Loretto Motherhouse Farm and Values

By Angela Rakes, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Loretto Motherhouse

As the Loretto Motherhouse Farm moves to raising more local food, we are also committed to using our resources to support other farmers, specifically Black farmers and recently, those severely impacted by COVID-19. These fellow farmers share our values of protecting Earth and farming regeneratively.

As many of the Loretto Community and friends attended Loretto Link’s recent localization workshop, we felt a further call to expand our efforts to bring more local food to the Motherhouse dining room. Diners at the Motherhouse enjoy Motherhouse Farm beef year-round and sweet corn during the late summer. With help from Denise Ann Clifford, this summer we were able to purchase local tomatoes and watermelon. By purchasing directly from local growers, we not only provide fresher, healthier food to our Community members but we deepen relationships with growers in our area. Peterson Family Farm provided the watermelons following a very difficult spring. During the busy time of planting and calving, the primary farmer in the family was hospitalized with COVID-19. Now, months later, the family has had to sell most of their livestock and hire outside help. Purchasing produce directly from such families increases the economic and agricultural stability of our region.

The Farm and Land Management Committee of the Motherhouse Coordinating Board has also made it a priority to learn about the challenges facing farmers of color, particularly in our region. Through her work with New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future, Jessie Rathburn has been involved in conversations with former Black farmers to learn about the specific challenges they faced, as many of their families formerly farmed in sharecropping scenarios. We actively seek out opportunities to understand better the needs and challenges of farmers of color, including attending a webinar from the University of Kentucky. As a committee, we recognize that our first task is to listen to the local farming community as we seek new ways to collaborate. In the near future, the Loretto Motherhouse Farm will be working with the St. Louis-based consulting firm Undo Bias to learn more about how we can continue to make connections with the community and to ensure that our educational offerings are welcoming and equally available to all.

Additionally, my husband, Cody, Loretto farmer, and I are currently working with a Black family about 30 minutes from the Motherhouse to purchase pasture-raised pork and chicken for the Motherhouse kitchen. By building these relationships we are strengthening the local economy while also supporting growing practices that are better for Earth.

I encourage you to use your resources to support local farmers and farmers of color. Do you know a neighbor who sells eggs?

A local farmer who sustainably raises pasture-based meat? Is there a farmer’s market in your community you can support? Beyond offering financial support, use your voice. Encourage policy makers to pass legislation that supports small farmers, especially farmers of color. Are there organizations in your area you can volunteer with that support farmers of color?

We are all on this journey together. While we have made small strides, the Farm and Land Management Committee and the Loretto Motherhouse Farm are dedicated to continuing to learn and find ways we can support local farmers and farmers of color. Will you join us in making this commitment?