Episode 241: Growing On Purpose with Amber Smith
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This episode of the Beyond the Business Suit podcast is a special replay of a Beyond Community Conversation with one of our Founding Beyond Community Members, Amber Smith. Amber is a STEM teacher turned Project Manager turned Farmer who has had such an amazing path to purpose.
In this session, you will absolutely be inspired by Amber's journey to becoming a farmer (and how the Beyond the Business Suit Retreat 2019 was a part of her path). You will easily see why we love Amber so much in the community and how amazing her story is.
About Amber Smith
Here's more about Farmher Amber in her own words:
I started gardening five years ago, to manage depression and anxiety that arose after losing a close friend, Peggy, to cancer. She loved plants and when she passed I had a whole bunch of them to take care of! That commitment to growing something turned into a passion that led me to increase the school garden from 5 beds, to 8 beds, and 3,500 square feet using the football field, in my first year as Garden Club Sponsor. Watering all that was an eventful experience, but it was extremely important that those students know and understand where and how to grow their own food.
I started farming full time on April 19, 2020, my 41st birthday. I wish I could say I had some grandiose story that brought me to it, but I don't. My full time position as a Program Manager ended April 10 because of Covid-19, unemployment was terribly disorganized and I have a son that loves cool drinks from Starbucks and likes to grab a few things from Target (because they are the proud sponsors of PBS kids. We watch that channel a lot!) My first week, I had 4 families and I was so thankful for them!
Our farm is licensed, registered and certified as MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) / WBE (Women Business Enterprise) in the state of Missouri. We are a registered and recognized farm by the United States Department of Agriculture and Food Safety Administration. We are certified farmers using Food Safety Modernization Act and Good Agricultural Practices. I completed Master Gardener certification through Louisiana State University, but you can only become “certified” in your home state. Currently, I am on the waiting list for the Master Gardener program through the University of Missouri. It is my hope that one day our farm will be a certified “organic” farm, but that’s a whole bunch of hoops – that I’m willing to jump through but I need more time. In the meantime, we grow using organic practices, companion planting, and the Lion King method (Insert Circle of Life song – think prey and predator).
I am an urban farmer. I grow primarily in garden beds, containers and now hydroponically. I love the process of growing. Watching a seed, submit itself to the soil, despite the darkness that surrounds it, only to break forth and produce a bounty – reminds me of me. In the dirt, I am reminded of my humanity, my frailty, my limitations, my areas of control (lack thereof) and of my God. When I am overwhelmed, depressed, stressed, and anxious – I go to the dirt. I remind myself that God is mindful of me. Just as I am of Ms. Swiss Chard, Ms. Brussel Sprouts (all the plants are females) and the evil squash bugs. He sees me! In the dirt, sometimes stinky and always dark – I can settle down into remembering that God always perfects the things that concern me in his time. The most beautiful flowers emerge only because of the foulest of fertilizers. (It’s totally changed the way I look at problems and I’ve grown a passion for fertilizers – they don’t all do the same thing). Despite drought and darkness, the roots of the plant still determine the foliage – so focus on the roots.
How you can connect with Amber:
Website: https://farmsbyamber.farm/
Instagram: @iambersmith
Learn more about the Beyond Community!
To join or learn more about the Beyond Community, please check out this page. Doors are open for membership this quarter until July 21, 2021. We'd love for you to join the community!
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