The New/Old Movement is well under way...
Farming is said to be a calling one must hear from God/The Universe to be crazy enough to choose it as an occupation. "You don't become a farmer to drive a Jaguar" is another. The first steps of becoming a farmer is realizing and accepting that you will never be rich, you'll rarely take vacations, and that you must be absolutely drawn to the physical Earth. I moved to the city six years ago for college and in the past couple of years I have developed what seems like a lack of purpose, which I'm reminded of when I visit my childhood home in rural Ohio. I am a farmer's daughter. My father's father was a farmer. My mother is also a farmer's daughter. Least to say, it is in my blood. And, as everyone warned when I moved to the city: "you can't escape it, you'll be back." And, here I am.
I've strongly felt the pull towards Spring's first cut into familiar earth; the full-circle joy of burying seeds in rich soil and relishing in the flavors of foods intimately grown. I am familiar with the blood and sweat that intertwines with farming, as well as with the tears of loss and those of celebration, and the seemingly back-breaking labor that only the most determined withstand.
So, here is my written account of joining a novel farm apprenticeship here in Cincinnati, Ohio with a Cooperative that desires to change the availability of fresh, local, and organic food to the poorest areas of the city. Our Harvest Cooperative is one part food hub and one part farm that is trying to change the economy of Cincinnati in a large way. By providing sustainable foods from local farms to local communities, and growing that market to be able to create more farming jobs to grow more food toward a more sustainable local food system. They also believe in livable wages for their employees. We're a small company. In fact, all the employees gather together weekly for meetings with our CEO, discussing everything from finances to participating in decisions that effect the future direction of Our Harvest. All of this drew me towards this small group of determined people with rather large goals.
The actual apprenticeship is directed under the Our Harvest Research and Education Institute (OHREI). Separate from Our Harvest Coop, it is a non-profit entity whose main vision is to "grow the next generation of farmers farming sustainably."
OHREI also coordinates with Cincinnati State's Sustainable Agriculture program. For example, I am taking a soil science class this fall as a non-degree student. I have class once a week on the farm with a professor that teaches at Cincinnati State within that program. I also practice my farm management skills with the Cincinnati State students involved in the Sustainable Agriculture program who have practicum classes at Bahr Farm--the farm I currently work on.
This is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce (yes, there will be at least one corny, agriculture-related joke per post, maybe two). Through this blog I will relay my experiences with Our Harvest Coop and the apprenticeship program through OHREI, as well as my weekly farming and food production experiences, good and bad; all of which will be filtered though the lens of a farm girl gone rogue, a self-proclaimed epicure, an anthropologist by collegiate training, and also someone who has traveled to foreign places and experienced other cultures' food and farming first-hand.
I'm beginning this blog during my fifteenth week with Our Harvest. If you're interested in this journey, or about urban agriculture in general, check back soon!
So, here is my written account of joining a novel farm apprenticeship here in Cincinnati, Ohio with a Cooperative that desires to change the availability of fresh, local, and organic food to the poorest areas of the city. Our Harvest Cooperative is one part food hub and one part farm that is trying to change the economy of Cincinnati in a large way. By providing sustainable foods from local farms to local communities, and growing that market to be able to create more farming jobs to grow more food toward a more sustainable local food system. They also believe in livable wages for their employees. We're a small company. In fact, all the employees gather together weekly for meetings with our CEO, discussing everything from finances to participating in decisions that effect the future direction of Our Harvest. All of this drew me towards this small group of determined people with rather large goals.
The actual apprenticeship is directed under the Our Harvest Research and Education Institute (OHREI). Separate from Our Harvest Coop, it is a non-profit entity whose main vision is to "grow the next generation of farmers farming sustainably."
OHREI also coordinates with Cincinnati State's Sustainable Agriculture program. For example, I am taking a soil science class this fall as a non-degree student. I have class once a week on the farm with a professor that teaches at Cincinnati State within that program. I also practice my farm management skills with the Cincinnati State students involved in the Sustainable Agriculture program who have practicum classes at Bahr Farm--the farm I currently work on.
This is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce (yes, there will be at least one corny, agriculture-related joke per post, maybe two). Through this blog I will relay my experiences with Our Harvest Coop and the apprenticeship program through OHREI, as well as my weekly farming and food production experiences, good and bad; all of which will be filtered though the lens of a farm girl gone rogue, a self-proclaimed epicure, an anthropologist by collegiate training, and also someone who has traveled to foreign places and experienced other cultures' food and farming first-hand.
I'm beginning this blog during my fifteenth week with Our Harvest. If you're interested in this journey, or about urban agriculture in general, check back soon!
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