It’s well-documented that many farmers and farm workers put in backbreaking hours for not enough pay and often no benefits. As the current farmer population ages out, fewer young people want to take on the daunting task of farming. But for those who do, a lack of access to capital, land and stable employment often discourages them from pursuing agriculture as a career.
Verona’s Flynn Creek Farm is trying to do things differently. Jeanne Blasberg likens the operation to a small company. “[It’s] like a startup,” she says, “where everybody has a vested interest in our success.” By everybody, Blasberg means her team of seasoned farmers and entry-level hires who work at on the 570-acre property.
Four years ago, Jeanne Blasberg and her husband, John, (who do not have backgrounds in farming) bought the land that would become Flynn Creek Farm. At the time, it was leased to a farmer growing a traditional rotation of organic corn and soy. Over time, this monocrop rotation diminished the soil’s organic matter, but the Blasbergs aim to both restore soil health and offer employees a career. Full-time managers at Flynn Creek Farm are supported with competitive wages and benefits…