Joe has a long history with healthcare. He spent decades as a nurse before transitioning to hospital management and worked as a hospital CEO for two decades. At age 65, he is now in the CAFF Farm School and the senior member of his cohort. When not farming, he works as a local health agency nurse. Several people have asked if he knows what he is getting into physically with farming. He always responds, “It can’t be much harder work physically than nursing is!”
For Joe, the physical aspect of farming is a feature and not a bug. He believes active people with purpose and plenty of movement live longer and are healthier. Keeping your brain busy intellectually is essential, too. He loves to learn new things. The CAFF Farm School checks many boxes for his plan to age well. “I’m getting plenty of exercise, and I haven’t taken this many class notes since college,” he laughs!
Joe says the decision to farm was slow and began in the pandemic. He can’t recall a more difficult time in his career than during Covid. “Running a hospital then was so challenging and stressful,” he says. “ I kept myself going by spending my downtime on happy distractions.” One of which was watching farming videos voraciously on YouTube. “Like many people, I wanted to be more self-sufficient.” He isn’t sure when the light bulb went on that he wanted to farm professionally; it was more of a slow realization. The idea emerged as an enjoyable way to keep his mind and body healthy while using his land and supplementing his retirement income.
Joe and his wife purchased two acres of land in Prairie Grove. They will farm on it and build a new home. Economics is essential, as Joe’s farm is part of his retirement plan. He needs to make the most of his available start-up capital and can’t waste funds or time on years of avoidable farming mistakes that can come with a “trial and error” approach. To increase the odds of his farm being profitable and efficient, Joe needed more education and experience.
That’s where the CAFF Farm School comes into the story. He grew up in Hot Springs and Malvern, Arkansas, but Joe had no farming experience despite having rural roots. His primary farming knowledge had come from video tutorials. “There are many people teaching farming online with YouTube channels and such. But nothing can compare to the experience of being physically in an actual classroom or the field and learning directly from experienced farmers and professional educators,” he says. ‘That’s why the CAFF Farm School knocks it out of the park.” Joe describes it as dynamic and exciting. He says the program combines all critical knowledge – classroom courses, field experience, and the social component. He notes how vital the latter is, pointing out that no online video from someone in another state can expose you to the local farming network or your regional food system.
The CAFF Farm School experience Is turning out completely different than he expected. It’s also exactly what he thought it might be. He found the technical production component most unexpected, “There is such a breadth of knowledge to acquire, and it’s all new for me. I am more familiar with business management skills because of my career background. But even with that, it’s different. Some of my previous knowledge translates, and some doesn’t.”
Joe says the CAFF team and instructors are a “delight.” He enjoys learning from a team, with each instructor having a unique personality and teaching method. He enjoys switching focus and instructors throughout the day.
After completing the program, Joe wants to grow a standard diversified vegetable portfolio for the market. He plans to begin with a generalist approach and see how the farm develops. He’s looking forward to figuring out what works and adapting.
He advises anyone interested in learning to farm to consider volunteering at a local farm or taking a short course. “Doing it is different than watching it. If you are serious, get out there with knowledgable people and begin because there is more to learn than you realize, and videos alone can’t teach you everything.”
The CAFF Farm School is an intensive 10-month program teaching farm entrepreneurship and field production. The part-time course is in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is part of the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture. Please take a look at the program details and apply at UAFarmSchool.org.
Recent Comments