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The Backyard Show with DJ Mickey Interview Questions

Welcome to the Backyard Show, I’m DJ Mickey, on today’s show we have special treat, have you ever looked around at our plants, trees, beautiful flowers, and just about everything in nature, and wonder how it’s beauty is so possible? Well here today to help us appreciate Mother Nature at its finest and discuss everything from our environment, to farm life and more, please welcome owner and operator of Abundant Life Farm in Middletown NY Ms. Linda Borghi ! How are you welcome to the show!

Thank You for being here, I have to say, I am really excited about today’s show because I have often wondered about many of the different aspects to farming and keeping our environment looking healthy and beautiful.

1. Ms Borghi, first off could tell our listeners where farming all started for you, meaning when did you first decide you wanted to start a farm ?

Well Mickey that is a very interesting story. When I was seven my family moved to Italy and we lived just outside of Rome. One weekend my dad had to go on a business trip and he took me my brother Mark to visit my little Grandmother that lived in the countryside of Venice and left us there overnight. Neither my brother nor myself spoke Italian never mind Venetian which is a totally different language. But for whatever reason I understood everything she said to me. She asked me if I was hungry and I said that I was and then she told me to go out an catch a chicken. For the love of God I tried for what seemed like hours and no chicken was to be had. Then my little grandma came out and without even looking down bent over and picked up a chicken. Before I knew it I was sitting down to the most wonderful bowl of chicken soup and it was @ that moment that I made the determination to be just like my little grandma when I grew up and that is just what happened.

2. What is the process involved to starting or opening a farm?

The real process is a passion. That is the number one ingredient needed in starting a farm. After the passion is fueled then it depends on what type of farm you are looking to start. As an example, I am a Biodynamic flower farmer and the requirements that were necessary was that I needed some cleared land some forested land and some water either in the form of a pond or stream. As a Biodynamic farmer I view the farm as an organism and the farm itself should be totally self- sufficient. So the answer to your question is it depends on what type of farming you are interested in,

3. What does it take to become a farmer, meaning what kind of commitment, devotion etc.?

Farming is a lifelong commitment. The commitment you make as a farmer is it be the caretaker of the Earth as well as feeding her inhabitants like you and me. Without the farmers life on this planet would not exist so if you happen to bump into any farmers today thank them for your food. In so far as devotion is concerned, you would need to be devoted to the commitments I have just mentioned otherwise you would not be a farmer to begin with.

4. Is it a costly investment?

It can be but it does not have to be. You could start small and then grow or you can start large and get bigger. Again it depends on what type of farming you are interested in. Being a flower farmer I needed seeds, sun, water and and a little bit of land but on the other hand if I was a dairy farmer I would need cows, water, corn, hay a barn, lots of equipment and loads of land. So it varies based on the farmers interests.

5. How long has your farm been in existence?

Abundant Life Farm started on Block Island Rhode Island in May of 1992. At that time Abundant Life had 23 sheep, 2 milking cows and a calf, 50 chickens and ¼ of and acre of land was planted in flowers and greens. Abundant Life sold cheese, wool, eggs, flowers, herbs and greens. Today Abundant Life farm is located in Middletown NY and has been here since Oct of 2005. No sheep or cows but Abundant Life has 16 chickens, flowers and herbs.

6. Did you have to go to school or training to be a farmer?

You don’t have to go to school to be a farmer but you have to learn how to farm from someone or somewhere. There are many different ways that farmers learn how to farm. Some farmers learn from there families who have already been farming, some go to farms and live and work and learn that is called an internship and of course some go to college. I learned farming as an intern.

7. Are there licensing that you have to apply for to keep the farm in operation?

I don’t need any license but once again if I was a dairy farmer there would be many licenses that I would need to obtain.

8. How large is your farm?

My farm is very little. The property is about 2 acres and the area that I use for growing is 70’ x 50’. My farm is set up as an education center to teach children how to farm.

9. What are the different types of farmers or farms that exist and what makes them different from one another?

Well there are 2 main categories of farms and they are Factory farms and Family Farms. Then there are difference certifications and they are: Conventional, All Natural, Organic and Biodynamic. What makes them different is easy and that is whether or not they useing poison to grow whatever it is they are growing. All Conventional farmers are using poisons they rest are not.

10. What type of farming or farm do you operate?

I am a Biodynamic Farmer

11. What are the similarities and differences from your type of farm and farming and that of the other types you have mentioned a few moments ago?

Well, there are no similarities between my type of farming and the conventional farmer other than we are both considered farmers, but there are many similarities between a biodynamic farmer and an organic, or all natural farmer and that is we are all doing our best to restore the critical life forces in the soil that are necessary to grow healthy nutritious foods and none of use any poisons to do so. The way that I am different from these non poison using farmers is that I, as a Biodynamic Farmer work directly with the cosmic forces such as the moon. As an example….I would plants the seeds for lettuce when the moon was getting smaller and not larger. By planting in this way The lettuce plant will produce an abundance of leaves instead of bolting to seed.

12. Do you have animals on your farm and if so what kinds and how

I do…I have 16 laying hens that just starting laying eggs last week and I have 2 outdoor cats as well.

13. How did you develop the concept for your farm and the name?

That was about 16 years ago and I remember clearly that my passion was to benefit all of mankind, and this passion was so strong that it found it’s expression in farming. It is my chosen art form so to speak. It was an avenue that lead me directly to the heart of the matter and I was able to connect with others gracefully through my farming. I also believe that a name should reflect whatever the “company” is doing. And, thank God, Abundant Life is and has always been abundant with life and in life.

14. Is your farm open all year round or is it seasonal?

Yes, my farm is open all year round with many different indoor activities and events. As a matter of fact Abundant Life is hosting an event on Jan 30th that will take place across the country. The event is called Focus The Nation and it’s focus is reducing the carbon footprint.

15. Do you have farm hands or other employees that help you run the farm?

I have interns that want to learn how to farm biodynamically in the spring, summer and fall and I’m on my own in the winter.

16. What are the daily tasks or chores that you have to tend to everyday to keep the farm operating successfully?

It depends on the time of year. The winter is the time for planning and purchasing what will be needed for the spring. There is never, and I mean never enough time in the Spring. You need to clean up from the Fall, prepare the beds, sow the seeds, and harvest the Spring bounty. In the Summer it’s harvest, harvest, harvest, sell, sell sell. And in the Fall it’s putting everything to bed so it can all start all over again in the Spring. The longest hours are spent in the Spring sometimes 10 – 15 hours a day, seven days a week. Oh did I mention there are really no days off when farming so you never have to look forward to the weekend. It’s nicer that way because you actually look forward to every day instead of just 2 days a week.

17. Like any job or occupation there can be certain struggles or hardships along the way, what are some of the struggles that you may had to contend with?

In farming it’s the weather. The weather can take you down. Just imagine working all year to harvest a crop and then due to a certain type of weather the crop is gone! Happens all then time to farmers so weather is our most certain struggle. Another struggle is that the general public believes that food should be cheap. I can vouce that food takes a lot of time, effort and hard hard work to help grow. There is nothing cheap about helping food to grow so there can be nothing cheap about selling food either. Because factory farms, who are owned by major corporations, have flooded the market with cheap food people think that all food should be cheap. Not so.

18. What is the most rewarding part for you as a farmer and operator of your farm?

By far the most rewarding part for me as a farmer is my relationship with the Earth. I am so in awe of the creation process and on a farm the process of creation is taking place all of the time and everywhere. I plant a seed that is the size of a grain of sand and from that seed emerges a plant that stands 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Amazing, creation is amazing. I have learned the dance of the knats and have had conversation with lady bugs and butterflies.

19. With your type of farming what are some interesting tips and tricks you could offer our listeners or share with them some really cool concepts that would be beneficial and interesting when thinking of farming or our environment?

Never, never, never use any Poison. Poison kills and depending on how much is used will determine how quickly and in what manner it will kill but there is never any question on whether or not it will kill because that is what it is designed to do. As a farmer I am focused on growing not killing so do not use anything that did not originally come from nature. Secondly would be to compost. Buy a bucket of cat litter and dump out the litter. This can be placed in the cabinet under the sink. In this bucket u will scrape all organic material such as left over food no longer wanted, white paper towels, eggs shells, stale bread and so on and so forth. When the bucket is full dump it outside and cover it with a bit of soil. If you keep making this layer cake in about 6 months it will turn to black gold….compost. That is the only medium that I use in my growing beds and this past year I had a sunflower plant that was 11’ tall and 11” around the base.

20. Not only does your farm serve as a means to plant and grow so to speak but you also conduct educational children’s programs as well, could you tell our listeners what are the different types of programs, what they can learn and why it is not only fun but important to know?

The main focus of Abundant Life Farm is her Gardening with Children Program. What is learned is tough to list but here are a few of it’s attributes: we learn how to get along, how to be kind, supportive, we learn math, and writing and science and biology. We learn to observe, to blow bubbles, to paint to dance and to sing and just how wonderful organic lemonade can taste in the month of august. How to market and to sell and most of all….how to be grateful. These are some of the things that farming has taught me and now through The Gardening with Children Program Abundant Life Farm is able to pay it forward.

21. How often are you programs offered?

Programs are offered all of the time but like a farm stand these programs change with the seasons.

22. Over the past few years and probably earlier but within the past few years we have all heard of the phrase Global Warming. Which I fear is a big problem as many others should as well. What advise could you offer to help save our planet from Global Warming and it’s harmful and most certainly irreversible effects if not protected?

We all must reduce our carbon footprint and a wonderful goal is to reduce it by 2% a year for the next 40 years. Everyone can start by changing every light bulb in their house to the energy efficient type. Then eating within a 100 mile radius as much as possible. It takes a lot of gas to get produce from the west coast to the east coast. So eating local is very important. Eating very low on the food chain is vital. It take tons and tons of food and water too produce a glass of milk or a pound of beef. Eat as low on the food chain as you can as often as you can. Plan your trips to the store or wherever, carefully, so as not to use fossil fuel and better yet….walk or bike! These are some of the things that everyone needs to do today because the time is NOW.

23. You very knowledgeable and passionate about Mother Nature, farming and maintaining our world so to speak, what advise could you offer our aspiring future farmers about becoming a farmer?

I know that I am partial but I do not believe that there is any better job on Earth. I am rewarded on a daily basis and take to heart the stewardship of the Earth beneath my feet. Farming has given me abundant joy and there is nothing else I would want to do.

24. For our listeners to find out more about you, concepts about farming, and the classes that you offer where can they go?

They can go right to my website www.abundantlifefarm.com and send me an email. I have a plan to connect all of the children throughout the world. I call it the Future Farmers of the Planet Earth Club and any child can join. Just send me an email and we will get started.

Ms. Borghi I want to thank you for being a guest on today’s show. I want to also thank our listeners for tuning into the BackYard Show, To find out who our next show guest will be, tune in every Sunday morning at 6am on the Station given you, your music your way Radio Disney AM 640, To become part of our newswire with parents permission or to find out where we can party with you, check out Radio Disney.com your station Philadelphia. I’m DJ Mickey saying, have a Great Day!

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