Vital Ground Farm Network was created out of the need for connection.
As farmers, we spend so much time with our work it's hard to find time for much else. We need customers to support our farms, and we can't raise all this food with no one to eat it. Engaging with the people that benefit from our labor renews our spirits, but when our bodies and minds are exhausted it's hard to muster more effort. Going to Market, having visitors to the farm, engaging on social media, these all take time and effort outside of the litany of things we do each day to keep our farms running.
So, we keep showing up to do the work feeling mostly alone, and sometimes getting glimpses of why we love what we do - just in time to keep us going.
How sustainable is that? This is a question we're constantly asking about our farming practices; will the earth be regenerating or depleting from our activities? When do we turn that question from the earth to ourselves?...short answer - rarely, if ever.
Vital Ground is about more than just dirt, it's about our relationships. The health of soil is dependent on how dynamic its relationships are; root systems, insects, and microbes work together to meet each other's needs while meeting their own. We call ourselves a Farm Network because by helping each other thrive we help ourselves. Old straw from your barn can help nourish my vegetables, and sharing a market stand helps ease the financial burden on each of us, which helps us keep our products affordable.
Coming together, even from afar, is what we are all about. We are here for you, we are YOUR farmers - we want to know you and connect with you, and we want you to know us, too.
None of us is alone in this.