Did you know - we have 17 farmers in our education program this season at Big River Farms, 13 of whom we source weekly veggies from to fill your CSA share? Meet BRF farmers Dee and Zoua of Mom's Garden! This week's veggie shares will contain organic broccoli, cucumbers, green cabbage, kale, nasturtium flowers, Thai basil, and watermelon grown by them from seed. Learn more below in our farmer chat with Dee.
Tell us about your farm!
Dee: It's called Mom’s Garden, I started it for my mom, Zoua. Growing up, my mom farmed every year over the summer – I would help her as a kid. Every fall, I would miss her produce after it had all been harvested. My mom never sold commercially. More recently, I encouraged her to start selling her veggies to make some money. I told her, “Mom, if you can grow it, I can help you sell it!”
Zoua is great at farming, everything she touches literally grows! Now, I focus on selling our produce at several farmers markets (Midtown, Kingfield, and Tiny Diner) and to Big River Farm’s CSA and food shelf program. I also do record keeping and paperwork behind the scenes, plus harvest and wash our produce.
Do you have a favorite or impactful farm memory?
As a little kid, I farmed with my grandmother who worked for other farmers. My grandmother would take me along with her to farm for my aunt in Wisconsin and we’d sell at a farmers market there. I have always been around a farming environment since I was very young.
What is your relationship with farming and/or organic food?
I know that it’s healthy for me and look forward to my mom’s fresh produce every year. I mainly buy meat at the grocery store and get fresh veggies from my mom and our farm throughout the summer and fall.
What has your experience been like so far at Big River Farms? How has the BRF program impacted you?
This is our second year at BRF – it’s been great! I love how BRF is here to provide us with guidance and farm tools, equipment, land, educational resources, etc.
Being a part of the BRF education program has brought my knowledge of farming to the next level. I have learned little things that really help us grow for commercial sales, like understanding how pruning and weeding can positively impact plant growth and learning the perfect time for harvesting different types of crops based on the weather and pests.
Are there any surprises you've experienced along the way?
I’m surprised that we surpassed our first-year income goal! I’ve also been surprised at how much hose you need to create a solid irrigation system and how much it costs to buy supplies, especially this year.
What challenges have you faced as an 'emerging' farmer?
Learning to keep an eye out for the changing weather – for example, harvests are dependent on market schedules so we might have to pick veggies in the rain or other bad weather. It can be difficult to balance needs and time with shared resources at the farm (i.e., shared farmer use of the pack shed, veggie and tote washing tables, etc.)
So far, what's been your biggest success?
When we first started, I wasn’t sure what markets we should sell to. Our biggest success has been selling to BRF’s CSA, at farmers markets, and through The Food Group’s food shelf program.
What do you enjoy about being a small business owner?
I like the freedom – it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s the one place that we feel the most free and relaxed.
What do you hope for the future of your farm?
I hope to eventually be able to get my mom her own land so she doesn’t have to continually find farmland to rent each year. I want her to be able to have a farm she can call her own.
