For years, Veronica Petty has cultivated her own little secret in the back of her suburban Lancaster home.
Past the wooden gate, green extends in every direction. The chirping of birds fills the air as bees and aphids zoom around elderberries, peppers, swiss chard, blueberries, figs and peaches. A steady trickle of water flows from her homemade irrigation system as compost bins do their microscopic work.
From 9 to 5, Petty works as an insurance claims adjuster. When she gets home, she heads into her backyard farm.
“Even when it’s hard with the physical labor, the bags and all of that, I love it. I wouldn’t change anything about it at all,” she said.
Petty is one of a few Black farmers based in North Texas who owns a USDA-registered farm and business. She’s part of a cohort called The Soil-to-Profit Initiative with the Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization, which is aiming to grow the number of Black farmers and ranchers in the state.
P. Wade Ross, CEO of the nonprofit, said his parents W. Wade Ross and Anita Ross started the organization in 1998 to champion other Black farmers.