Merrill, 32, was inspired by her mother growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada, where they maintained a large garden and preserved the seasonal bounty. The family also foraged for berries, mushrooms, and the makings for wild tea. When Merrill was a teenager they lived on a farm where they raised cattle, kept a variety of animals from hedgehogs to llamas, and raised and harvested chickens for meat. As an adult she didn’t realize how much she missed country living until she, her husband, and their six kids had the opportunity to move to their new home.

“Suddenly we had all kinds of possibilities. Chicken possibilities,” she tells Modern Farmer.

Now Merrill raises a mixed flock of Polish hens, Egyptian Fayoumis, Delaware, Easter Eggers, Rhode Island Reds, Black and Blue Copper Marans, and Olive Eggers, for their eggs. She’s also hatching her own chicks these days and is growing vegetables in a large plot, and hopes to sell her surplus produce, jams, jellies, and pastured eggs at a local farmers market.

Modern Farmer: Why do you consider yourself a modern farmer?

Carmen Merrill: Because I am from a younger generation that isn’t typically seen as “farmers.” I didn’t inherit a family farming operation, but I’m starting my own from scratch. I’m raising chickens so that I have healthy, organic eggs for my family and friends, organic produce to eat and sell, and I also gather and preserve wild plants and fruits.

MF: Why is it important to you to support local agriculture?

CM: There are so many reasons why local agriculture is the best! Local food is better for the environment, and has more nutrition because it is fresher than food that has travelled thousands of miles to your plate. By supporting local agriculture, you ensure that there will always be food available in your community.

MF: If you could grow or raise any food or animal, what would it be and why?

CM: I would love to start raising other breeds of chickens for meat, so that I could be confident about the quality and nutrition of more of the food my family eats. I’d also like to raise larger animals like goats and cattle once we obtain more land for pasture.

MF: What’s your favorite vegetable?

CM: My favorite vegetable is a pea pod snatched from the vine and eaten on the garden path.

MF: If you could give other modern farmers any advice, what would it be?

CM: Keep on doing what you’re doing. The finished product is worth all the hard work. You are benefiting the earth and the people who consume the food you raise.

MF: Do you have a farming/agricultural hero? Why do you admire them?

CM: I have many heroes, my mother being one of them. She was the queen of processing and storing food from her garden, and she shared the harvest with everyone. I remember her filling the trunk of the car with veggies, dirt still on them, and dropping them off with friends. We had rows and rows of canned berries and pickles on the shelves, and ate well all through the winter.

I am also inspired by modern farmers all over the world, through the online community. Kimberly Zabec, of Revolutionary Roots Farm, is one of them. I’m amazed at the leap of faith she and her husband took by purchasing land in another state, moving from the city, and diving right into farming, raising pigs, cattle, and more. They are proof that anyone can do it, if they have a love for the land, and are willing to put in the hard work.

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