowing your farmer isn’t the same as knowing the name of the person who sells produce, flowers, meat, poultry, and other goods at a farmers’ market.
Knowing your farmer is visiting the farm, knowing what’s grown and raised on the farm, sitting down and having a one-on-one conversation, and learning why farming is so precious to them. Conversations build relationships and over the years you learn the reasons that supporting the farm with your wallet and your heart is vital to the financial viability of the farm.
Farm land doesn’t disappear—farm land dissolves into urban sprawl and/or is divided into much smaller parcels sold to the highest bidders. We can’t fault families who decide to sell to secure a better financial picture for their family—but we should closely consider our roles as consumers and the reality that small and midscale farming isn’t financially sustainable (meaning the farmer derives all or most of their income from farming) without significant community support, grants, and other forms of funding.
I recently sat down with one of my favorite farmers, Deanna Naddy, who owns Highland Realm Blueberry Farm located in the rolling hills of Hampshire, Tennessee.
“Land is sacred,” says Deanna.
Deanna has treated the land with great reverence by using biodynamic and biologic methods to tend to the soil and the 2,800 blueberry bushes, which in turn is caring for the water and all the creatures who live or pass through the farm. The farm is protected in perpetuity as part of the Tennessee Land Trust which ensures that the land will not be developed in the future.
“The farm is a community gathering place where people can come and enjoy the land,” says Deanna.
Farmers’ markets are held on Tuesdays (April-September) and Satrudays (June-August) and workshops to show and teach people how to forage, make herbal remedies, cook, and preserve food.
The farm’s annual Blueberry Bash which kicks off the blueberry u-pick season on June 15th. Stop by the farm to meet Deanna, pick blueberries, and enjoy the festivities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soirée-Leone is an educator and writer focused on food preservation and putting food on the table. Signup for her workshops to learn how to creatively and strategically preserve food: www.soireeleone.com/