ROBIN HERNANDEZ
MARYLAND
Robin spent the past year working with a non-profit at a farmers’ market in Maryland and as a program manager at a farm education program for youth.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING, ETC)
This past year my main employment was with a non-profit working at a farmers’ market in Langley Park and Tacoma Park, Maryland. I also worked as a Program Manager for them part time, doing outdoor gardening, cooking with youth, and bringing farmers to come in to give talks with students virtually.
I worked at another farm in Maryland in the past. I worked for that farm for 12 weeks over the summer at her farmers’ market. I’ve worked for that farm for the last 3-4 years in different capacities. I’m looking at what next season will look like.
I also worked for a friend at her flower farm in a volunteer capacity. I’m talking about stuff with her for next year, too. It’s hard to know what the season will look like. I’ve also worked for Potomac Vegetable Farm, their two sites, since 2015, on and off subbing, but not all this year.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FARMING?
In different capacities, I’ve worked for 4 -5 different growing operations. I started working at a 40 acre farm in 2013 in Pennsylvania and then worked at the Washington Youth Garden, Love and Carrots, interned at Three Part Harmony Farm in DC. I worked with this guy in Philly who had a bunch of different plots in the city, which was a startup selling mostly to restaurants and growing flowers. Before that I worked at their farmers’ markets for two years.
WHAT INITIALLY BROUGHT YOU TO THE FIELDS?
I was working as a Caseworker at a homeless shelter and it wasn’t a ton of money, so I was looking for extra work. A friend had just moved to Philly and she reached out to all these vendors at farmers’ market and one responded. My friend had already gotten a job, so I started working there and I fell in love with selling veggies, sharing recipes, being introduced to lots of different foods. I love working farmers’ markets.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FARM FOR SOMEONE ELSE (NOW OR IN THE PAST?)
I really like working on a team of people, being part of a team at the farmers’ market or in the fields, just working together and just kind of showing up and doing a very hard day’s work collaboratively with our bodies with other people. I feel fortunate to be able to do that. You don’t get paid very much, so it is very hard. I’m fortunate too because my family has been supportive of my choice to do that, but that’s also hard, too.
It’s so hard to make any long term future plans at this moment. For 2021, I’m hoping to continue farming full-time or as a side job, that would be awesome. But that’s about as far ahead as I can go.
I’m okay working on other people’s farms.
WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES FOR FARMERS WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S FARM - ISSUES THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED?
There inevitably becomes a power dynamic or questioning on how people are spending their time. How they define work differs. I’m thinking particularly about a situation that occurred on a farm where people were wondering why the owner wouldn’t spend time harvesting or washing, like where are they? The owner was feeling resentful of the workers feeling that way toward them, they felt like they weren’t being valued. It created a lot of tension. There is inherent tension because someone is writing a check, you’re relying on them financially, and if there is also housing tied to the situation, there’s not a lot of distance for private life for farmers. I hope the situation has improved. The breakdown of communication became very toxic.
The importance of communication and styles of communications and building a place of consent. I feel like when you have a really great group of people who can communicate well together, it doesn’t have to feel quite as hard.
CAN YOU TELL ME THE QUALITIES OF A DREAM FARM NOT LEADING TO OWNERSHIP - THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK ON?
I think one that is potentially big, 10 acres or more, with teams of 5- 10 people at a time. Different types of plants, trees, bushes, perennials. There’s a lot of different stuff growing all over the place. Probably there are check-ins regularly, and expectations of how everyone will be treated and spoken to. Everyone is affirmed in terms of their identity. Hopefully it’s a wage where everyone can survive and have a decent quality of life. Looking at health through plants. Intergenerational.
How much money do I need to make a year for my baseline? Being able to ask that question and be heard would be nice.
“There is inherent tension because someone is writing a check, you’re relying on them financially, and if there is also housing tied to the situation, there’s not a lot of distance for private life for farmers.”
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
The people. People who care for the soil. How exciting it is to pull a potato out of the ground. Continually learning, always learning about farming and how food grows, the science of it is exciting. There’s so much to learn and so many ways to learn, too.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE DIFFERENCE (IF ANY) BETWEEN A FARMER AND A "FARM WORKER"/"FARM EMPLOYEE" BESIDES PROPRIETORSHIP?
I think if I was working day in and day out, I would have a different opinion since I don’t use either of those words right now to identify myself. I respect both of them. If someone called me either, I would have pride.
Because of the media, there is a hierarchy, so there is a difference. Farm worker is associated in contemporary US media as a migrant farm worker, possibly someone who might be making barely enough money to survive.
DO YOU CALL YOURSELF A FARMER? WHY OR WHY NOT.
Yeah I think so. I’m very fortunate to have met so many people in the DC and Maryland farming community and there are people who are dedicated to not owning farms. We need ways to support farm workers in this region because it is so expensive and if something were to happen, like a physical harm , we need something to make sure that it is not the last time you can farm. So I think acknowledging there is a difference in income if you own a farm versus working on a farm. You need to have a pile of cash as a farm worker.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WORKING ON FARMS NOT THEIR OWN?
There is this model that I read about called a Tsu Tsu, which is a model of sharing larger deposits of money cooperatively. Everyone puts in some money on a decided increment of time, and every member receives a share at some point, which is decided to by group. It’s a form of income sharing.
Worker owned collectives are pulling income. It’s always something I’m thinking about, but I haven’t made any actionable steps yet.
Additional compensation for housing would help. And I think more communication is always is great.
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....)
I’ve had funny lunch situations. I got really good at the 10 minute nap during an hour lunch. It’s nice to tae a long break during the middle of the day. If you’re pulling a 10 hour or longer day, it’s nice to tae a long lunch, regroup, recoup and come back and work.
I also have memories of eating take-out in the van. I had this one boss who had a broken cell phone and was still taking calls and driving around in the car eating lunch with their ear bleeding because of the phone.
There is a lot of pressure on farms.