Melanee, a military veteran, enrolled in the CAFF Farm School to develop an urban micro-farm on an under utilized half-acre on her school’s property. The project, dubbed Hide and Seek Farm, will provide learning opportunities for her young charges and nutritious food for school meals. The school currently serves organic food and places a standard grocery order each week. Melanee hopes to grow much of the school’s food in the future.
As a child, Rori was drawn to farming. While growing up in Noble, Oklahoma, her family didn’t farm. So, studying agriculture was never presented to her as a possibility. Instead, she went on to study art and eventually joined the Navy, serving for fourteen years. Afterward, with a child to support, she worked in the New Mexico oil fields. Throughout it all, the desire to farm remained a constant for Rori. She wanted to learn how to grow food for her family and community. This led to attending the CAFF Farm School on a Hometown Heroes Scholarship.
After coming to the States, he and his wife had difficulty finding fresh African vegetables for the traditional dishes they enjoyed eating. He conducted market research and found it a common issue among immigrants. He was excited to find the CAFF Farm School, which covered all aspects of farming entrepreneurship, including business, legal, and field production.
After retiring to Arkansas, a couple started a sheep farm and is now expanding into vegetable production. The female farm owner, at age 70, enrolled in the CAFF Farm School. She is now putting everything learned into practice on her farm as it expands to provide fresh vegetables for local farm-to-table restaurants.
Weed control is often cited as one of the most difficult aspects of organic farming. Because of the organic prohibition on synthetic herbicides, no organic sprays worth mentioning can take care of weeds. Instead, the organic farm must rely on cultural practices such as tarping and mulching for effective weed control. But the good news is that these practices actually work! And they also help build soil quality at the same time.
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