Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Cagle.
Hi Andrew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Elmwood Farm began by turning a small, vacant lot in downtown Elmwood into a little community garden with chickens and composting. This lot was really an unused corner of a larger lot. After a year and a half, we had to leave. In the Spring of 2022, the farm relocated to a one-acre lot across the DART tracks from Tyler Station, on the edge of the Elmwood neighborhood. From the beginning, the goal has always been to be a community hub centered around food. With more space, our last year has allowed us to host events in addition to farming. Our events include dinners, live music, gardening education, and a regular open farm on Friday mornings, which sees lots of families bringing their kids to our playground or neighbors stopping by for coffee from the Moon Wolf Provisions trailer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is farming. The road is never smooth. Beyond the normal struggle of constant negotiation with nature, our farm is an all-volunteer project. Figuring out how to do this well, lead ourselves and others, and fund the project is a struggle. We also got kicked out of our first location despite a rental contract, but that was a blessing and allowed for the special place we are building today. We live in a world that wants fast results certainty and demands a high success rate. Farming requires patience, moves slow, its only certainty is the guarantee of uncertainty, and is an exercise in constant failure. It is a struggle, but our hope is that we can convince others that it is worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a documentary cinematographer and filmmaker by trade. I have mainly worked as a Director of Photography on non-fiction TV series and films. I do some directing of short docs for non-profits, brands, or businesses. I hope I can be proud of how I approach and treat the people I am filming. A couple years ago, I filmed a documentary series on food systems. I got to travel around the globe visiting farms and agriculture practitioners working on developing sustainable food systems.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t believe in luck. I do believe in providence and responsibility. Humility is the only way I will be able to be generous and responsible with what I have been given. For the farm, we work as a team. We are surrounded by a supportive neighborhood and many people who possess talents that we do not.
Contact Info:
- Website: elmwoodfarm.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elmwoodfarms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elmwoodfarmoakcliff/
Image Credits
Doug Klembara
