ALYSSA VANDURME
MASSACHUSETTS
Alyssa has been farming on farms not her own since 2018. Last winter she strung together a few jobs in the offseason such as late season harvest help at a large farm, delivering packages for UPS for the holiday season, installing and deinstalling art projects for a business.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING, ETC)
Right now I am in the preseason of farming. Just did a couple days at Colfax this week cleaning fall stuff and getting the greenhouse ready to go. With COVID craziness - having conversations just to strategize our strategies and messaging - for CSA members, and visitors. Key topic to discuss. I live in a farm house with two other farmer - Indian Line farm - owner had a big produce sale for their farm - helped with that.
This upcoming week, working for a food aggregator who is - director to consumer - multifarm CSA - deliver the food.
March 30 - full time farming season.
Molly is the owner - I am her fulltime farm employee. We have a part time person who helps with market and a person who helps with CSA pickups.
Strung together a few jobs in the offseason - working at a place all last summer and continued through the winter with other random jobs. Late season harvest help at a very large farm - in NY. on the NY/MA borders. Delivered packages for UPS - helping with xmas shopping season. Linked up with a local business owner, he hired me for the next few months - helped with his art distribution business, cleaning warehouse, organizing, install and deinstall art project.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FARMING?
I started in 2018 - that was the first year. I went to Fairbanks, Alaska, did a farm apprenticeship at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center. That gave me the hands on skills that I was lacking to market this as a career. I felt quite confident leaving that program. I moved back to the Hudson Valley to be close to family. My first farm job was a gig at a goat dairy, on the goat milking side of things and farming, marketing and sales.
WHAT INITIALLY BROUGHT YOU TO THE FIELDS?
It was a really gradual drawn out process in my 20s and early 30s when I was figuring out who I am and what my values are in life. I followed the traditional path of college and getting my masters, and getting good corporate jobs with benefits and decent money. At the time when all my peers were settling down with houses and kids, I was struggling with if that was my course.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, I did a farm apprenticeship that gave me the hands-on skills that I was lacking to market this as a career. I felt quite confident leaving that program. I moved back to the Hudson Valley to be close to family.
My first farm job was a gig at a goat dairy - on the goat milking side of things and the farming, marketing and sales.
I quickly learned that people say you are either a vegetable farmer or an animal farmer. I found myself more to be a plant person. I have so much respect for people who work for livestock, but I knew it was in my path to find a veg farm.
This is an expensive county to live in. Most people are second homeowners from Boston and New York. Farmers are pushed out of the housing market. I was paying 4x the amount in rent than I am currently last season compared to this season. I had to work 2- 3 nights at a restaurant to afford my rent.
The current farm house I live in is an amazing opportunity - it’s owned by a non-profit, and they use the back half of the property for office space - it’s a program for teenagers outside building gardens and trails. Their mission is to support youth and young farmers who don’t have means to buy land or housing.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FARM FOR SOMEONE ELSE (NOW OR IN THE PAST?)
I think it comes down to my desire to keep learning and not feeling 100% confident to do it on my own. You could farm for ten or twenty years and still be learning everyday. Also I’m the type of person who is externally motivated - I do better and am more productive when I have someone else I’m working for or with - I feel more motivated and inspired than when I do it all on my own. Farming is a time consuming, strenuous, exhausting profession, if you’re able to find someone that you enjoy spending every day with and the ups and downs of the crazy summer season, you’re lucky. I found that with my current farm owner and that is why I’m coming back. She’s a phenomenal farmer and person - I’m still learning so much from her.
WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES FOR FARMERS WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S FARM - ISSUES THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED?
There is a mentality whether it’s true or not, that your employees will never work as hard as you do. That motivates me to work as close or as hard as the farm owner does.
CAN YOU TELL ME THE QUALITIES OF A DREAM FARM NOT LEADING TO OWNERSHIP - THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK ON?
I would say my dream farm would be constantly evolving and adapting to all the needs of its community in terms of more than just food. Alaskans are known for being very rugged and self sufficient people, and at the apprenticeship I did, they offered all kinds of programs: tree pruning, blacksmithing and welding, sheep rearing and processing all their own wool, natural dying, spinning.
As farming evolves, we need to adapt to resilient channels and strategies where we are making money, but also creating resilience.
“There is a mentality, whether it’s true or not, that your employees will never work as hard as you do. That motivates me to work as close or as hard as the farm owner does.”
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
I think there is something physical that happens to our bodies when we are in our more natural state of being, when we are outside, connected with the earth and organisms, small and large. There was some science report the other day that says our hands in the soil releases serotonin. I do believe there is a physiological change that happens when we are in tune with the earth and doing natural work. My body is meant to be in motion. I feel healthier and more at peace and relaxed doing this work than doing any other work...so much so that I don’t care that I’m making half as much money as I used to - this is a wealthier way of living.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE DIFFERENCE (IF ANY) BETWEEN A FARMER AND A "FARM WORKER"/"FARM EMPLOYEE" BESIDES PROPRIETORSHIP?
I do - and I odn’t know if i can clearly articulate what that is.
Sounds cliche - I want to have a little description of who i am and where I am on my instagram. This is who i am. What do i put on there. Am i actually a farmer. I love that molly calls me her coworker when she is introduces me. Allows us more to feel like equals - we are both farmers and farming this land together. Just because she has the lease and business doesn’t make me less essential, we are a small operation, i can see if it’s a bigger company whole staff of employees - farm employees could make sense. Washing, packing shipping delivering, marketing, not necessary growing food. Definitely some distinction.
I think so - it’s about starting to feel confident. Don’t like labels to begin with - that’s hard. I am that and other people would consider me that.
“I grow vegetables.” “I work at a vegetable farm”
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....)
We always have a 10:30 snack. This season, we started a tradition. Rice cake, plain & bland. We do mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and fresh veggies and herbs, AND PILE IT SO HIGH! Thin slice of cheese. Radish, tomatoes. We stretch and sit for awhile, and have a lot of water.
