SHEILA REDHOUSE
NEW MEXICO
Sheila started farming last year. She currently works at a farm in Vanderwagen, New Mexico learning Indigenous regenerative farming.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING, ETC)
Currently I have been working at the La Montanita Gallup Food Coop. From there I was working full time and now have switched over to part-time. I’m also working to build up more food safety training to visit more farms. I’m working at Spirit Farms in Vanderwagen, New Mexico teaching Indigenous regenerative farming. That is part of the reason that I’m working with them.
Just to start the day, for today, we came in , we begin to tend to the animals, feed them, see if they need more water, checking to see if they are doing okay. We just introduced a new pig. He is tinier than the rest of them, so we have to keep an eye to make sure he’s not being bullied too much and eating okay or we will have to separate them.
We are prepping for the garden portion for the farming. We are starting seedlings right now. The great thing is that the people who are at the top of the farm are really passionate about teaching us so we can get started with our own farms and gardens if we want to. They really are passionate about us starting our own projects. I’ve started on pigs. We have also farm hands who come. They have their own animals and are trying to start their own gardens, as well. We help with the animals and then work on other projects for the rest of the day.
I had to start the feed. They are actually fermenting food, corn and beans and wheat so that animals are getting probiotics in their diet. They try to diversify the diet instead of growing just hay or one single thing. They are trying to see how they can round out their diet. They are also working on solar dehydrators. They try as hard as they can to find out what is available in our area, like what classes, so if any of us want to hone up with more skills we can. They have teamed up with a solar company in Gallup and we can go and learn there. We are hoping to move everything that we are doing into truly Indigenous regenerative. Sort of stepping back and making and sourcing and doing everything on our own as much as we can instead of having to bring in different sources of power. Even trying to see how we can make our own potting soil.
We are sticking to the basics now, but it’ll be great once we can start doing that.
The end goal with the farm food safety training I’m doing is that I will be able to go to some farms and assist them in setting up and becoming food safe if that’s their goal. If they are wanting to produce as a business, how we can get them started on that.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FARMING?
Very little actually . I’ve just started halfway through last year.
WHAT INITIALLY BROUGHT YOU TO THE FIELDS?
I would want to say that it has always been a dream of mine. I guess I didn’t fully see how it could happen. Recently things started to fall into place where it’s becoming more and more possible. I’ve been working on it every day as much as I can.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FARM FOR SOMEONE ELSE (NOW OR IN THE PAST?)
I think the reason I chose to farm for these guys is because they really do want to teach everyone who works for them, teach the things that they have learned so far. They haven’t been generationally in the business of farming. They both started both themselves. They cared about the earth. They’ve cared about this whole system that we have been living off of, they have been feeling that passionately and they wanted to see what they could do, and now they want to teach others - with solar dehydrators, with the gardening. They even went as far as testing, they are working with the microbes in the soil. When they are talking about regenerative agriculture, they are working with the system that was in place. They really want to teach about how to have healthy soil and balance that with plants and animals.
They really want to teach you and also assist you. On days that I’m really needing help, I won’t work that day/get paid for that day , but the whole group that is working on the farm will come to my property and help me. And vice versa. If they need a fence put up or a barn put up, they want us to feel comfortable to hop on these projects.
I’m trying to acquire more area around me. I live in a checkerboard area, which means it’s half county and half tribal land. The reason that was created was to help us Indigenous people become ranchers if we wanted to, but the system is faulted since it was created. It’s gotten very muddled.
My hope is also to create that farm to table experience for my family and other people who haven’t experienced that before.
I showed them land that I’m interested in. It’s not a whole lot, but it’s just enough for what I’m needing to do.
WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES FOR FARMERS WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S FARM - ISSUES THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED?
We do have a pretty good situation. As time is going to go on, as soon as we get into the busy season come springtime, we are all going to be busy because we are also trying to get our own gardens going plus the main garden going at the farm. That balance between home and work. We are trying to not see it just as work because we are all pretty passionate about what we are doing on the farm, but we are also pretty passionate on our own land. It’s going to be that balance of what I’m doing at the farm and what I’m doing at home. Because when you clock off, you’re pooped but you still have more to do.
Right now I’m at the Home Depot parking lot because I have to get more buckets.
Once everything is where we need it to be, that’s my dream. How we can make things efficient so we can work smarter, not harder.
CAN YOU TELL ME THE QUALITIES OF A DREAM FARM NOT LEADING TO OWNERSHIP - THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK ON?
The model that we are working on right now is working out pretty good. I didn’t know very much going in, they are working with us every day and teaching us more things to resource things for us and give us flexibility to build our own farms. I kind of hope this for everybody. This is as best of a situation as I can think of. We have our own opinions and ideas, but somehow we make it work together. And it’s not nothing that this is the first time I’ve ever felt comfortable working at a place and not feeling that weird “I’m your boss/you’re the worker” type energy.
“Within our area there is so much mining and disruption of land, and with the population expanding, more land gets torn up. We don’t have that appreciation for what our land can do for us if we work on it. Just to tie it all together, that is why I’m really hoping what we are doing will show people that there is another way instead of constantly running up resources or needing to feed into this whole thing where we feel helpless.”
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK?
I love food so I am always learning and connecting. If you can learn where your food comes from, you actually are face to face with it and hand to hand with it, you become more appreciative of it. I already appreciate my food, but there is something different to have that farm to table experience and truly be the person who has worked on it. I’ve worked with food before and I’ve always loved working from the raw produce to the end product. There is so much of our food that is heavily processed and we can’t even recognized from where it came from. I love that aspect of farming and just everything else.
Being outside, being with animals, learning things constantly because you’re always having to stay on your toes when something happens…what do we have to do next?
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE DIFFERENCE (IF ANY) BETWEEN A FARMER AND A "FARM WORKER"/"FARM EMPLOYEE" BESIDES PROPRIETORSHIP?
Farm worker feels more descriptive, that you’re working on a farm. Whereas a farmer is someone who has the farm and it’s more personal.
DO YOU CALL YOURSELF A FARMER? WHY OR WHY NOT.
Just to help people describe what I do, I say farm worker. I would say I’m getting closer to that feeling of calling myself a farmer because I’m starting on my own and feeling more comfortable with the idea of calling myself a farmer. Once I get more things up and running, I’ll feel even more comfortable saying that.
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE WORKING ON FARMS NOT THEIR OWN?
I would say more of what you’re doing at Not Our Farm, hearing other sides of stuff.
Communication overall for any worker is key, just feeling like how they are feeling is validated, at least by somebody.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOURSELF & YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FARMING? WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
I’m always trying to improve and figure out what I can do for my community, my family and myself. Just diving into this, I’m really passionate about combating global warming. Within our area there is so much mining and disruption of land, and with the population expanding, more land gets torn up. We don’t have that appreciation for what our land can do for us if we work on it. Just to tie it all together, that is why I’m really hoping what we are doing will show people that there is another way instead of constantly running up resources or needing to feed into this whole thing where we feel helpless. What we are seeing with the pandemic, if we are seeing supplies not coming in like we used to from food to building supplies to everything, we are starting to see that it’s not as sustainable as we thought it was. I am hoping to educate that people can empower themselves with educating themselves with their food, where it comes from, how it’s grown and possibly that they can do something for themselves or seek out local farms that are willing to help, they really are.
