Karen is consistently drawn to the crossroads of food, community, culture, and helping people. Farming fits right in that sweet spot, bringing her passions and superpowers together. She enrolled in the CAFF Farm School, hoping to someday develop a small farm with a commercial kitchen. Karen is on the journey now and can’t believe how much she’s absorbed and experienced.
Jim attended the University of Arkansas, receiving a degree in architecture when the renowned Fay Jones was head of the department. He went on to establish a successful Fayetteville-based architecture firm of his own. Then, he “got a wild hair” and enrolled in the CAFF Farm School! That’s the first of several twists in this story. Sometimes an old farm can inspire new dreams.
Basia loves being outdoors and cooking healthy food. “I was never one of those people who knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I’m still figuring that out, but farming brings together many things I love doing.” The program has given her an opportunity to explore options for building a business around her various interests.
Retiring to farm was a trend at the CAFF Farm School in 2023. John worked for 33 years in a machine shop at Bekaert Steel, but he dreamed of farming. Growing up in rural and agricultural Riverton, Kansas, his grandfather and great-grandfather farmed. When John and his wife discovered the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, they decided to attend one of the open house events at the CAFF Farm School. After touring the facility and hearing about the curriculum, he decided it was time to do what he really wanted to do and learn to farm.
Darrel was raised in a large farming family in southwest Ohio. His grandparents on both sides raised livestock or grew row crops, as did most of their twelve children. He always worked the family farms and planned to farm himself someday. As happens sometimes, that plan took a twenty-eight-year detour. Now, he is back on the road to farming with acreage in Huntsville and attending the CAFF Farm School. He’s making new plans for an old dream.
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.
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