ALFONSO “FONZ” PALACIOS
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
Fonz has been farming on farms not his own for 7 years. This year he is taking a hiatus and working for Verizon in Colorado Springs, though when he is back home in Albuquerque on weekends, he helps a friend out at a hemp and vegetable operation.
UPDATE: Fonz was laid off from Verizon due to COVID-19 and now works full-time at his friend’s hemp/veg operation in New Mexico.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING, ETC)
I’m currently working for Verizon in Colorado Springs. When I’m back on the weekends, I help out at a friend’s farm. I just help out mostly check the heaters, make sure everything is watered and everything is going to be okay overnight. We are growing hemp for right now and other vegetables -chile, tomatoes, corn radishes, root veggies, herbs, lemon basil.
I left farming honestly because of the money. It was a lot of work and a lot of hours and not enough money to be able to support my car payments and other payments, other bills. I can’t remember how many pairs of glasses that I have broken just working on the farm, and just thinking ‘Fuck! Now I have to buy new ones and they are expensive’.
I would love to go back to farming, I’m currently looking to see if there is anything that I can do to come back to farming. I enjoy farming so much more than what I’m doing that maybe it wouldn’t be too much to come back and do farming and take a pay cut.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FARMING?
Since I was 18, so for 7 years. Before I would help out my grandparents in Mexico. Growing a little bit of chile and tomato plants. That was more a garden than an actual farm.
WHAT INITIALLY BROUGHT YOU TO THE FIELDS?
I was looking for something to do over the summer. I was already ranching with Lou. I used to take care of his horses and do the fields out there, that was down on 2nd street. I raised homing pigeons and he had a few chickens. It was his ranch - he had animals. I also took care of his rose bushes and lilies.
I knew this guy who worked at a farm in the South Valley who told me they were looking for intern help. I showed up and got a 5 minute interview from the farm manager and I started the next day.
It was super hard work at first. It was larger scale than what I’m used to. I liked it a lot pretty much from the beginning. The people had a lot to do with it. The managers were really cool. They were really good at explaining and helping you through it. They would give you a crate and work with you.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FARM FOR SOMEONE ELSE (NOW OR IN THE PAST?)
It would have to be more of a business side of it - I wouldn’t know how to go about it right away. I can grow stuff but I don’t know if I could sell it. It’s not cheap to start your own farm. For a nice good functioning farm you need at least one greenhouse to do year round growing. Those guys are expensive. I learned how to build greenhouses and drive tractors, take care of pigs.
The main reason is the finances of it. It’s also nice to go to different farms and see what they are doing - different farms do the same things differently. There was this guy Miguel from Chimayo who had this really cool easy method of trimming - trash bag with a hole in the middle. I like learning different techniques - there are so many ways to do one thing on a farm.
WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES FOR FARMERS WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S FARM - ISSUES THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED?
The biggest thing has to be communication. If things don’t get communicated from the top to the farm managers to the farmers - it just makes your work day so much harder than it could be.
“There is something about being there with your crew, shootin’ the shit and getting work done that is really rewarding at the end of the day. It makes me feel like I’m not just doing it for a paycheck, I’m doing it for something. It’s the same as being an artist – you don’t just do it because you have to, you do it because you want to.”
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
God, what don’t I miss about farming. Just being able to be outside is a big one, but also the hard work. I don’t really do much at my new job and I do get bored - farming makes days go by so much faster. I don’t know - there is something about being there with your crew shootin’ the shit and getting work done that is rewarding at the end of the day. It makes me feel like I’m not just doing it for a paycheck. I’m doing it for something. It’s the same as being an artist - you don’t just do it because you have to, you do it because you want to.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE DIFFERENCE (IF ANY) BETWEEN A FARMER AND A "FARM WORKER"/"FARM EMPLOYEE" BESIDES PROPRIETORSHIP?
There is more of a difference between a farm owner and farmer because I can own a farm and not do the actual farming. Just because I own a farm doesn’t mean I’m a farmer versus the guy who is at the farm putting stuff to seed, taking care of it and harvesting and running the farm - that’s a farmer.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WORKING ON FARMS NOT THEIR OWN?
One of the things that I really liked at one farm is they had a weekly food box that they would give employees. You could choose from all the stuff that they had and most of it was stuff that we got from the farm. It was good quality food at the end of the week, plus our paycheck. It helped out with not having to go to the grocery. It was clear that you got food because you worked there - not if there was any leftover. There were times that I would give those groceries away.
Good attitude has a big thing to do with it - that’s a big one. When vibes change, things don’t go smoothe.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FARMING? WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
I have this weird thing with Hakurei turnips. They're sweet and really nice to eat after work. One of my favorite things to do is sit on this bench under a big tree and talk to my coworkers and munch on turnips. I still want a turnip tattoo on my arm.
I like farming so when I'm farming there will be times that I do complain, but I also really like being able to see things and how they grow- seeing things from to finish. The pay off is being to say that I did that. I will put up with a lot because I like doing it. I could be doing this other job and be making more money, but this kind of sucks and I’d rather be in a greenhouse taking suckers off of tomato plants.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION/TAKE ON THE FARMER LUNCH? (DO YOU TAKE LUNCH, DO YOU SKIP LUNCH, DO YOU ENJOY TAKING LUNCH WITH YOUR CREW - FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING, IS THERE PRESSURE TO BE SOCIAL....)
It depends on how the day is going - taking lunch affects getting stuff done. Also lunch is a good time to chill out for a bit and relax and have food and talk to everyone who is at the farm.
I don’t know - I feel like lunch definitely is a good way to just de-stress from the morning strategize on what you’re going to do next.
