“Can I talk about my religion?” is the first question Teresa asks when interviewed about participating in the CAFF Farm School. “It’s important to my story, and I can’t tell it without discussing my beliefs.” Once assured, she says, “Good. I’m from China, and we always had to self-censor and be careful what we say publicly. I’m happy to have speech and spiritual freedom here in the United States.” She shares that she is a Christian, which was challenging in her home country, saying she was never entirely free. She is happy to be in a country with the freedom to exercise her faith openly. It’s a vital part of her life; she feels at home here because of it.
In her birth country, she was an English teacher. She married a colleague, an English teacher, and a United States citizen. They returned stateside about 16 years ago, first to Tulsa for a decade and then to Northwest Arkansas. She had a college degree from China but wanted to experience the American version of higher education. Teresa enrolled in courses for t a state teaching certification. After completion, she taught Chinese to American students in an immersive program. The following year, she returned to China to care for her father, who had cancer. Next came motherhood with the birth of their first child and a hiatus from teaching. Since Teresa had no family around to impart motherhood advice, she went to work part-time in a church nursery to learn more about caring for children.
Throughout all of this, she never had any experience with farming, saying, “I grew up in a concrete building and lived in big cities. You can’t truly own any property in China; the so-called owning is only long-term leasing. And I knew nothing about farming. I became interested after immigrating to the U.S., where land ownership is possible..” She cites the pandemic as her final motivation to farm. “It wasn’t a sudden decision, more of a gradual build-up. I was unsettled by many of the events happening in the world. It seemed apocalyptic. I wanted more stability and self-sufficiency. Farming is important, and I want to provide food for my family and others.”
In the CAFF Farm School program, this teacher of language suddenly needed a glossary to learn a whole new vocabulary. “I didn’t know any of these farm terms in Chinese, much less in English. I knew nothing about the tools, practices, or any of it.” She wishes she’d known or studied some basics in advance because there is so much to learn. “Knowing nothing about how things grow was rough initially. It would have been much less daunting if I’d known even a little.” At first, she wasn’t even sure what questions to ask. After each lesson, she wanted the instructors to repeat the entire thing. They assured her they would repeatedly return to the same topics until everyone learned and understood. And they did. Two months into the program, she felt much less intimidated and more confident in her abilities.
The program emphasizes the business aspects of farming. Initially, Teresa wasn’t even interested in those. She signed up primarily to learn how to have a homestead on her twelve acres in South Missouri. But once in the program, she could see new possibilities. There was a realization that it could be much more than she initially thought, not just for herself but for others. She never knew about the many options, paths, and opportunities in farming. She’s since learned that she can choose to farm part-time or full-time and grow her farm as much or as little as she wants to over time, adding crops or value-added products as she is ready to expand.
Teresa has easily balanced the CAFF Farm School schedule with motherhood. She wanted to enroll a couple of years earlier but felt that her children were too young for her to commit. With both kids currently in elementary school, the time seemed right. She is in Farm School four days a week with time left to study, cook, rest, and care for her family.
For anyone who can commit to the 10-month intensive CAFF Farm School, she thinks they definitely should, saying it’s a great option. Learning the business side, along with field production, is essential. She enjoys the farm tours and appreciates the farmers who speak to the class. They often share their failures and mistakes, which is valuable knowledge.
Her farm plan for the future is to grow popular vegetables for the first couple of years and then venture into more exotic produce. She hasn’t decided everything yet, but the program and instructors are helping. She’s learned to evaluate the market and determine what would be commercially viable and potentially profitable. Now, she knows how to find which niche in the market could be filled.
Overall, the CAFF Farm School has been much more than Teresa ever thought it would be. She’s glad she applied, and her vision for the future has expanded with new possibilities. It turns out that being a landowner is even more of a blessing than she ever dreamed. She loves working out in the fresh air, feeling healthy, and being close to nature. It feels spiritual and free. And it’s a very long way from a concrete box in a big city on the other side of the world, living with restrictions, no knowledge of growing food, and no hope of owning land.
The CAFF Farm School is a part-time, intensive education program that offers hands-on field production experience and small-farm entrepreneurship courses, including business and marketing. Students who complete the program exit with a business plan for their future farm and the skills to make it a reality. See all of the details and apply at UAFarmSchool.org.
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