Neighbors GROWING BIG DREAMS ON A MICROFARM BY SAMANTHA McCLAIN
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ust outside of Lovettsville sits Kevin Grove’s 2.5-acre Quarter Branch Farm. On this microfarm, Grove grows 60 types of salad greens and vegetables sustainably and naturally, utilizing solar energy and preventing harmful chemicals from contaminating his produce. For three years, Grove has dedicated himself to his farm, harvesting and planting vegetables all year long. Two or three times a week Grove harvests to ensure a steady supply of produce. Grove’s favorite part of running his business is “the customer’s satisfaction when we deliver the final product. That makes it all worth it.” Owning a farm can also be stressful, he admits. The pressure to maintain consistency in his produce is difficult because in farming, things can suddenly go wrong such as bad weather affecting his crops. Even then, Grove says,“We try to make sure we have produce available every week of the year.” Quarter Branch Farm currently serves around 200 families that have signed up to receive a box
of produce for a growing season through Community Supported Agriculture. This ensures a steady market for Grove’s produce as well as other farmer’s produce. Grove attributes much of his success to his loyal customer base and the restaurants and stores that stock locally grown produce. Grove hopes to expand his consumer base by expanding his farm to up to four times as large as it currently is. “I would like to have a bigger impact,” he says. “I don’t want to be huge but definitely increase my scale.” Being young in an industry where many established farmers have been practicing for years, Grove says he has received advice from others on becoming a better grower.“People tend to want to help me, they see someone getting started and tend to look out for me,”he says.“That’s been particularly helpful.” He says that he and some of the other organic farmers in the area share tools and order supplies together to get volume discounts. “A couple times a year we get together to share our experiences
KEVIN GROVE
and learn from each other,”Grove says. “The support I’ve received from these Loudoun farmers has been absolutely vital to my success.”
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