Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Tamez.
Hi Becky, I am so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When Pete and I started having kids, we wanted to feed them healthy food but didn’t need to know what that was. We started researching and were appalled by what the food system puts in our food. So we started growing our own. The people around us in our community kept saying how much they would love to have fresh veggies as we had. Pete sent me a video of an urban farmer in Canada, and I said, “Why are we not doing this?” And that’s how the farm started. We reached out to a family with land and hit the ground running on 2 acres. We spent 7 years farming that land, selling at farmers’ markets, to restaurants, our farm stands at the farm, and through a Community Supported Agriculture program. This last year, we bought our land and doubled the size of the farm. About this time, I ran into a farmer doing pick your veggies in the Dallas area, Pure Land Farm, and she said to me, “Why are you not doing this!?” And that is how the farm changed into a pick-your-own veggie farm, allowing the community to come out and experience what we experience daily. The nature, the dirt, the excitement, and the fun part of farming…the harvest!
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The journey hasn’t been easy. As with any agricultural venture, we’ve faced numerous challenges. Pests and climate change have been our biggest adversaries, constantly testing our resilience and adaptability. But we’ve persevered, determined to provide our community with the freshest, healthiest produce.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Isle Acre Farms?
Isle Acre Farms is an organically grown veggie farm in Liberty Hill. What makes us different is that it’s a pick-your-own veggie farm. You see fruit-picking farms all around, but veggies are a different story. It’s an excellent way for the community to get involved in regenerative agriculture and to spend time with and in the farmer’s world. When you harvest yourself, there is a more significant connection with your food than any other way of getting farm-fresh veggies. We make it easy for people to come here and know what to do. Our website has a picking guide showcasing a video on how to harvest the veggies, tips, and tricks to care for them, and recipes! It’s an excellent experience for everyone!
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Just get started. You can research and learn how to grow food as much as you want, but once you get your hands dirty (pun intended), you will need help understanding the ebbs and flows of growing food. Marketing is a massive aspect of farming. That should be a very close #2 to learning how to develop it. Most farms are off the beaten path, and you must get people to know you’re there.
Pricing:
- $5/person picking or not
Contact Info:
- Website: isleacrefarms.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/isleacrefarms
- Facebook: facebook.com/isleacrefarms
