Successes
Since its inception in 2010, the LandLink NM has successfully matched several land seekers and aspiring farmers with land and mentorship opportunities. These are a few of their stories.
Vida verde farm, albuquerque, new mexico
A “transplant” from the East Coast, Seth (Malick) arrived in Albuquerque to work on a farm as an intern. From that experience, he decided to start a farm as a business, planting over an acre the first year, largely selling at three farmers markets weekly. When the land yielded more than he could sell at the markets, he bang to approach chefs. Vida Verde Farm took root, but as virtually every business owner knows, there is a tipping point. To grow – not just vegetables, but as a business – one must invest more capital, buy more seeds, hire employees, and acquire more tools, machinery, and equipment to leverage the early fruits of success. Most important, to be a farmer, land and accessible water are critical.
See full article here. Article reposted with permission from FoodPaths.com, When Seth met Sarah and Sarah met Ann: …Connecting Landowners with Landseekers
Fairfield farm & market, a farmer-owned cooperative
“We are very proud of our fledgling coop – it is a farmer-owned cooperative. We have farmers in Albuquerque, Bosque Farms, and Los Lunas (most of us are new farmers and three of us are UNM students), and most recently we have two new partner members: the Historic King Orchard (a 1950/1960s apple orchard that used to sell apples all over the US and is need of restoration) and the Open Space Alliance who we are partnering up with to have a Farm Stand on Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center on Coors. We will also teach classes to community members who want to learn to grow their own food. We also hope to hold a “farm camp” there next summer.
Our coop feels that community involvement is very important and so we donate 10% of our profits/food and we donate out time to community projects. We each have our own farms but we share tools, seeds, and time with each other so that we support each other with planting and harvest. Our goal is to get fresh, local produce to people who might not normally have access. We are very happy to have volunteers and are here to mentor new farmers starting out!
Our new website (created by Sprout) has a short coop bio and lists some of the farmer members.”
– Mona Angel, coop member, Mona was connected with the owners of King Orchard through LandLink
Laughing turtle farms
Good fresh food! our mission – supporting the local food connection!
“We are two women with a dream! Located in the North Valley of Albuquerque and in Grants, NM, Mona Angel and Anne Carpenter are the proud owners of Laughing Turtle Farms. Back to the dirt – we are using Permaculture methods and good old-fashioned farming skills. Permaculture is an ecological based sustainable design system and a great method for farming in the dry climate of New Mexico. We have also learned some great sills by asking questions and working with local New Mexico farmers. New Mexico’s agricultural traditions are still very much alive today in urban farms and in rural communities and we are very happy to now be part of that history. From our farm to your table, we provide fresh produce to local people.
Laughing Turtle Farms is a proud member of the Fairfield Farm & Market, a farmer-owned cooperative”
Mona and Ann started their farm on 1/4 acre in Albuquerque’s North Valley, which they found through LandLink.
