situation where you ’ re establishing a relationship and a rapport with someone with a developmental disability .” Working with differently abled adults was a new experience for her , “ and in addition to having the experience , all of my judgements and stereotypes were dismantled .” During her tenure as farm manager , she learned to approach the growers with real respect and professional expectations .
Brandon Vreeland is one of those growers . “ I am a farmer at Red Wiggler . I do harvesting and mowing , and I love it .” It is clear how much he takes pride in the work he does , in the responsibilities he holds . He also has a real appreciation for being a farmer . “ It ’ s very different from being in an office all day sitting at a desk in front of a computer and doing paperwork . I like being a farmer because I can come out here during the week , even when it ’ s hot . He smiles on the porch , glistening with joy and a bit of a summer sweat . “ Well ,
it ’ s my dream job . So that ’ s what I love to do . Even though I get hot and tired , you ’ ve got to feel yourself alive sometimes .”
In other words , Red Wiggler cares by giving differently abled adults meaningful and gainful employment in a people-first context . But that is not the only way Red Wiggler lives into this deeper vision of farming .
The Farm That teacheS
They are also committed to education . When asked what a farm can teach people , Melissa quickly says , “ Everything ! So if you ’ re a science person , there ’ s all the science behind farming to learn . If you ’ re a people person there ’ s so much to learn about people . There ’ s a kind of sports angle to it : we ’ re all athletes here . And there ’ s probably more that I ’ m not thinking about .” Darlene Richardson is the education coordinator at Red Wiggler . She is responsible for a host of
educational programs : school visits to the farm , tours , workshops with members of the community . She also coordinates the farm ’ s CSA or community supported agriculture program . “ We say that our CSA program is part of our educational mission on the farm . So we want people to not just come and pick up produce , but we want them to come and learn something new , try a new vegetable .” You might think of her as the farm ’ s educator-inresidence . How many farms have one of those ?
When I asked her the same question I asked Melissa , she says , “ There ’ s no curriculum unit that can ’ t be taught on a farm . Even from a very young age when you ’ re doing simple things like opposites , we will go into the field and go , ‘ Is this hard or soft ? Is this rough or smooth ?’” The longer she processes that out loud , the more I ’ m convinced . “ There ’ s a lot of math and counting and weighing . Yeah , we can talk about history . History and
PHOTOs this page : Erica Baker
Brandon Vreeland , left , Tim Reeves and Hans Berg find meaningful work and purpose at Red Wiggler Farm .
22 plenty I autumn harvest 2022