New Beginnings at Sprout Farm
Hi friends,
This is Ginny over here at Sprout Farm, kicking off our very first blog post, on our very first blog, on our very first website, for our very first farm! Yes, it's been a year full of firsts :)
Some of you may know me, and others, maybe not. If you want to learn more about me, and my partner-in-farming Montana, check out our About page for a little more info. Our website provides basic information about who we are and what we're doing here at Sprout, but it does not tell you how we got here. About Our Story. It's been a pretty cool journey and I get a lot of questions about it, so I figured that would be a good place to start with this blog.
The spirit of this work goes way back. For as long as I can remember, I'd dreamed about having my own business, and really digging in on something that I was passionate about. Those that know me know that I have boundless energy (which has been tempered a bit by my children), endless ideas, and a driving energy to grow and evolve and experience and do. I want to live and live fully. I want to connect with others; I want community. I want to reach for a higher purpose and serve a public good. I want to be happy and I want to make others happy too. This farm- Sprout - is the manifestation of that.
Montana and I met when the stars aligned. We were both undergoing significant life changes, both yearning for a higher purpose, both reaching for a farm where we could individually manifest our talents and create an environment where we could blossom. We also both have young children and knew this was an environment where we wanted our children to grow.
Closing day for our business funding through NCIF!
To Grow: to undergo natural development; to germinate; to sprout; to come into existence; to develop. All of these things we wanted for ourselves, our kids, and for other's too. We had this idea that a return to nature, and cultivating food, and being outside, and learning to respect and work with the natural world was something that would be good for our souls, good for our kids, and that what we produced and the environment that we could create would be good for our community too.
We have a fantastic suite of complimentary skills that worked well for this kind of venture- I have the business background, and she's the farmer :) We uplift and embrace one another's strengths and delegate beautifully! So we collaborated on a gigantic business plan, fiddled with financial projections, and with a boatload of courage, we pitched it to an investment firm and got funding as a women-owned and operated agricultural venture!
Since then, we've bought a farm (in March!), rescued a bunch of orphaned and abused critters, wrangled 14 acres of land that needed a little love, made a bunch of handy friends whom we could not thrive without, and defined an implementation plan to deliver a working farm complete with agricultural education programs by the Fall of this year! We have a lot of goals, and ideas, and to do lists out the wazoo, but at the heart of it all is this:
We want to create a beautiful space, that is safe, inviting and enchanting. We want to Grow little people by inviting them to participate with us in the farming experience; We want to Farm this beautiful space to create food that nourishes bellies, regardless of financial means; We want to Gather people together to have fun, but to also create partnerships that uplift other artisans and farmers in our beautiful community. We intend to run a very lean suite of Sprout-sponsored programs, while putting our greater energies into promoting the good work of others and benefiting our local economy. We feel that that this spirit and business model correlates with our values and our mission.
We have so many good things in store for you friends!
Bear with us as we continue to get our wits about us, and our grass mowed, and our programs in place and operational. Stop by to visit us, and bring a boatload of encouragement while you're at it :) Also, feel free to volunteer your time and spend some time with us on the farm- I promise it'll be good for your mind, body, and soul!
Upcoming blog posts will likely be themed and follow a rotation whereby I can send good stories your way (like the above!) and also news, events, and upcoming fun on the farm. To stay in touch, subscribe to our mailing list (below), and don't forget to Follow Us on Facebook and Instagram! We'll see you soon on the farm!