My good old friend from back home has settled in and put his roots down into the hillsides of Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Down the road, at a roadside farm in Hico, Chad founded West Virginia Home Grown Farms. He even asked me to help give his plot of land a sign to hang out by the gate, and maybe someday, the art will make it’s way onto a label for the vegetable crates that he makes out of cedar for his customers to carry away their produce each week. Things are looking good in his greenhouse, and the summer menu there might require bigger crates and yield a higher price. And so far, the local school district and several restaurants are buying.
We operate in a time where words like “green”, “organic”, and “local”, litter every package and advertisement, hoping to that one of these worn out words will stick in your mind and play to your consciousness or your aspirational self-image. At this farm, you’ll hear little of that. It is simply understood, and evident. And perhaps even more endearing, those notions were never even considered. At Chad’s farm, there are no gimmicks, buzzwords, or patronizing ploys. The only exception might be when he gets his artwork painted on a used sheet of plywood by his neighbor to hang out by Rt. 60. I hope my design doesn’t ruin a good thing has started. I’ve tried to keep it true to his intentions.
This past week he was picking and washing his bumper crop of lettuce when I rambled through and paid him a visit. I helped him cut and strip a few bamboo poles to stake his tomatoes, and we talked about how to stay earnest in your intent, and true to your vision. Neither are easy things to do. But if you look hard, there are people like my good old friend Chad down in Greenbrier County who could teach you a thing or two about both.
