At last weekend's Gardening Workshop. Photo by Scott David Gordon

From the Farmers Perspective

Do you ever feel like your life is going 100 mph? I had that experience this week - literally! On a drive back to our Hergotz farm, I noticed that my truck was moving fast, really really fast. Our farm driver Jake was driving behind me, and thought I was just trying to be a cool guy, burning rubber and speeding around east Austin. Actually, it turns out my accelerator pedal was malfunctioning and was stuck, pedal to the metal! Luckily I was able to toggle between drive and neutral and make it back to Hergotz in one piece, but the experience got me reflecting on the experience of building a farm over the last 11 years. I thought - pedal to the metal, that's what it's been like since I started the farm!

It's really hard for me to believe that in March 2006, ten years ago, I was only growing food in my front, side, and backyard on Holly Street. Since then, the team at JBG has grown immensely, and expanded to two new, larger locations when the demand for our produce grew. We've built coolers, offices, and greenhouses; repaired cars, trucks and tractors; developed databases and driver routes and irrigation systems, and somehow managed to keep our heads above water through all of this while still running a business. Ten years has flown by, and there have been times where it felt like the acceleration was almost out of control.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

But these days, the farm doesn't feel like it's moving so fast. We have an incredible staff who is really keeping everything organized and on point. In the fields, we've fine-tuned our production and are using less of our land than ever, allowing fields to rest for longer. The quality of our veggies are the best they've ever been, which is due in large part to a dedicated staff who really cares about this work. Our Garfield farm finally has most of the infrastructure we've needed (though I do have a just a couple more projects in mind!), and overall it feels as though the madness has settled from my first few years as a farmer. When I read about the decline of small family farms around the country (see this article), it makes me proud that the team at JBG has finally hit our stride and are sustaining what we've built during the fast and wild growth period.

Come join us for some dancing next Saturday at our Spring Picnic! Photo by Scott David Gordon

That being said - all of this growth wouldn't be possible without you! Our community is the driving force that has brought JBG to where we are today, and we want you to come celebrate with us! Next weekend, we're hosting a shindig to do just that. Join us for our Spring Picnic, which is sure to be a great time for the whole family. Tour the farm on the Garden Gallop 5k, and see all of the vegetables destined for your CSA boxes - we've got a great 1 mile Fun Run for the kiddos as well. Afterwards, bring out the lawn chairs and coolers and enjoy a BYO-picnic while listening to our great lineup of bands! We're excited that Chansons et Soulards will be joining Doug Moreland and The Bottom Dollar String Band on our farm stage, so you better bring those dancing shoes. You can buy your tickets now for the Spring Picnic at jbgorganic.com/picnic - I can't wait to show you all of the things we've been working on!