Pete Manrodt is a dedicated field crew member that we are lucky to have back for a second season. Our shift over the last few years from employing a small but steady field crew supplemented by an intern program to investing more money in experienced labor has yielded us a strong team in 2016.

Pete is a true farm professional. Any time in the season that an experienced farmer shows up, resume and cover letter in hand, we breathe a huge sigh of relief and figure out how to make a space for them on our crew. Pete came to us towards the end of last season when we had a crew member suddenly out sick for a month. All we could offer was short-term work, but with more than 5 years of farming experience, Pete quickly proved his value and agreed to stay on for the rest of the season even after the employee he was covering for returned to work.

Pete is a pleasure to work with, thanks to his punny sense of humor (of course, he fits right in!), and is one of our most punctual crew members. His favorite tasks are harvesting and planting. He will voluntarily stay late to keep picking peas or to move irrigation to water the transplants.

When pressed to answer the question, “What do you like to do in your free time?”, Pete’s face went blank and all he could offer was, “Relax?” Right. That’s a crazy question to ask a farmer in July! Pete and the rest of the crew are currently working minimum ten hours a day, six days a week, and there is no way we could get it all done without the serious heart of these farmers.

By investing in our farm as a CSA member, you are investing in the careers of professional farmers. Farming is a labor of love, and it is tough to make a living doing it. There are endless rewards — the food, working outside, hands in the earth — but we all need money to support ourselves and agricultural wages are low across the board. We do our best to care for our crew, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our CSA members!