What about farming was most surprising to you as you got started?

I was cooking in Philadelphia; my roommate at the time was brewing beer. He started a garden in our back yard and then moved out of the state. I took it over and immediately got hooked. I started growing produce for sale to my friends and acquaintances in the restaurant business. Operating on a small scale was a real struggle, but I had no background so it was an opportunity to understand what I was getting into. I was surprised how much I loved growing food, and how larger scale always seemed to be more fun. Within a relatively short period of time, we were farming 26 acres with about 16 tractors and vehicles, up to 20 employees a day at the peak of the season, a more than 300 person CSA, and a whole lot of work. 

What was the most challenging barrier you had to overcome in your career?

Realistically, I am fairly privileged, like most Haverford graduates. Whatever barriers I’ve had to overcome are trivial, and it’s not like I’ve arrived at some very stable place in my career either. But most farmers are attracted to farming because of the challenges. It is a very all-encompassing endeavor. It requires a lot of capital and a lot of labor and the ability to maintain and manage both. Something is always breaking. Most of my time is spent working as the farm mechanic / maintenance man, and I never had any background in that, so that is the big challenge. I am lucky to have a group of motivated coworkers and managers who don’t need so much direction, but managing people was and remains a huge challenge as well. We all chose a deliberately challenging job, and dealing with those challenges while preserving what made us all want to do it in the first place can be the biggest challenge of all. 

What advice would you give to a Haverford graduate pursuing a career in farming?

I imagine we are dealing with a small enough subsection of Haverford students that my advice would be to give me a call and stop by the farm. I was not interested in gardening, farming, or cooking when I was at Haverford. I liked art and sports. Because I had no background in farming, I really tried to get whatever advice I could out of more experienced farmers. Farmers, especially organic farmers, have such a willingness to share anything that could help another farmer, it is very inspiring and has really allowed us to achieve what we have. Most farmers, especially first-generation farmers, do their jobs because they want to make the world a better place, and they view knowledge sharing and advice as a way to scale that effort.

What most excites you about the future of Urban Roots Farm?

My main guy on the farm just had a baby, and we have a handful of long-time employees who are very committed and not getting any younger. I really hope we are able to go from an ambitious startup to the type of business that takes care of its employees and provides them with a solid income and a rich life worth living and taking on these challenges.