Tell us a little about your first year working with Grow the Growers:
I started working as an intern with GTG in 2021. The program had some transitions in staffing, and that was definitely challenging. I was a full-time intern, so I received a stipend, and I was on-site for 40 hours a week. The internship program was organized as a combination of lectures, hands-on management in a collective farm plot on-site, and some off-site farm visits.
What was the most helpful component of that internship year with GTG?
Hands down, the most helpful experience that I had during my internship was visiting other farms. These off-site visits to working farms offered insights into different growing systems, seeing what crops thrive in New Mexico, and hearing firsthand from successful growers about their experiences and lessons learned.
Other highlights from the program were having access to farmland and a low-stakes entry into farming, allowing me to build confidence and feel safe to try things out. Having access to resources like tools and compost was definitely a highlight as well. I also learned so much from the incubator farmers who had graduated from the internship and worked on-site running their farm operations. Connecting with them and getting to learn alongside them was another really valuable component of the program.
How was it transitioning from the internship year to the incubator year?
2022 was such a steep learning curve in transitioning from this role of intern into one of owner-operator. It was amazing to have the opportunity to grow on-site and continue to get support from the resources offered by the program (land, tools, equipment) but it was a huge learning curve to think through on my own what to plant, when to plant, how to sell, and how to build a market.
After that first season, I realized I wasn’t sure if I wanted to manage a farm by myself, and luckily my friend Mitchell and I decided to start farming together the following season, and we have been co-owners of Yappy Dog Farm ever since!
Where did you sell that first year (2022)? Where do you sell now?
I started selling at the Downtown Growers’ Market in Albuquerque in June 2022, and grew both diversified vegetables and cut flowers. Today, Mitchell and I still sell at the Downtown Growers’ Market, and it is where the bulk of our income is earned. We also sell to our neighbors, Tiny Grocer andMoGro, as well as supply flowers to local florists.
Words of wisdom for someone who is going through the Grow the Growers Program:
I would strongly encourage those who are going through the program to take advantage of the site visits to other farmers. Ask those farmers questions, build relationships with the other farmers that you meet, and observe all of the different ways that people operate. Take good notes during the internship season to really recognize the unique moments that take place during a full growing season, and how to time plantings and harvests accordingly. I wish I had been thinking about the seasonal flow of things for my own operation while going through the program so that I could ask more questions and be better prepared when I started farming on my own.
Becca withand an armful of Dara carrot flowers in her incubator farm plot at the Gutierrez-Hubbell House circa 2021.
