Even as a young child, Chad was drawn to farming. He remembers gazing at photos of farms as a boy and dreaming of a farm future. They were primarily images of large-scale commercial operations, which he eventually realized could be unattainable for him. Despite growing up in the city of Rogers, Arkansas, and not on a farm, he remained convinced it was his calling. Chad jumped on every opportunity to approach it. It began with a garden with his father as a teenager and continued with gardens on his own as an adult. Even when there was no space for a garden where he lived, friends and family would let him grow on their land.
One year, Chad grew watermelons from heirloom seeds. They were the best, most delicious watermelons he’d ever tasted. It was pivotal and ignited an interest in heirlooms. This became a passion for preserving heirloom seeds to keep the varieties in existence. Chad is also happy to infect others with this mission, sharing heirloom seeds, his harvest, and knowledge with anyone interested. He says heirlooms opened up a whole new understanding of how limited our modern food systems can be. “Our food is often grown primarily for mass production and longevity in the supply chain rather than for taste or other characteristics,” he says. Chad realized most people had never discovered what he did with those watermelons. They have no idea how delicious a crop grown for its flavor profile can be. “It’s a completely different experience,” he says. “I would like to develop a mid-scale farm for local markets that introduces people to these amazing varieties and preserves them.”
Chad says the great thing about a small farm is the freedom to try different varieties and create a demand for them in the market by exposing people to new things. “So many incredible varieties were developed for different uses or flavors. Sometimes we don’t know we want something because we didn’t know it existed.” Keeping variety in our current food systems is a challenge. One that Chad is dedicated to meeting. He is already cultivating seeds from heirloom corn called White Nighting. It’s ideally suited for grinding. He plans to work with Seed Savers Exchange and share it.
Before enrolling in the CAFF Farm School, Chad held various jobs, including working at Walmart and as a FedEx driver. But once he discovered the program, the farming dream he’d always harbored could be a reality. The scale and type of farming taught at CAFF didn’t require all the equipment or land needed for large-scale commercial farming operations. It also included the horticulture, field production, and entrepreneurial curriculum he wanted.
Now that he’s farming daily, Chad says his favorite thing is working outdoors and not being cooped up in an office. He loves working with nature. There is excitement about developing production skills and a business plan incorporating his passion for heirlooms. He’s glad he applied for the CAFF Farm School and finally sees a possible future for himself professionally in farming.
It’s inspiring when someone makes their dream come true, especially when we can all benefit from it. We look forward to Chad introducing the Northwest Arkansas food system to some incredible heirloom fruits and vegetables we’ve never tried. His advice for anyone else carrying a childhood dream of being a farmer? “If you feel it’s calling you, go for it!”
The CAFF Farm School is a 10-month, part-time, intensive farm education and training program. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is part of the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture. Details and an application link are available at LearnToFarm.org.
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