0 ITEMS IN CART 
A *REGULAR* TUESDAY WITH HEAD FARMER, BRENTON
05/10/19 — Heydon Hatcher
Brenton here. I was thinking about my job this week and what I love so much about it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s like driving a race car with the accelerator pedal stuck to the floor. It’s also like playing with the Grateful Dead, total improvisation all day long.
I usually wake up around 5 am, drink a smoothie (usually kale, lime juice, hot peppers, OJ, and cilantro), paired with a big ol’ cup of joe. I drive to work and when I pass the airport, that’s usually when all the ideas gush into my head. Fun fact: I have a google doc entitled “Brenton’s To Do List” and this is where I organize all my thoughts. Boy, is that list LONG. I get to thinkin’ about the day ahead and then the ideas really start flying. I drive way too fast into the farm, causing a flurry of dirt trailing up behind my truck... there’s just so much excitement to start the day and it usually manifests with my pedal to the metal.
Since the new year, I’ve had a revitalized and newfound love of the farm. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve turned into a workaholic again. I’ve been practicing and using my Spanish every day. It’s so fun to learn a new language. We’ve made some big changes on the farm lately. We used to have three CB radio channels at Garfield, but now we just have one. Sometimes it’s a madhouse with all the communication and coordination in two different languages on one channel, but mostly it’s great and exciting. We also used to have three divisions on the farm: field crew, growing crew, and harvest crew. Now, we just have one: the FARM crew. Everyone is helping with everything. The farm crews used to be very separate in their jobs and tasks, and we are shifting to a more centralized group mentality. This makes for workers with all kind of skills.
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On that one channel. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I’m not sure if there are many people who get more use out of a cell phone than me. Quick story: this weekend, I ended up buying 4 kayaks for the kids and myself. I took the kiddos to Town Lake and we had tons of fun testing out the newly purchased boats, but on Sunday I decided to go on a special adventure by myself sans kiddos. I put my boat in at Mopac and 360 and headed down Barton Creek to Sculpture Falls (don’t worry, I had a life jacket). It was awesome. Where am I going with this tangent? My cell phone was totally immersed in water! The creek was raging! If you don’t know me by now, I’m always up for an adventure. But needless to say, the cell phone being nonfunctional was another obstacle to tackle to maintain regular day to day farm operations. I’m on my phone nonstop with people.
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Talkin' away. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I start the farm day by going into the greenhouse office, checking out the harvest schedule, troubleshooting on the internet, and logging in (why are passwords always so hard to remember?). I print out the harvest list, 7 copies, then drive to the lunch barn where the harvest crew managers have gathered promptly at 6:30 to start the harvest. The sun is usually just peaking over the horizon, and what a sight it is. I have been managing the harvest for 3 weeks now and really have hit my stride. I, then, meet the remaining farm crew at 6:45. We all gather for a quick meeting and brainstorm together. This will be the most productive thing we do all day as the farm is totally unpredictable and no day ever repeats itself. We have to adapt on a daily basis due to all kinds of unforeseen events. This weekend, it was a flash flood, next week, who knows?!
![]()
Brenton at the computer. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
So, on this specific Tuesday, because of all the rain, I get a call from a manager that says the red and green cabbage, onions, and leeks all need to be harvested! Reasons being: we have to get the onions out before the new bout of rains on Wednesday, cabbage is ripe, and leeks need to be harvested because somebody left it off of the pick list.
Next thing on the agenda is several guys on the farm need technical support repairing some irrigation pipes. We are all working together beating this pipe with a 30 lb hammer, softening blows with a piece of wood. After we get it on there, in order to complete the job, we have to get additional supplies: concrete, posts, etc… all stuff to secure one piece of pipe in place. While I go get those aforementioned supplies, someone else is using the torch to cut posts in pieces. What happens after is kind of technical to explain, but basically picture me (or just look below) in a four-foot hole, covered in mud, pounding posts in the ground. Then I take bags of concrete and put posts through the concrete. I fill the hole with dirt, level with a box blade, etc. If you can believe it, this was all before 8 AM!
![]()
Brenton fixing irrigation pipe. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
At the same time as all that nonsense was going on, the transplant crew is transplanting shishito peppers, and I’m making a plan for what they’ll do after that task is done. I went to look at the sweet potatoes and realized that the slips are more than ready to be planted! Luckily, last week we made some extra beds, so we were all prepped to put them in the ground before the rain.
![]()
Sweet potato slips. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I have 5 people that aren’t on the harvest crew. Specifically, these folks are our floaters at the farm. I’m able to use this crew creatively to help tackle whatever comes up that day. They drive tractors, help with irrigation, and really take on anything… they are a versatile bunch.
After the crew finishes shishitos, we start cutting the sweet potato slips. We got the knives really sharp before we started and I demonstrated the technique to Mandy. Fun fact: Mandy is a registered nurse, but wanted to take a break from that stressful work and live the life of a farmer for a while. I'm not sure that she knew what she got herself into! The technique is not quite using a cutting or sawing motion, but more of a big sweep of the arm, kind of like how you would handle a samurai sword. Basically, we cut a bed of sweet potato slips. First, we cut them just below the dirt, and then we line them up and trim the root end until its about 6 inches. This is what gets planted, while the leaves get thrown into the furrows to compost back into the soil. Just as soon as we get everyone situated cutting slips, then I check with the mechanic.
![]()
Sweet potato slip cutting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
![]()
Sweet potato slips. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
![]()
Slips getting transplanted. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
We have about 8 different vehicle projects going on right now. On the docket are two transmission jobs, welding a new axle, hub assembly to a harvest trailer, replacing a tire on a harvest truck, and the most important and pressing project, fixing the power steering and headlights on one of our delivery vehicles. Just when I arrive at the shop, I get a call from Hergotz, Ada’s mad! She’s wondering where the minivan is, and I reply I’m pushing it out of the shop and am on the way! I speed over to Hergotz in the minivan to get deliveries on the road. I’m not sure what the rest of the day holds, but here are a few things I’m thinking of…
![]()
See ya next time! Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I usually wake up around 5 am, drink a smoothie (usually kale, lime juice, hot peppers, OJ, and cilantro), paired with a big ol’ cup of joe. I drive to work and when I pass the airport, that’s usually when all the ideas gush into my head. Fun fact: I have a google doc entitled “Brenton’s To Do List” and this is where I organize all my thoughts. Boy, is that list LONG. I get to thinkin’ about the day ahead and then the ideas really start flying. I drive way too fast into the farm, causing a flurry of dirt trailing up behind my truck... there’s just so much excitement to start the day and it usually manifests with my pedal to the metal.
Since the new year, I’ve had a revitalized and newfound love of the farm. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve turned into a workaholic again. I’ve been practicing and using my Spanish every day. It’s so fun to learn a new language. We’ve made some big changes on the farm lately. We used to have three CB radio channels at Garfield, but now we just have one. Sometimes it’s a madhouse with all the communication and coordination in two different languages on one channel, but mostly it’s great and exciting. We also used to have three divisions on the farm: field crew, growing crew, and harvest crew. Now, we just have one: the FARM crew. Everyone is helping with everything. The farm crews used to be very separate in their jobs and tasks, and we are shifting to a more centralized group mentality. This makes for workers with all kind of skills.
On that one channel. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I’m not sure if there are many people who get more use out of a cell phone than me. Quick story: this weekend, I ended up buying 4 kayaks for the kids and myself. I took the kiddos to Town Lake and we had tons of fun testing out the newly purchased boats, but on Sunday I decided to go on a special adventure by myself sans kiddos. I put my boat in at Mopac and 360 and headed down Barton Creek to Sculpture Falls (don’t worry, I had a life jacket). It was awesome. Where am I going with this tangent? My cell phone was totally immersed in water! The creek was raging! If you don’t know me by now, I’m always up for an adventure. But needless to say, the cell phone being nonfunctional was another obstacle to tackle to maintain regular day to day farm operations. I’m on my phone nonstop with people.
Talkin' away. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I start the farm day by going into the greenhouse office, checking out the harvest schedule, troubleshooting on the internet, and logging in (why are passwords always so hard to remember?). I print out the harvest list, 7 copies, then drive to the lunch barn where the harvest crew managers have gathered promptly at 6:30 to start the harvest. The sun is usually just peaking over the horizon, and what a sight it is. I have been managing the harvest for 3 weeks now and really have hit my stride. I, then, meet the remaining farm crew at 6:45. We all gather for a quick meeting and brainstorm together. This will be the most productive thing we do all day as the farm is totally unpredictable and no day ever repeats itself. We have to adapt on a daily basis due to all kinds of unforeseen events. This weekend, it was a flash flood, next week, who knows?!
Brenton at the computer. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
So, on this specific Tuesday, because of all the rain, I get a call from a manager that says the red and green cabbage, onions, and leeks all need to be harvested! Reasons being: we have to get the onions out before the new bout of rains on Wednesday, cabbage is ripe, and leeks need to be harvested because somebody left it off of the pick list.
Next thing on the agenda is several guys on the farm need technical support repairing some irrigation pipes. We are all working together beating this pipe with a 30 lb hammer, softening blows with a piece of wood. After we get it on there, in order to complete the job, we have to get additional supplies: concrete, posts, etc… all stuff to secure one piece of pipe in place. While I go get those aforementioned supplies, someone else is using the torch to cut posts in pieces. What happens after is kind of technical to explain, but basically picture me (or just look below) in a four-foot hole, covered in mud, pounding posts in the ground. Then I take bags of concrete and put posts through the concrete. I fill the hole with dirt, level with a box blade, etc. If you can believe it, this was all before 8 AM!
Brenton fixing irrigation pipe. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
At the same time as all that nonsense was going on, the transplant crew is transplanting shishito peppers, and I’m making a plan for what they’ll do after that task is done. I went to look at the sweet potatoes and realized that the slips are more than ready to be planted! Luckily, last week we made some extra beds, so we were all prepped to put them in the ground before the rain.
Sweet potato slips. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
I have 5 people that aren’t on the harvest crew. Specifically, these folks are our floaters at the farm. I’m able to use this crew creatively to help tackle whatever comes up that day. They drive tractors, help with irrigation, and really take on anything… they are a versatile bunch.
After the crew finishes shishitos, we start cutting the sweet potato slips. We got the knives really sharp before we started and I demonstrated the technique to Mandy. Fun fact: Mandy is a registered nurse, but wanted to take a break from that stressful work and live the life of a farmer for a while. I'm not sure that she knew what she got herself into! The technique is not quite using a cutting or sawing motion, but more of a big sweep of the arm, kind of like how you would handle a samurai sword. Basically, we cut a bed of sweet potato slips. First, we cut them just below the dirt, and then we line them up and trim the root end until its about 6 inches. This is what gets planted, while the leaves get thrown into the furrows to compost back into the soil. Just as soon as we get everyone situated cutting slips, then I check with the mechanic.
Sweet potato slip cutting. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
Sweet potato slips. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
Slips getting transplanted. Photo by Scott David Gordon.
We have about 8 different vehicle projects going on right now. On the docket are two transmission jobs, welding a new axle, hub assembly to a harvest trailer, replacing a tire on a harvest truck, and the most important and pressing project, fixing the power steering and headlights on one of our delivery vehicles. Just when I arrive at the shop, I get a call from Hergotz, Ada’s mad! She’s wondering where the minivan is, and I reply I’m pushing it out of the shop and am on the way! I speed over to Hergotz in the minivan to get deliveries on the road. I’m not sure what the rest of the day holds, but here are a few things I’m thinking of…
- Go pick up the AC for the new shop office
- Go get a quote from Crawford Electric and Elliot Electric for the new barn at River Road for electrical equipment (Side note: we're so excited about our new barn facilities at Garfield. it's 120 x 180 feet and 40 feet tall. it's going to be huge! To start with: we're going to have 5 separate coolers. Right now the main thing I'm working on is trenching across the main road and installing a giant transformer and a 1000 amp electrical service rack that will provide power for all of the buildings and coolers on the farm.
- The carrots are getting big… I need to modify the carrot harvester and get it functional
- I’m supposed to buy the Hergotz Lane crew pizza today
- Several loads of gravel are coming to the farm today, but I'm not there now. Somehow, I'll have to coordinate where to drop them over the phone.
- The old Dodge harvest truck needs a tire... stop at the tire shop for a used tire.
- I need to work on a new proposal for farmers’ market managers schedules & duties
- Talk to Ada about hiring a bunch of new people for the busy summer season. (Check out some jobs here!).
- When I was in college and worked my first job in the summers, they called me the 'home project king'. This is a little bit of a home project… our mechanic, Tim, needs to help me remove the gas motor from the outboard boat motor that I purchased from craigslist this weekend... so I can install my new 48-volt electric motor to take my sailboat for dinner cruises downtown on Lady Bird Lake. Electric motors are allowed!
- Clean out my truck, so that I can take it to the Nissan dealer for a very difficult repair on the electrical system that's we don't have the time to tackle at the farm.
See ya next time! Photo by Scott David Gordon.
