Seminar Weds Farm Dreams, Tough Realities

BY KARLA JONES SEIDITA

Fauquier Weekend Contributing Writer

What does the new year hold for you? Do you dream of changing careers and living off the land, where everything is pure, simple and honest?

For 18 fledgling farmers, 2010 offers a chance to pursue the dream of their lives.

"Exploring the Small Farm Dream," a monthlong seminar recently held at Airlie, was originally developed by the New England Small Farm Institute as a catalyst for small-scale farmers.

The idea was that they could use the course in evaluating new ideas, identifying resources, and determining how to make their plans happen within the dynamics of family farming.

The seminar offered a rare opportunity for participants to find out whether or not an agricultural lifestyle is suitable for them.

Local farmers attended to lend their support and share experiences. They answered questions, too. Lots of questions.

The seminar participants weren't taught how to farm, but rather how to make their dreams come true, with plenty of soul searching assigned as homework. Here's how three of the dream farms took shape.

Casey Gustowarow

Casey Gustowarow is 28, single and holds a degree in biology. He knew he wanted to own a farm, but wasn't sure how to make that happen or how to set it up for success. He was searching for answers. Gustowarow has experience working on the land. He had volunteered on farms in Europe, did a tour with the Peace Corps in the Philippines and traveled throughout southeast Asia to experience different ways of farming firsthand. When he came back to the United States, he was determined to create a "hands-on, tangible life" that was as far away from an office as he could get. "I've always enjoyed food," said Gustowarow. "It's an admirable profession. People are longing for good food. There's a movement of young people going back to the land. They want to get involved with what they're eating and how it's produced."

Gustowarow has been working as an intern at several small-scale organic farms in our area to gain more knowledge. Last year, he worked in Maryland, and this year at Sunnyside Farm in Rappahannock County.

"Farming is a different kind of profession," he said, "where people want to help each other.

"I know I'm going to farm, but how will my own farm work? Will I lease a farm? Buy a farm? I needed to sit down and plan. I wanted to hear the nitty gritty of finances. The course offered me an avenue to think, to do homework," he said.

Gustowarow feels he accomplished what he had hoped for when he signed up for the seminar.

"Following the plans I made, I'll be able to go off on my own in three years with a farm of small-scale livestock production, vegetable and perennial crops," he said. "I got my dream in a more concise manner. But for now, I feel I need more experience."

He says that his parents are very supportive of his dream, although they wouldn't want to be farmers themselves.

"My mom gets it, gets what I want to do. My dad gets it now, too, although he didn't at first. They about income level and the risk I'll be taking, but they both get it now."

Holly and James Hammond

Both Holly and James Hammond are from farming backgrounds.

Holly grew up on an 80-acre, U-pick vegetable farm in Arizona and majored in business management at college.

James was raised on a tobacco farm in North Carolina, but currently works in computer sales.

A desire to hike the Appalachian Trail brought them to Virginia. They loved the area and decided to settle down here. They now call Virginia home.

Farming is a lifestyle to the Hammonds, not a job.

"We knew we wanted to farm, but we needed to know more about getting started. The insight we got from the Exploring the Small-Farm Dream seminar paired well with where we were going, so we were reassured that we were on the right track," the couple said.

The Hammonds will be starting their farming venture this spring.

Instead of buying a farm, they decided to rent, and recently signed a short-term lease for 15 acres on a 4,000-acre parcel near the Culpeper/Madison line.

Their rented farm comes complete with a house and basic infrastructure. Renting, they felt, seemed like the least-risky way to get started. It would give them a real, close-up opportunity to see if they actually liked farming, not just the romance of farming.

It would be a reality check, too, to see if they could, in fact, make a farm profitable.

Renting the farm, according to Holly, is no more expensive than just renting a house.

"We'll be raising our crops organically," she said. "We've planned a diverse crop of vegetables and berries. Chickens and eggs, too. Down the road, we'd like to add wheat. Next year, a greenhouse."

With plenty of fresh ideas from the seminar, the Hammonds are not afraid to farm outside the box.

"Fresh vegetables are important to me," said Holly, "and I'm interested in helping people learn to preserve food. I want to reach out to people and show them they can grow things, too."

Holly's parents are thrilled with her lifestyle choice because they lived a good life farming. James' family is warming up to the idea, but they still have reservations. They don't think farming is a good job for the future.

Charlotte Media Hirst

Charlotte Media Hirst and her husband William are in their 30s.

She dreams of a working dairy farm where she can make cheese -- her passion.

His vision is a little different. With a doctorate in criminology, he would like to live off the land when he retires -- in about 20 years.

Neither thought about farming until they learned about the Exploring the Small-Farm Dream seminar at a green festival in Washington, D.C., where Airlie had a booth.

Hirst took the seminar to get ideas and lay the groundwork as she inches toward making her dream a reality.

One thing she knows for sure is that her dream farm will probably not be in Virginia.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, she was shocked by the real estate prices in Northern Virginia.

The ideal location for her dairy farm, she said, is Oregon, but that's not stopping her from discovering Virginia's agricultural richness.

Her dairy farm dream began taking shape a couple of years ago, when she started making cheese as a hobby and bought a share in a cow at Western View Farm in Catlett to keep her supplied with fresh milk.

"I love the magic of making cheese because it always turns out a little different each time you make it, even if you make it exactly the same way each time," Hirst said.

She used the seminar to mark the beginning of a two-year quest she's planned to gather information, visit all the farms she can and map out her plans.

She particularly likes goats for milk, although her initial plans also include cows and sheep.

And she isn't limiting herself to cheese. Ice cream is also in her plans.