Thankful for Family!

Here on the farm, different family members are responsible for their own crops. While we all operate under the Harris Family Farm name, we run our own businesses, footing all of the expenses during the growing season and collecting the earnings at the end. Some crops require more attention than others and there comes a time when many hands are set to the plow to get the job done. During the spring, summer and fall, our migrant workers and kiddos work together to accomplish the different demands of different crops, but come December-March, we say a sad goodbye as our guys return to their families in Mexico. We are left to man the ranch alone and come January, we rely solely on each other. 

Josh and I (Jordan), have the strawberries, tomatoes and hanging baskets. One wouldn’t think winter to be a busy time for the farmer, however, it is in the cold stretch of January and February when our tomatoes are planted and our strawberries require weeding and row covers. This year in particular, we have experienced the plague of weeds in the strawberry patch. What typically takes a few days of weeding has turned into weeks. On a normal year, one row of weeding would take between 2-4 hours of labor, this year it is taking 8-12. There are 54 long and taunting rows. On hands and knees, each plant must be carefully cleaned and tended to. This job is not for the faint of heart, it is bitter cold, windy and wet. The plants that are not cleaned will not yield in the spring. While our family could find many easier ways to make a dollar, they have faithfully shown up to meet the need. They come through for you when the times get hard, when it seems like a hopeless endeavor. This is what family farms are all about.