Hootenanny: New CT Farmers Unite!

by Will O’Meara

Lisa Nichols photos with art direction by Maria Miranda

NEW CT FArMErs UNite!

As the early evening crowd shuffled out of Perkatory Coffee Roasters in Middletown, the steering committee of the New CT Farmer Alliance, along with their dedicated coordinator, filed in and began buzzing around the former warehouse space. The sounds of punk still emanating from the speakers overhead matched the farmer-organizers’ tendency towards controlled chaos. For the next four hours, new, young, and aspiring farmers would gather in this space for the New CT Farmer Alliance’s Sixth Annual Hootenanny and Meeting. Tonight, the most dynamic group of farmers in the state of Connecticut would eat, drink, network, laugh, and attend to some official business, too.

I have had the pleasure of serving on the steering committee of this organization for the past two years, and as its treasurer since spring of 2018. Our mission is to bring together emerging farmers from across Connecticut to network, share resources, and identify common challenges and opportunities for a more accessible, successful, and diverse

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" TON ight,

the most dynamic group of farmers in the state of Connecticut

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would eat, drink, network, laugh,...

CHARLOTTE ROSS AND CY LARKIN OF SWEET ACRE FARM

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agricultural community. We are one of 42 chapters of the National Young Farmers Coalition, our fiscal sponsor. As a twenty-four year old farmer entering my ninth growing season, this organization has been indispensable in my development as a farmer. NCTFA serves as the glue for a community seeking to become larger, better connected, and more influential in our state. Since 2010, we have grown our membership to over four hundred beginning farmers, evolving from a networking and community group to a well-organized advocacy group that is gearing up to take on state policy endeavors that address our needs.

Perhaps the most astounding feature of the New CT Farmer Alliance: the willingness of a bunch of tired, overworked, and often struggling farmers to gather in what little free time we have for the purpose of creating our own opportunities

that fly in the face of our current agricultural system. Farming is taxing, on body, spirit, and pocketbook. Our existence as farmers can be fraught, especially for the younger generation of farmers facing skyrocketing land prices, a persistent lack of affordable health care, student loan debt, and a quickly changing climate to boot. We do not come to this career out of sheer masochism, though we rarely shy from the difficult, dirty, or dangerous. It is precisely for these

ANd attenofficial bUS

50CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2019

d to soMEiness, too."

reasons that our organization remains crucial and relevant to new farmers.

Our 2019 Hootenanny provided the perfect platform to address some of these challenges collectively and work towards impactful solutions.

The evening was full of opportunities for the discussions that get put off during the busy growing season, and to create farmer-to-farmer relationships that make all the difference in our line of work. One such opportunity came when we had the honor of introducing the new UConn Extension Vegetable Educator, Dr. Shuresh Ghimire. Coming all the way from Nepal via Washington State, Shuresh grew up in a farming family and has dedicated his life and research to promoting sustainable agriculture, both for the environment and the viability of small scale farmers. His presence and energy to support small farmers in Connecticut was welcome, and added one more friendly resource for many of the farmers in the room.

We were thrilled to be able to share our recent policy work with our members, and invite them to get involved in the issues that impact their farming careers. Toby Fischer, a member of the steering committee, and I represented the New CT Farmer Alliance at the National Young Farmers Coalition

JESSICA HORSTMANN AND TOBY FISCHER OF GENTLE GIANT FARM

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52

DR. WHITNEY MILLER. BODHICHITTA FARMS CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2019

Annual Leadership Convergence in Washington, DC in November, where we took part in workshops, panels and discussions with the intent of bringing advocacy skills back to our own chapters. Our primary goal, however, was to head to the Capitol and lobby our members of Congress to pass the 2018 Farm Bill immediately, and maintain funding for the countless programs that benefit young farmers nationwide. Ultimately, we were

"We create this space for farmers to share the MOMEnts that may otherwise be held in isolation."

successful, and the new farm bill was passed several weeks later. With this momentum behind us, we are eager to take the fight to Hartford and amplify our voices in Connecticut.

In preparation for our upcoming attendance for the CT Department of Agriculture’s Ag Day at the Capitol, we asked our members to rank their top three policy priorities in a sticker survey as they entered the event. The top contenders were as follows: health insurance for farmers, land access initiatives, farm-to-school and farmto-institution initiatives, anti-racism work with respect to farming and the food system, and mental health resources for farmers. This marks our organization’s first step toward collecting data from our members in order to work towards a specific policy platform that is equitable, sustainable, and representative of the many young farmers operating in Connecticut.

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Though policy sometimes lags behind the needs of farmers, I had the opportunity to introduce our members to Alana DiPesa Truelove, LCSW, who isn’t waiting for anyone to address a serious problem in agriculture. In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she is a farmer by marriage at Truelove Farms in Morris, CT. FarmAid, an organization that seeks to keep family farmers on the land by promoting food from family farms, growing the good food movement, and helping farmers thrive despite challenges and crisis, came to Hartford in 2018 and found an ally in Alana. She and her husband Tom sat on a panel that tackled stress on the farm, where she discussed “the ongoing crisis of stress, depression, and suicide among the broader agricultural community.” Continuing this work, Alana recently conducted a survey among members of the New CT Farmer Alliance and shared the results at our Hoot. The vast majority of respondents reported feeling depressed, anxious, and helpless on the farm,

with causes ranging from money and relationship troubles, to poor growing conditions and fear for the future.

She helped to explain the somewhat dismal results, stating that “many of the factors that cause or exacerbate mental health issues automatically apply to farmers: excessive stress, financial worries, physical health issues and

AARON ROMANO

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pain, family and relationship issues, social isolation, and lack of time for self-care or engagement in enjoyable activities.” For these reasons and more, “the rate of suicide among farmers and agricultural workers is higher than most other populations. Though these rates of suicide generally apply to an older generation of farmers, it is essential to begin preventative work with younger farmers now so as to change these statistics in the future and create a better outcome for this generation of farmers.”

Though discussing topics of mental health and crisis is often bleak, we must focus on the outcomes and making an impactful change for the future. Alana offered this outlook: “We talk a lot about sustainability in terms of farming practices, but farming as a profession needs to become more sustainable so the farmers can continue to do this important work. This means helping farmers strike a better work-life balance as well as offering clinically appropriate, accessible treatment when the stress, isolation, and frustration become too much to bear.” In the months and years to come, Alana hopes to collaborate with other young

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"WE can make farming in COnecticuT more equitable, accessible, and successful than ever beFORE."

YOKO TAKEMURA OF ASSAWAGA FARM (L), ELLIE ANGERAME OF THE GREEN VILLAGE INITIATIVE (C), MEG FAMA OF THE FARM BELLY (R)

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SUSAN MITCHELL OF CLOVERLEIGH FARM

ELLIOT MCGANN OF FORT HILL FARM

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 57 HOLLI CEDERHOLM & GREG BENSON

TOBY FISCHER OF GENTLE GIANT FARM

farmers and health care professionals to develop a network of affordable therapy and support group options for farmers, as well as a training curriculum for mental health care professionals that ensures sensitivity and knowledge of farmerspecific issues.

"Our group of farmers persists ou

The final official agenda item of the evening was our infamous Cabbage Moth Radio Hour. For the past several years, we have included this opportunity for farmers to share their triumphs, challenges, laughter, and tragedy, modeled after NPR’s Moth Radio Hour. This year, we heard Danielle Larese of BOTL Farm recount a great rabbit escape while away at a wedding, Tom Truelove’s near brush with death by an agitated steer, and Morgan Wilson’s moments of panic as his loyal farm dog chased a fully grown black bear—right into a corn maze full of customers. With no specific theme in mind, we create this space for farmers to share the moments that may otherwise be held in isolation. Enya Cunningham, a farmer from Washington, CT, agreed: “I

ALANA DIPESA TRUELOVE AND TOM TRUELOVE OF TRUELOVE FARMS

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t of LOVe for one another,...

look forward to the Hootenanny every year; it’s a great chance to catch up with friends, make new ones, and generally commiserate about farming in Connecticut. I really appreciate NCTFA’s work in encouraging us to get off our farms and remember that we’re not alone out there - there’s a whole community of young farmers in this state and we have so much to learn from each other!”

Whether we are learning, commiserating, listening, or checking in with one another, the agricultural community created by the New CT Farmer Alliance is invaluable for beginning farmers taking on this challenging career. The Hootenanny takes advantage of the “offseason” to reinforce this community, one that has kept me, and many others, farming and striving to make our career more viable and rewarding. We all enter this career knowing that farming is difficult, and it often tempts us to quit in favor of something more stable, lucrative, and better understood. But why we stay is more powerful, and was captured by the

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JILL VERZINO (NO AFFILIATION) AND

WILL O’MEARA OF WALDINGFIELD FARM

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...for our environment,for our communities,and for growing food."

delightful performance of Sarah Lou Richards. Towards the end of her set and the end of the night, she mixed in a cover of The Steeldrivers’ “If It Hadn’t Been for Love.” As I looked around the room, singing quietly in the corner, I saw a half dozen other farmers mouthing these words. It occurred to me that our group of farmers persists out of love for one another, for our environment, for our communities, and for growing food. We can succeed, and make farming in Connecticut more equitable, accessible, and successful than ever before.

If you’re interested in joining the New CT Farmer Alliance, or attending one of our upcoming events, email Sydney at newctfarmers@gmail.com. Keep up to date by following us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you are, or someone you know is, in crisis, or thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide, call the toll-free, 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).

If you are a farmer in crisis, call Farm Aid’s Farmer Hotline Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time at 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243).

Will O’Meara is a graduate of UMass Amherst in Sustainable Food and Farming, an organic vegetable farmer at Waldingfield Farm in Washington, CT, and a proud resident of Waterbury, CT.

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