Why we farm?

​As promised, here’s Part 2 of the introduction to Kingfisher Farm Market:
 
Why do we farm?

From Paul:
 
What do you love about farming?
 
Every spring as a new season begins, I marvel at the miracle of seeds carrying all that life – and I’m excited again to see those first green shoots popping up.  To be a steward of that process brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction!  There are so many skills and so much background knowledge needed to bring a farm to life.  There are complex ecological interactions, not to mention business, accounting, communications, mechanics, construction…  Farming is a life-long journey of learning and even after 16 years I’ve got a long way to go.  This excites me!
 
 
Why were you drawn to farming?
 
I have always loved working with growing things, even as a young boy I wanted to learn how to create the conditions for plants to flourish.  As a kid, I built a compost bin and tended grapevines in our city yard.  As a younger adult, I searched for a “vocation” that felt like a fit to me. I wanted to do something in my life that contributed to the well-being of the earth and all her inhabitants.  Farming was something I could do that combined my passions for food and for growing things.  It has felt like a hopeful way to build community and to bring healing and life to a small part of the earth. It continues to feel life-giving for me personally, even on those crazy days when there is a lot to do!
 
From Angela:

I am a person who really roots down where I am.  During our time in East Vancouver, we were deeply connected to the people and the neighbourhood and when we moved out to South Surrey I wondered what would tether me.  The vegetable farming all felt like Paul's thing (as he had been farming on this land since 2005) and I kind of like to have my own thing.  Karin and I purchased a dairy cow and we learned the rhythms of farming; I spent my first few years here loving the practice of shoveling manure, milking, fencing and helping out with the vegetable farming as I was able.  The flowers started as a hobby for me but I was pulled into the art of growing and designing them as I increased the amount I grew, learned what other farmers were doing and saw that I could possibly earn a living from flower farming.  I have always been drawn to facilitating spaces of community engagement and connection so when the idea sprouted of hosting a market here at the farm, I was all in.  I loved that we could connect with the neighbours and provide access to the beauty of this land and to healthy, tasty food. And here we are, 10 years later - farming and loving it.