Could you run your own farm? Some farmers joined the park farming program with a long history of agricultural work in their families, while others joined the program with no history of farming life. Nine farms currently operate as part of the park's farming program, each at a different stage of development. As part of their commitment to run a successful farm, the farmers continue their education through courses offered by local organizations. These farmers face daily challenges related to learning and conducting general farming practices, as well as aligning their work with the sustainability goals of the national park.
In Their Own Words
Hear stories about Cuyahoga Valley life below.
Learning to Farm
Laura DeYoung, of The Spicy Lamb Farm, talks about how she learned her business.
So I learned a lot of things the hard way. And I'm getting better at things. Like... I was one of those females that had never changed a tire, and it wasn't until ~laughs~ actually it wasn't until this past fall when I got my hay wagon that I had to change all four tires, you know, so... There's a lot of things that I'm learning the hard way. Luckily I'd taken wood shop and things like that when I was a child before we moved away, but um, you know. You just learn as you go. And there was a woman that came out to the farm the other day to interview me who was thinking about, who's doing the "small farm dream" program through the Countryside Conservancy, and she said, "Well, I need to learn more, you know, before... Study more." And I said, "You can study all you want. You're gonna learn from doing."
Learning from Other Farmers
Pamela Neitenbach, of the Neitenbach Farm, explains how she learns from the experiences of other farmers in the valley.
But what's nice is that, you know, being in the valley with all the other farmers in the conservancy, they're really open to talk about how they do things. You know, you have like this little community of farmers right there that are able to talk to you about what they do and you can tell them what you do, and then , you know, you can take whatever from them which is, you know.... You can read so many books, but when you have the knowledge of somebody that they convey to you what they're doing right now, it's, you know, pretty helpful. ~laughs~
From Gardening to Farming
Heather and Eric Walters, of the former Basket of Life Farm, describe how they shifted from gardening to farming.
Heather: So I had to learn all the basics, because I didn't know how to pick a green bean or apple, or put a seed in the ground. I remember the first time we were planting pumpkin seeds, I'm like, does it matter which way I put them? You know, does it matter which way is pointed up? Because I had no idea! I mean, I was a city girl, right? Yeah, so I had to learn those real basics. But when we started, you know, we were doing every, every single thing by hand, except for tilling. Everything else we did by hand. And as we've kind of gone up, we've gone through a lot of steps and we've learned kind of a lot about what it means to grow more food, bigger, and I think we've learned a lot of that together.
Eric: The difference is between gardening and farming. I'd grown organic food for myself for almost ten years before I met Heather and it had just kind of expanded itself to that. They're two different things totally.
Farmer's Optimism
David Wingenfeld, of Canal Corners Farm and Market, offers some advice for farmers who face daily challenges.
And you have to be the optimist, the eternal optimist, if you're gonna farm. Don't let anything get you down. Keep movin'. We always go to different conferences every year just to learn new stuff. There's always somethin' new to learn. New methods. New crops. What's popular. We get to talk to other growers. That's probably one of the best things to do; go to two or three conferences a year.
