We laughed when we saw someone at Johnson’s Backyard Garden wearing this T-shirt. I took a field trip this week with Katie and Nic from Native Hill Farm to learn from this 200 acre organic farm operation outside of Austin. All of us are digging deep into planning of the Native Hill Farm @ Montava. This includes the final shape of the farm, the layout of the facilities, and the arrangement with the PVCF Coop and Montava to make sure we create a long term success for the entire Fort Collins community and beyond. It is very helpful to have experienced larger scale organic farmers like Brenton at JBG helping us “see” what’s possible. https://www.jbgorganic.com/thefarm
JBG is an amazing operation serving CSA members in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and of course Austin. They deliver door to door and sell through farmers markets, Whole Foods, restaurants, school systems, and many other commercial operations. They’ve built an incredibly diverse value system connecting the entire community to organic farming.
What did I learn? Two main things:
1. I’m so thankful to be partnered with Nic and Katie. They are an incredible team that is very committed to this community, to organic farming, and to doing things the right way. They are uncompromising, and Fort Collins is the beneficiary of that. We are thrilled and honored to be working with them as we establish an organic farm model that many around the country will be watching.
2. This kind of craftsman farming is incredibly challenging. I was completely ignorant of this world before meeting the Native Hill dynamic duo, and I am blown away by the incredible commitment it takes to make this type of farming work. As with everything in life, the most difficult things can often be the most impactful and satisfying.
Something is brewing here that can be very very special. We look forward to bringing it to life with the entire team at Native Hill Farm.
