teens need farms, farms need teens
​At Roots Rising, our chosen path of meaningful work is farming. Teenagers and farms need each other. Farms need their youthful energy, their stamina, and their enthusiasm. And teens need farms. Farming is tactile and a feast for the senses. It’s the smell of freshly harvested garlic, or the clip-clop of a draft horse cultivating a nearby crop field—a much-needed antidote to a life spent indoors and in front of screens.
Most importantly for youth development work, farming teaches teens the skills that they'll need to be successful adults. Growing food requires motivation, determination, teamwork, and creativity. More than anything, it requires a strong work ethic. Our Farm Crew works under the sun, they work in the cold, they work in the rain, they work when they'd rather be done for the day.
They work while laughing, while singing, while conversing, and while reflecting. They work (mostly) without complaint. This is the Roots Rising way. It is the culture that we establish as a Farm Crew- to lean into a hard day’s work, to persevere when the going gets tough, and to savor the sweet feeling of achievement after a day spent working on the land.