Brenton and Jason in a lettuce patch. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We are kicking off a series of employee spotlights to introduce you to some of the people behind the scenes who are responsible for filling your fridge each week. We hope this series will give you a little more insight about the planning, growing, harvesting, packing, and delivery of JBG's organic veggies around Texas. Today we're showing off our Assistant Farm Manager, Jason Hamelwright - Jason has been with the farm for just over 3 years and is an invaluable asset to our team. Community - meet Jason!

Jason has been around JBG for a while now. In 2012, he was a regular workshare at our Garfield Farm. We hired him first as farm driver, transporting all of our harvests between the field and the packing shed. Jason then became our Garfield Farm workshare coordinator, then a field coordinator and farm administrator, and most recently has taken on the huge job of assistant farm manager! We interviewed Jason this week to learn more about his experience at JBG and what he's doing when he's not working on the farm.

Where did you grow up, and what brought you to JBG?

My family moved around Texas growing up, but I spent most of my early years just outside of Victoria, TX near the coast. I lived with family in the Dallas area for a bit, and eventually moved with my wife to Belton to attend school. I was in a tech field, and she was studying nursing, so after school we moved to the Austin area to find good work. I had lived here for a time growing up, and coming back felt like I was moving home. I can't really explain why it felt that way - it was insignificant little things like the stickerburrs that grow here, but not on the coast, that just seemed right.

In 2011, I was a freelance developer, building a website that was sort of a food research hub. I loved eating at local restaurants and wanted there to be a resource for consumers to find out where all of the ingredients came from - who grew them, how they were grown, etc. Before I started talking about local food, I figured I should have some experience growing it. So I visited the Cedar Park Farmers Market, found the JBG workshare program, and started volunteering. Before long, I was bugging the field coordinator for a job, and was hired on in the farm driver position.

I figured I'd give it a year - I never imagined that I would be here 3 years later. But after realizing how much enjoyed both the hard labor and constant problem solving, it became apparent that farming is a great fit for me.

Jason as farm driver.

What is your current role at JBG?

As assistant farm manager, I do a little bit of everything. Right now, most of the work is crop planning for the year ahead. I try to take the requests of all of the managers (CSA, farmers markets, wholesale, field crew, Brenton) for what they would like to see grown this year. It's my job to respect everyone's needs, and also to apply priorities and sensibility with my knowledge of the workings of the farm, to create a field plan that best suits the goals of the company.

Once this plan is made, I work hand in hand with our greenhouse manager to make sure transplants are ready in time, with the field crew to make sure they know what beds need to be prepared and have all the resources they need to do it, as well as working with drivers, mechanics, and managers to coordinate what happens post-harvest - basically, Imake sure all of the pieces of the puzzle are fitting together properly.

What drew you to agriculture and local food systems?

One thing I love most about this field is the community building that grows from the farm. Within the farm, we have a community of hard working team members, both in the field and out. You have to have some serious work ethic to gain the respect of those around you, and our relationships on the farm are really strong because  we do work so hard together for a shared goal. Outside the farm, I see a great community who is working together to help change the trend of modern-day diets towards a healthier alternative. This is really important when I look around and see how our diet has changed in the past few decades, so I'm glad to be a part of the solution.

Jason with his sons.

What does your life look like off the farm?

Off the farm, I'm a huge family guy. I have two sons - Derrick, who is 2 1/2 years old, and Lucas, who is just 1 month. My wife and I love to go out to eat at local restaurants, but with a growing family it's been hard to find time and energy to do so. I love listening to music and podcasts at home, while I either cook, clean or fix things around the house. I also spend a lot of time playing with my sons - Derrick loves spending time outside with his dad, building a garden, kicking a ball around, or playing with the mountain of toys that the grandparents have bestowed on us.

What's cooking in your kitchen these days?

In the winter, one of my favorite meals is to get a big roast in a pan with all of the winter vegetables - carrots, onions, even radishes and fennel cut into big chunks. I add oregano, rosemary and thyme from my garden along with some hardy winter greens and roast them all together.

On the weekends, I'm a barbecue guy. I like to grill just about every vegetable out there, though I am still trying to figure out the best way to grill sweet potatoes without wrapping them up in foil. Our family loves to put ribs, lamb, or steak on the grill along with all of the veggies in our CSA box and enjoy some time outside.



What might people be surprised to learn about you?

I've got an artsy side to me that comes out in various ways. I love to try my hand at amateur photography! I have a pretty nice camera and try to find opportunities to use it whenever I can. I also play guitar and trumpet, have a graphics design degree, and have edited film documentaries and loved it.

Favorite and least favorite crops?

I don't really think I like or dislike any crops more than others, they are all part of the farm system and I like growing them all. (After some prodding:) I really love the looks of a field of lettuce - the long rows of different colors are very visually appealing. Although I really like zucchini, especially on the grill, last year we had a lot of trouble growing it due to some weather issues and bad spacing. I wouldn't say it's my least favorite though - it's just a problem that we get to try and solve this year.



Staff Survey: If Jason were a veggie, which one would he be, and why?

Ada, Brenton, Nellie: A carrot! He's sensible, versatile, and well-liked by everyone. He's hardy and can deal with lots of personalities, weather disasters, and a newborn with grace and humility. Carrots are used across many different cuisines, and Jason works very well cross-culturally too. He's tall and lanky like a carrot, and there's more beneath the surface than you might guess at first glance.

Krishna: Armenian cucumber. He's long and skinny, and can remain cool when the heat is on!

Temo: Daikon radish - he's very tall and white.

Kate: Butternut squash. He's got a tough and rigid exterior but under the right conditions is very soft and sweet.