As a child, Wilkinson loved the idea of farming, but as an adult focused her energy on chemistry and nursing. A summer job four years ago at Barnabas Family Ministries, though – a nonprofit Christian ministry retreat and conference center – changed her career path in a big way.

What started as a one-time summer gig running a new farm project at Barnabas, where Wilkinson had worked for several summers in high school, soon led her to rethink what she wanted from life. For a while she was splitting her time between the farm and hospital, but in February she left her hospital job to focus fully on the farm.

“I came to realize that all of the reasons that I went into healthcare in the first place were actually just as applicable to what I was doing on the farm,” the 27-year-old tells Modern Farmer in an email. “Working on an acute medical ward one day, and kneeling in the dirt with a child the next, I started to see that one was simply a more upstream approach to health promotion than the other.”

Wilkinson, along with two farm interns and several others, make up Barnabas Farmworks, which began as a small vegetable plot and apple orchard but has now grown into a full-fledged farm: There are 3,000 square feet of greenhouse, sheep, chickens, pigs, ducks, and bees, on six acres of the 80-acre property. The farm supplies the ministry’s kitchen – feeding around 150 folks a day during summers – a farm stand and the ingredients for a variety of products, from soap to beard balm. Plus, the farm is an integral part of the ministry, where kids get a hands-on agricultural experience.

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

Kim Wilkinson: Several reasons. Primarily because of the unconventional way in which this role has shaped up. The bulk of our time around here is still spent doing the very real, physical part of farming, but increasingly much of our time is spent educating and innovating. Through the summer the conference center that we are a part of runs family camps. It’s a unique concept, but it means that for nine weeks, we get to spend a week with twenty or so families. We have kids of all ages, and they all spend time on the farm in some way or another. The youngest ones mostly run through the garden, helping with watering, tasting whatever they can get their hands on, and meeting the animals. We’re able to go a little deeper with the older kids, putting them to work and diving into bigger questions about where their food comes from, the ethics of meat, and what food security means. Seeing kids come to life when they get their hands in the dirt, hold a chicken, or pull a still-warm egg from a nest box is something else. It’s really why we do this. What we’re able to grow and produce here is wonderful, but my hope is that the real impact will be seen in the generation that leaves here inspired and excited to go and do this in their own communities. Hearing “I want to be a farmer when I grow up too” is just about the greatest thing there is.

On the innovation front, we’re always trying new things. New crops, new trellising systems, new beehive designs, new land working approaches to make better use of water, and new ways to utilize resources and fertility. Soap making to use the lard from our pigs, candles and and beard balms to use our beeswax, and an ever-changing collection of fermenting beverages, vegetables, and breads.

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

KW: I think that the importance of sustainable agriculture is inherent in its name. If we want to continue to eat, we must grow our food in a way that we can continue to do so indefinitely. And I think that the roots of many unsustainable agricultural practices lie in the delocalization of farming. When you have an entire food system that operates locally, when a community’s survival depends on the land it lives on, the idea of undermining that land’s potential to support them seems ludicrous. To dump synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides into the ground as inputs and to export manure and call it “waste” becomes unthinkable. Globalization is not all bad, but it has enabled some very dangerous ways of living and thinking.

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

KW: It’s an ever-growing list. I’ve joked for a while about wanting a cow or two. It’s not really feasible for us at the moment, but I love the idea of a dairy cow. I started some sea buckthorn plants from seed this year and am really excited to see how they turn out down the road. I’m intrigued by the process of growing grains and hope to experiment with some small test plots now that our plantable area is increasing. I’ve made a few haphazard (and consequently unsuccessful) attempts at growing mushrooms and will one day take the time to do it right. Silvopasture and forest farming have my curiosity piqued, and I’ve secretly been scheming of ways to convert even more of the property to food forests, just don’t tell our executive director, Rob. (Just kidding, Rob. I promise. Sort of.)

MF: What’s your favorite vegetable?

KW: Cherry tomatoes. Hands down, no question. The tomatoes themselves are just the greatest, and make up a significant portion of my caloric intake through the summer (one for the kitchen, one for me, one for the kitchen… ) But there’s something nostalgic about the plants themselves as well. It was one of the first things my mom taught me how to grow, and every time I smell that characteristic tomato vine aroma I hear her telling me about how my German grandfather taught her to rub her fingers on the vine to release the scent. As long as I have dirt to grow in, I’ll always have at least one ‘Opa Quiring’ tomato plant going (a favorite tomato grown from seeds he diligently saved year-to-year, and a tradition that I carry on now).

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

KW: Observe. Ask questions. Try things. Repeat. (Or “The Scientific Method for Farmers.”) Blame it on an incomplete chemistry degree, but the line “oh that. It’s just an experiment” makes an appearance on a pretty regular basis around here. When you start noticing, when you start really paying attention to what’s going on around you, both in the world and in your soil, it becomes really difficult not to ask the question “what if?” Do it. Pay attention. Ask the question. Try it. See if it works. Do it again. Always experiment. Always look for ways to improve things. Farming is an iterative process. You’re always working a little bit closer towards getting it just right, but here’s the thing: There is no “just right.” And that’s what keeps it exciting.

[mf_pullquote layout=”right”]Do it. Pay attention. Ask the question. Try it. See if it works. Do it again. Always experiment. Always look for ways to improve things.[/mf_pullquote]

Also, read books. Lots of them. There are so many great minds and creative farmers out there. Learn from them. Read about the old methods and why they worked. Read about new solutions and innovations and what they offer. Read about the philosophy of agriculture, and culture, and why we do what we do. Figure out why this is important for you. You’ll need to remind yourself when you’re ankle-deep in pig manure and a freak windstorm blows all of your trellises down (again).

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

KW: Wendell Berry. Much of my thinking has been shaped by the deep words and thoughts of minds like his. His pragmatic, honest, and incredibly intelligent observations on the state of culture and agriculture are pretty eye-opening. What I wouldn’t do for even half of his wisdom.

And Phil, the property manager at the conference center that our farm operates from. He might not call himself a farmer anymore, but he did it for long enough that he gets to keep the title forever. I’ve learned more from him than I think I’ll ever fully realize. Whether it was how to construct a trellis, how to slaughter a pig, how to drive a tractor, or how to live a life of grace and integrity, he is always quick to share any and all of his vast wealth of wisdom and experience. He’s also the leading authority on the perfect yellow cherry tomato, so there’s that too.

MF: What was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in regard to farming? How did you solve it?

KW: If you ask Vanessa, our chef and the one tasked with the often formidable job of finding uses for all that comes out of the garden, it was the tomatillo incident of 2013. Or the green onion episode of 2014. We still don’t speak of the several billion pounds of cucumbers in 2015. Radishes are shaping up to put our friendship on the rocks this year. And don’t get anyone started on the infamous zucchini season… Just kidding. All that to say though, we’re still figuring out just how much we need of each crop, and for the times that we overshoot the mark, we’re learning the many different ways that you can pickle, preserve, and sneak excess produce into just about anything.

This was our final #iamamodernfarmer Q&A and our contest is now over. Stay tuned for the announcement of our grand prize winner, who will win a VIP trip for two to the Farm Aid 2016 concert!

You can still purchase an “I am a modern farmer” t-shirt to stand in solidarity with the hardworking men and women who produce our food. With sales of these tees, Modern Farmer supports independent farmers with a donation to Farm Aid.

Need inspiration? Check out all the #iamamodernfarmer posts from across the country – and around the world!

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