Farming isn’t new to Wa Kou. Before moving to the United States as a refugee in 2004, he was a farmer in his native Thailand. In fact, he comes from a family of farmers — both of his parents and his wife’s family have worked in agriculture. After years of gardening in his own backyard, Wa Kou stumbled upon Big River Farms' education program through a connection with the Hmong American Partnership, and the rest is history.
Wa Kou is one of many farmers who are a part of Big River Farms' aggregated CSA program. So far this season, you may have received organic basil, Thai basil, Romaine lettuce, salad mix, broccoli rabe, cherry tomatoes, and kohlrabi grown by Wa Kou. He also sells his delicious produce at both the Kingfield and Fulton farmers markets in Minneapolis under the name Twin Cities Green Farm.
Organic farming methods in the United States are different from the ones Wa Kou was accustomed to in Thailand. To be certified organic, there are a variety of regulations that he wasn’t used to being concerned with, such as where to source water for irrigation and how to clean crops and prepare them for market. Despite these differences, Wa Kou is passionate about organic farming. Before taking part in our farmer education program, he was voraciously reading about organic farming and urban farming techniques. Through this research, he learned about EM1, a microbial product for soil conditioning. Wa Kou is a huge advocate for the use of EM1 and was instrumental in getting the product approved through Big River Farms' organic certifier.
Wa Kou loves the idea of introducing EM1 to farmers in Thailand. Because of Thailand’s year-round growing season, he can see how it could help increase yields there in a safe way. Our farmer education program has been such a positive experience for Wa Kou that he hopes to be able to give back in the future. He looks forward to being able to pay it forward by mentoring new farmers.
“I’d really like to help coach. I want to help new farmers learn to use technology and how to compost." This is a perfect example of Wa Kou’s character: he loves to learn and gather knowledge. When he’s processed and mastered the knowledge, he wants to share it with anyone who can benefit. “If you can invest in just one acre of land you can do so much,” Wa Kou explains. Right now, Wa Kou is sharing his knowledge with his children, five boys and one girl. “I want them to know the skills. They don’t have to be farmers, but it’s a life skill they can use at any time.”
