Member Spotlight
PLANT BY PLANT
HER FUTURE
Story and photos by Andrea Haines
grows
As you pull into the lane at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Maryland, you are immediately taken by the colorful fields, greenhouses and happily painted delivery truck. It’s peaceful — there’s no machinery running, just the low humming of pollinators flying from bloom to bloom, and the light chatter of farm workers out in the fields. A welcoming feeling and sense of community is present upon visiting.
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his is what people see when we do a ‘walk through’ with customers,” shares Emma Jagoz, first-generation owner of Moon Valley. The organic farm stocks the shelves of over 75 restaurants and provides fresh produce to over severalhundred Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) members gathered between individuals, families and restaurants in D.C. and Maryland. “We also offer plant sales for gardeners,” explains Emma. “Our CSA is made up
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of individuals, families and friends who are foodies, environmentalists, and parents who want to eat healthy and organically, support a woman-owned business, and know where their food comes from.” The farm sells to many restaurant customers, including Michelin Star restaurants and James Beard award nominees, among other accolades. “We grow for restaurants of all sizes from tiny bars, to catering businesses, cafes, and busy 400-plus seat hotels. For our gardeners, we grow robust, organic
seedlings for folks with balcony gardens in the cities, to people with large suburban or rural gardens, as well as community gardens and other small farms.” Emma is no stranger to small spaces; she began her farm in 2012 as a CSA and the following year began selling to restaurants. “I started farming on a half-acre of land on my parents’ property in the suburbs of Baltimore,” she shares. “I wanted to expand beyond that half-acre, so I started bartering with neighbors for the use of their land [sometimes neighboring yards]. Fast forward and I was bartering for 15 acres of certified-organic land by the end of 2019. Later that year, I purchased land of my own in Woodsboro, Frederick County, Maryland, and we now farm on 25 acres.” As a first-generation agriculturalist, Emma has planted seeds within her two children on the business practices, solidifying a promising future for the farm made possible by her hard work. “My kids are 10 and 11 years old. They’ve known nothing but the farm and are definitely interested in the business.” Even Emma’s office is adorned with the reminder of the future, with hand-drawn Crayola masterpieces of each employee depicted as a superhero hanging from a warmly-glowing string of lights, a thank you but also subtle reminder of the farm’s purpose of feeding future generations. Emma gets a lot of support from her community, but there are stereotypical challenges to overcome, too. “Being a woman-owned business, I’ve encountered countless situations in which people assume that I’m not the owner or farmer, or that I inherited the farm, or that I’m the ‘actual’ farmer’s wife. People will look at a male colleague or employee for direction or guidance instead of asking me.” The stereotype is progressively changing within agriculture as farmers like Emma continue to gather support and awareness. “I do get a lot of support from women-run households – women or mothers buying for their families, who are excited to support a local, woman-run business,” she shares. “Additionally, as a 100 percent woman-owned business, I am able to apply for certain loans or grants as a minority-owned business, which can help provide opportunities for business growth.” Emma made the decision to move forward with a CSA program instead of
