Gaining Ground Farm

Earlier this morning six friends set out to see a farm. This is the usual thing for the friends to do: gather together at a coffee shop in the morning then take a long twisting and turning road out to a farm. We spent our time trudging around in mud and letting drops of rain fall on our heads. This is what we call fun.

Let me explain. As friends, we have started to entertain the idea of becoming farmers. I like the idea of having bees and a few sheep. My husband is planning much more. He dreams of running a CSA. He lights up when he talks about the earth, Wendell Berry, and how we can become more community oriented. Our community of friends share his enthusiasm.

We gather together most every Sunday to discuss our plans of owning a CSA and living together as an intentional community. Our discussions cover how we will run our farm, the ideals we want to uphold, how we can live debt free, and what we will do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not all of our talk is about the future; some of it we can immediately apply to our lives. For example, we are trying to eat less fast food and eat locally grown food instead. John and Kate decided to participate in a CSA so that they could receive locally grown vegetables throughout the summer. Dave and I thought we would take advantage of the Portland Farmer's Markets.

Our dream of owning a CSA, along with our interest in subscribing to one, brought us out to Gaining Ground Farm, the farm John and Kate are now community members in. The farm is beautiful. We walked through muddy fields that will transform into bountiful rows of barley, garlic, onions, etc. The owners, Mike and Jill, toured us around and showed us their sod house, their Cornish-X chicks, and their new tractor.

This trip encouraged the idea of being a part of a community larger than the six of us (John, Kate, Dusty, Cara, Dave, and myself). Kate and John are now participating in a farm with almost 100 other people from the area. Mike and Jill are no longer just faceless farmers - they are people we know and would love to know better! After our trip out to the farm, Dave and I decided to become members of the CSA too. We were inspired.

The life Mike and Jill live at Gaining Ground Farm is the life we aspire to live. On our way home, we stopped by an Italian restaurant and debriefed. Kate talked about her role on the farm. She talked quickly about how she could help with an intern program and how she could organize the community members of our farm. Dusty and Dave talked about their year-round schedule, fixing machines and fences in the chilly winter and breaking ground in the warm summer sun. The rest of us aren't as sure of what we'll be doing. As we learned today, there is a lot that goes into running a farm. No one is absolutely sure what skills will be needed. So, as we draw nearer to the purchase of land and as we learn more about what the farm will need, I am sure each will find his or her place.

Thank you to Gaining Ground Farm!