Kate Canney and her wife own and operate The Neighborhood Farm outside Boston, MA. Their Farm has grown organic produce for the past 13 years, selling to restaurants and at farmers markets in Boston. Their status quo, like many, shifted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kate explained how The Neighborhood Farm came to be, and how they acted quickly to adapt to new challenges.

Roland Hoffman and his wife had a vision: go back to the basics and live as self-sustaining of a life as possible. After moving their 3 small children from Corvallis, OR to Kentucky in 1999, the family’s “simple life” grew to include chickens, ducks, milk goats and a cow. Eventually, they added grass fed beef and gained recognition in the community. Roland explained how their ‘sustainable life’ turned into Spring Hills Farm.

Yasukochi Family Farm has been a part of the Oceanside, California, community since 1929, serving their local community fresh produce and berries at farmers markets and through their CSA program. Several weeks ago, they announced direct home delivery for their produce boxes, and it went viral. Britinee Yasukochi explained how their Farm is handling the flood of demand in the San Diego area.

Jerry and Janelle Stokesberry have been growing food together since the 70’s. “We were just kids. We both did a lot of vegetable gardening growing up, so we decided to change it up and raise fruit and meat. In 2013 we decided to go all-in on our dream, farming full time and providing food to other people.”

Georgia and Jordan Monroe own and operate Basecamp Farms in Millican, Texas, where they grow and sell cut flowers locally to retail customers and businesses, as well as offering on-farm events and workshops. Georgia explained how their Farm came to be, and how the business is evolving to survive, and thrive, during the pandemic.

Brandon Fullenkamp started Happy Hogs Farm Market (located in Hillsboro, OH) in 2012, selling whole and half hogs and freezer beef. As the “hobby got out of control,” he added chickens and eggs and began selling to a couple restaurants. Over the past few years, the Farm has dabbled in farmers markets, seeing some success but not consistent enough to justify the cost of travel.

Jared and Valerie Luhman both grew up on Farms in southern Minnesota. In December of 2018, Jared learned about a company selling grass fed beef from Minnesota and Wisconsin Farms to buyers in the Twin Cities. Grass Fed Cattle Company already had loyal customers, brand recognition, a drop-site in Edina, and they sold exclusively in bulk. The couple began serious discussions to purchase Grass Fed Cattle Company in January 2019, and by March the deal was done.

Heather Forthofer did not want chickens. Her husband, Chris, thought it would be a fun project. After begrudgingly visiting a neighborhood Farm in 2013, Heather gave in to 3 hens and a rooster. By the end of that same week, they had 10 birds. By 2016, they were purchasing the first pigs for Bittersweet Family Farm, and in 2018 Heather and Chris moved to a 25-acre property to accommodate their 4 trailer-loads of pigs.