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042: Zoe Bradbury on Farming with Her Family, Children, and Horses in Rural Oregon

11/26/2015

2 Comments

 
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Valley Flora’s Zoe Bradbury grew up on the family homestead in southern Oregon, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. She left at sixteen and came back many years later to a farm where her mother and sister had started growing and selling vegetables. Many years later, Valley Flora feeds over 100 CSA members and provides produce to dozens of restaurants and stores in the 50-mile radius around their farming collective, as well as a farmstand and u-pick operation on the farm. We discuss how she, her sister, and her mother have integrated the troublemaker of the family into the existing farming ventures, including the nuts and bolts of how the three separate farming operations cooperate to market together and share resources. Zoe shares her experience about the joys and challenges of farming with children, integrating horses into the operation, marketing in a rural environment, and living off the farm.

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Quotes from the Show

It finally dawned on me, that I want to be the person doing the farming, not the person supporting the farmers.

That’s the beauty of (this area) – is that it’s not Portland, it’s not Montpelier. It’s its own crusty blend.

[Zoe’s sister Abby] was a little bit ahead of the curve [with her salad greens in the 1990s], but there were just enough receptive chefs and a couple of health food stores and, combined with all of that, an absolutely beautiful product.

Where we live, we’re the last stop on the Sysco truck, so to get this totally fresh product that lasts for a couple of weeks and was beautiful to behold, I think it was an easy sell.

I like the challenge of something new.

[Our independent but cooperative business structure has] worked really beautifully. It’s meant that as a family we could farm together, side-by-side, but there’s none of the tension around being told what to do by someone else, or working more or less than someone else. Everyone can just be their own independent operator. And we can still have a nice time together on family dinner night.

You can’t really argue with QuickBooks. It turns it into this objective thing instead of this subjective emotional battleground.

Farming with two kids in tow, I had the hardest season ever this year… I had moments where I said words I’ve never said out loud. It’s really humbling to come up against that.

To realize that the last four years of having my first child, I’ve been a farmer and, oh, yeah, I have a kid. She’s in the backpack, comes with me everywhere. But now that there’s two, and you’ve got a four year old and an infant, I’ve had to realize that I’m a mother and I’m a farmer too. It had to flip a little bit in order for me not to lose my mind.

I’ve made a conscious choice that I like this scale, I like being in the field and being hands on, and I also like the management responsibilities.

Sometimes I think, what would it be like to farm with my partner? But someone once told me, “Don’t get your money where you get your honey.”

Our little town has become a hotbed for local food.

When you live in a small town, word travels fast. And it really matters to treat people well and to have integrity in business.

Take a deep breath, life is long. There’s another year, and another one after that. It’ll never be static, and what a blessing, because it keeps it really fun and inspiring, and every single year is a new adventure.

Show Links

Zoe worked at Sauvie Island Organics in Portland before returning to the family farm.

Zoe’s sister, Abby, learned about greens production from Pete Johnson of Pete’s Greens, who has also been featured on the Farmer to Farmer Podcast.

Zoe learned about draft horses from Doc Hammill, who offers instructional workshops on driving and working horses in harness.

Zoe shared her housing experience from the Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy.
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2 Comments
Carl Shepherd
12/6/2015 10:56:16 pm

Neat to see Langlois becoming unique in a good way. Trying to survive in todays world, without becoming touristy. I have been on every ranch from the Coos county line to south of Gold Beach.

Reply
David Bradbury link
10/6/2016 08:30:24 am

Zoe, we live on 50 acres in Australia on the east coast near the Pacific ocean - other side of the world to you. We try our best to live with the land and regenerate it, nurture it and eat from it. My partner Treena and I are activist filmmakers. For peace. Not an easy road to hoe because today's world and film/tv industry just wants escapism and reality tv that denigrates the human spirit, not uplifts it. We are in San Diego at present working on getting up several projects that seek to help those without a voice, in particular the 'primitive' peoples of West Papua who are oppressed by multinational US mining giants and the Indonesian military who provide 'security' at the mine. I first learned about you and your great farming practices which fit in with our view of life in the 21st century reading Charles Bradbury's book about 'famous' Bradbury's (!) which I'm also in there. I'm travelling with my partner Treena (aged 43), and my two sons (Bibi aged 22 and Omar aged 6). of total five children. The other three back in Australia. My 22 year old, Bibi came over here with us to experience America and to see if he could bust into the professional street skating scene. He's a daredevil street skater, throwing himself off 20 stairs and twisting his skateboard in mid air...to (hopefully) land it at the bottom of the stairs. And break no bones or suffer head injuries! Our visas are good till Nov 7 when we're booked to go back to Oz. Bibi has a mate in Seattle who lives and studies in Sydney currently over here. He'd like to visit him before returning. I'm writing to ask you if you'd be willing to put Bibi up for say 7-10 days and have him work for you on your farm on his way through to Seattle? He would be happy to work for nothing in return for food and a warm bed. He's a nice young man, not arrogant and willing to please. Doesn't do drugs etc. Likes a beer. He has two sisters at home aged 13 and 23 who adore him. He's a bit of a tease with a good sense of humour. Not a loud mouth. I've looked at the photos of your farm on your website and I know he'd get a lot out of meeting you at this time in his life. And give you some joy as well in return. If you send me your email I can send you a photo. I'll leave it at that and hope to hear from you. My cell number is 510-9938087. I'd like to come some time and visit too because what you are doing is exactly where we are coming from and inspiration for the pro environmental films I make. Bibi could be the Pathfinder. You are always welcome with your kids and partner to visit our farm in Australia. We live two hours south of Brisbane in a beautiful rainforest valley. We have room for all of you. Warm regards, David Bradbury.

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