Fridays on the Farm: A Young Farmer’s Mission to Make an Impact
From the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To read the entire story, click here.
Kendall Rae Johnson is the youngest certified farmer in Georgia. Photo by Amelia Dortch, NRCS.
This Friday meet Kendall Rae Johnson, the youngest certified farmer in Georgia. Before starting school each morning, this 7-year-old starts her day by heading outside to her backyard, an urban oasis where she grows fresh fruit and produce. This oasis is called aGROWKulture and it’s an urban farm located in the heart of Southwest Atlanta.
Kendall’s love of vegetables started at a young age while cooking collard greens with her great-grandmother, Laura-Kate, who used to always say, “Hey, don’t throw my stems away. I can put those back in the dirt.” That’s when Kendall developed her interest in growing practically “anything” at only three years old.
“She would go ahead and put seeds in pots from some foods that we ate,” said Kendall’s mom, Ursula Johnson. After those pots grew into a patio garden, her dad, Quentin, built her a larger garden for her 4th birthday.
The garden has now expanded to cover the fayoungemily’s entire backyard and is becoming a source of fresh produce in the area. Kendall sells food basket subscriptions and grow boxes and donates food boxes. The farm is also a learning hub in their metro-Atlanta community where Kendall regularly hosts classes about urban agriculture and conservation.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Council partnered with aGROWKulture to construct a high tunnel, enabling Kendall to grow fresh produce all year. It’s a great growing resource for Kendall and a big attraction to others.
Pointing out the high tunnel, Kendall said, “I call it Kendall’s Garden Playhouse! When other kids visit us and see it, they get really excited and ask a lot of questions.”
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Tractor Supply to Hold Nationwide Farmers Market
On Saturday, Oct. 1, Tractor Supply, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, will host a nationwide Farmers Market to showcase the talent and products of local farmers, growers, craft makers, artisans and other producers within the community. The community is invited to shop and explore homemade and homegrown goods from local vendors and enjoy fun, family-friendly activities.
The free event will be hosted outside of all 2,000+ Tractor Supply stores nationwide, featuring vendors who sell a variety of goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, arts and crafts, accessories, specialty food and drink and more.
Many of the vendors look forward to this event and return year after year. This is the third year Andrea Nixon from Best Friends Farms will be at the Tractor Supply store in Pahrump, Nev., selling fresh vegetables, plants and local hemp products. She also likes to offer advice to her neighbors looking to start a garden.
“I really love this event because I get to meet lots of great people,” Nixon said. “I enjoy being able to help them with growing tips because gardening in the desert is tough.”
For Jennifer Ewald, the Tractor Supply Farmers Market gives her an opportunity to share the good works of The Farmette donkey rescue in Pipersville, Pa. This year, The Farmette will be selling homemade wreaths, jewelry and other items featuring donkeys to raise money and awareness for the non-profit rescue.
“I enjoy seeing all of the other vendors and talking with all those who come out from the community,” said Ewald.
“The Tractor Supply Farmers Market event provides a platform for growing family farms and makers and gives the community an opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity,” said Kimberley Gardiner, chief marketing officer of Tractor Supply. “We take pride in the communities that we serve and look forward to giving our customers the space to enjoy the hard work of their neighbors with their friends, families and neighbors.”
The Farmers Market event at Tractor Supply will offer a wide range of vendors whose specialty ranges from plants and herbs to soaps and candles. Go online to learn more about Tractor Supply’s Farmers Market and Tractor Supply Company.
Although registration for vendors is closed, customers can reach out to their local store for additional information regarding vendors and activities.
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Plant Based World Expo Engages Food Industry
The third Plant Based World Expo North America returned to the Javits Center in New York on Sept. 8-9. Attendees at the 100 percent plant-based B2B industry event enjoyed innovative new plant-based products, speakers and networking opportunities. There were 3,722 attendees, up roughly 20 percent from 2021, and 232 exhibitors.
“The response to this year’s Plant Based World Expo has been tremendous,” said Chris Nemchek, general manager. “One of our goals this year was to improve the audience quality and increase the number of retail and foodservice buyers at the show, and we are thrilled to report that we increased the number of buyers by 20%.”
Trends on display included:
● Mushroom-based meats, snacks and jerky from Fable, Popadelics and Eat the Change.
● Plant-based meats and seafoods from companies such as Atlas Monroe, Hoya, Unlimeat, The Blue Butcher, Mind Blown Seafood and Finless Foods.
● Functional foods and beverages from Broma, True North, Remedy and Purposefuel.
● Snacks galore from Rule Breaker Snacks, Lupii, Mozaics and Fat Badger.
● Global culinary creativity and chef-crafted products.
● Convenient and accessible frozen and prepared entrees from companies such as Strong Roots and Wicked Foods.
● Elevated plant-based cheeses from Good Plant Foods, Bedda Cheese, Selfish Cow Plant Based Cheese, Plant Perks, Nuts for Cheese, Wildbrine and Miyoko’s Creamery.
“The success of this year’s Plant Based World Expo demonstrates the continued excitement around the plant-based foods industry,” said Rachel Dreskin, CEO of PBFA and The Institute. “Thanks to the strength of our partnership with the PBW team, we were able to put on a fantastic show featuring impactful conference sessions and so many meaningful opportunities for our members to connect with industry leaders and buyers. We look forward to continued growth and the expansion of our joint mission to showcase the power of plant-based.”
The show’s exhibitors were enthusiastic about their experiences at the show, citing great connections and the chance to showcase their products to a highly qualified audience as reasons why they plan to return next year.
“This was Mind Blown’s first year exhibiting at the show and it was incredible start to finish,” said Monica Talbert, co-founder of Mind Blown Plant Based Seafood Company. “The energy and excitement from attendees and other exhibitors was truly electric and so many quality connections really makes PBW a show not to miss!”
Whether they were sampling delicious plant-based frozen desserts and mouth-watering plant-based entrees or learning from expert speakers, celebrity chefs, and industry leaders, attendees agreed that this was the best PBW yet.
“The show has been incredible. We’ve made a lot of good contacts with all the right people to get our product into the right places. We’re looking forward to next year,” said Marc Elkman, co-founder, Mighty Yum.
“This was our first time coming to the show and we have made many amazing connections here–it gives me goosebumps–and we’re excited about following up and our future,” said Camille Holder-Brown, co-founder, Kale Cafe.
Read more about plant-based food in the October issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe today so you don’t miss it!
