Christa Barfield has brought new life to the former Pete’s Produce Farm location in Westtown with FarmerJawn, a regenerative, organic produce concept. Barfield is a recent recipient of a James Beard Award for Emerging Leadership.
MLT: For those who don’t know, what’s going on at FarmerJawn?
CB: We’re the successors to a farmer who had been here for over 20 years. We came into this space looking to put our own spin on it. By that, I mean regenerative and organic.
MLT: What’s the difference between conventional and organic farming?
CB: Currently, conventional means you have the option to spray with chemicals and you have more leeway to do whatever you want when you’re growing your crops. In the fall of 2025, we’ll be able to certify organic. It’s going to be three years since the last chemical treatment.
MLT: How did a former healthcare professional find herself in farming?
CB: On Jan. 2, 2018, I quit my job and hopped on a plane to Martinique, a few days after I turned 30. My Airbnb hosts just so happened to be Black farmers. On a trip around the island, they ended up taking me to a farm. Five days later, I came home a farmer.
MLT: You’ve said that we’re all facing food-related health issues. Would you explain?
CB: We’re a lot more lenient in America as far as what we’re allowed to ingest from a chemical standpoint. People think that what you put in your mouth is just about you, but it’s not. Diet-related disease is hereditary. That’s why your doctor asks questions about what runs in your family. What we’re eating now is also impacting our future lineage.
MLT: With 128 acres, you’re the largest produce farm in the state—and perhaps the nation—owned by a Black woman.
CB: That’s such a big deal. I’m Black, I’m a woman, and I’m also Muslim. There are so many people looking, watching and wanting to be inspired. Even beyond that, I’m human. As an entrepreneur, I work 10 times harder than I’ve ever worked for anyone else. But I’m doing it for a bigger purpose and a bigger reason.
Visit farmerjawn.co.
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Publish date : 2024-08-22 01:00:00
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