Many of our employees arrive at the farm under the watchful eye of their parents, job coaches, and even transportation providers. Some combination of these people sit in on the job interviews we have with our Growers[1], stay with their Growers during the work day (at least at the beginning of their time here), and stay very close to their kids during the course of their work season at A Farm Less Ordinary.

And why wouldn’t they? Their job (DNA-driven, or otherwise) is to look after someone who doesn’t fit into the “normal” mold, and they will protect that person from as many stumbles as possible. We shield the people we care about from disappointment, failure, hurt…you name it.

But what about the person who is cared for constantly? How often do they get the chance to care for something themselves, when a good part of their lives are spent being protected, supported, and shielded? How often are they asked to care for something outside of their family bubble?

At A Farm Less Ordinary, our Growers are asked to feel responsible for all of the plants on the farm. They start these plants from seed, protect them from weeds, pests, and all of the threats that come from sitting in an exposed field 24-7. Our Growers then harvest the gifts these plants give them, in response to the protection our Growers have provided. Finally, our Growers prepare the produce they have nurtured into existence, washing it, boxing it up for our CSA customers, or handing it to farmers’ market customers. In other words, our Growers become caretakers themselves, through their work on the farm.

And in the process, they have learned how to get through a job interview, come to work prepared, interact with coworkers appropriately, finish assigned tasks….oh, the list goes on. We accomplish so many things during the course of a farm season, which are all transformative in their own way. I guess you could say that our Growers are transformed while they are transforming seeds into dinner for your table.

How cool is that? People who are constantly cared for get to constantly care for something instead. That feeling has to be transformative in and of itself.

[1] Because this is a real job, and we expect our Growers to go through normal employment milestones