Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Tamez.
Becky, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My husband, Farmer Pete, and I own Isle Acre Farms, an urban vegetable farm in Leander, TX. Before we had kids, over twelve years ago, we were working in the EMS field…Pete as a paramedic and I as a dispatcher and we’re living pretty unhealthy lives. Our first daughter was born pre-mature weighing 2lbs 14 oz, and we just wanted to give her the world. When it was time to feed her solid food, we wanted to make sure it was healthy. But we didn’t know what that meant so we began researching. We were appalled by what they put on our food and into the food system. That was it for us. We said, “No more! We’re going to grow our own food!” We planted our first garden in the front yard of our subdivision. The back yard had 60 trees and the front yard had 40 so it was just a better area for a garden. Over time, we began to realize that we hadn’t bought vegetables at the grocery store in a long time and we were giving a lot to friends, family, and neighbors. Pete then sent me a video of an urban farmer in Canada and I said, “Why aren’t we doing that?” In 2015, Isle Acre Farms began. Our whole model was that we were going to farm other peoples’ yards and have multiple plots. However, the first family we came across was The Thompson Family, who are the descendants of C.C. Mason, one of the founding members of Leander. Mrs. Thompson said she had been praying for someone to come tend her land and we literally knocked on her door. We have been farming 2 acres of their property ever since. Not only do we grow and sell vegetables, but we host group events, tours, classes for kids, online gardening classes for adults, and soon will be adding in hemp production. With our endeavors, we’re able to show the community not only what it’s like to have a modern-day farm, but also give them some insight into historical land that is still being preserved even though there is much city growth going on around us.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No. It hasn’t always been a smooth road. We assumed that if you build a farm, they will come. That was not the case. Not only were we still learning how to produce on a larger scale, but we didn’t realize there was a whole other aspect to owning a farm…the business side. You have to be able to market and sell the product and in today’s world, there is a lot more that goes online than we could have ever imagined. Because of this, Pete and I’s roles had to split. He’s now the official farmer and I’m now the official business owner, doing things like website building, social media management, course creation, podcast management, and more. Not only that, but farming can be unstable at times especially when it comes to Mother Nature. You just don’t know when a pest will come in or the weather will be unsuiting and it can destroy everything. And with our farm being on the smaller side, what seems like little hits can actually be big ones for us. So we have to be flexible and understanding when things just don’t go as planned. Going into our seventh year, we have learned a ton and have systems in place that make it easy for us to teach others how to grow their food as well.
We’ve been impressed with Isle Acre Farms, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets us apart from others? We don’t spray any chemicals, we do it all by hand with no heavy machinery, and we produce a ton of vegetables in a small space.
What we’re most proud of brand-wise? That we’re able to show others that this is doable. That you can produce food on a small scale with no chemicals. That gardening is a lost art and we need to bring it back. Everyone should know how to grow food to feed their family and we’re excited to be able to share all of our knowledge and experience in our new online garden coaching membership called Growcery which will launch in July.
In the near future, we will also be producing our own CBD products from plants that we grow because, just like with vegetables, we’re finding that this industry is also very misleading and flooded with fraud and we just don’t like that.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Come join us at our Farm Stand for locally grown, seasonal vegetables on Wednesdays 3-6pm at the farm 11327 Hero Way West. Also, check out our podcast, The Urban Farm Lifestyle at www.isleacrefarms.com/podcast
Contact Info:
- Website: www.isleacrefarms.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/isleacrefarms
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/isleacrefarms
- Other: www.isleacrefarms.com/growcery
