Conversation with a Youth Farmer

Youth Farm team members planting a field. Author Aggie Fredette is on the left.

By Aggie Fredette, Youth Farm Assistant

Do you remember your first job? For many, working on a farm building your job skills while also growing thousands of pounds of vegetables for your local community is an uncommon answer! The Garden City Harvest Youth Farm gives teens that exact opportunity. Beginning in 2010 as a partnership between Youth Homes and Garden City Harvest, the Youth Farm employs teens from multiple youth homes throughout Missoula and provides them with valuable job skills, mentorship, opportunities for community engagement, and empowerment through agriculture. Youth Homes is a Montana-based organization that, among other services, helps provide group homes for kids and teens — anything from crisis shelter to long term housing.

The teens that are employed come from a variety of backgrounds and for some, this is not only their first time experiencing the responsibilities and excitement of their first job, but also their first time experiencing the world of farming.

For youth mentors and farmers Katie Halloran and Aggie Fredette, who have both worked at the Youth Farm the past three seasons, seeing the positive and individualized impact that working outside directly with plants has had on the teens is a constant reminder of the power of perseverance and the learning opportunities that nature provides.

On a hazy summer morning on the Youth Farm, Aggie and Katie sat down to talk with one of the current youth employees who is a resident at the Tom Roy Youth Home, who will remain anonymous for her safety. They chatted with her about her favorite moments on the farm this summer, some future plans, and the lessons she has learned since she began working at the farm this past May.

Q: As someone who has never farmed before, what were your first expectations about working on a farm and how have those changed?

A: I definitely think my expectations were that it would be constant hard work, no breaks or stops or anything. I definitely didn’t expect, you know, the warm and welcoming energy that I received coming onto the farm. That definitely went away from my expectations, like I didn’t feel like that was going to happen. I didn’t think I’d meet people that I’d have a lot of things in common with.

Q: What are some fun facts about yourself?

A: I really enjoy the culinary arts. I took two culinary classes my freshman year. I want to travel the world in general, but definitely a lot of Asia, especially Thailand. That’s definitely an important part of my future. I love reading. Reading is one of the most important parts of my current education. And I love doing Tarot and Astrology as well.

Q: Do you have any advice for your past self during your first week of work on the farm?

A: I think I would want myself to know to take it slow, don’t rush into it. Just ease into it so you have a better understanding of how it truly is going to be, don’t just rush yourself because that's going to be exhausting both mentally and physically. Also, be open to communication and don’t be afraid to give out ideas as well. I think I kind of missed a lot of that by being like, “I’m just here to work, I’m not here to have fun!” I had a more serious mentality.

Q: What has been your favorite memory you’d made on the farm so far?

A: I think a general one would be cooking. That’s definitely helped me get some more inspiration for cooking in the house a lot. It’s helped me build some knife skills, some baking skills. I really liked the quick pickling [workshop] we did as a group. That was pretty fun.

Q: What is one valuable skill farming has taught you?

A: A good lesson that farming has taught me is to not give up when you don’t see results immediately. Everything is a process, you know? So if you take your time and actually try to enjoy the moment and continue doing that for however long you feel is necessary, you’ll see results.

I’ve also gained mindfulness skills. I think of weeding plants as a mindfulness activity. It’s given me time to process everything that has happened. It’s given me a lot of help the whole time I’ve been at Tom Roy. To be able to breathe and give myself space from excess harmful thoughts and emotions.

Q: Do you have any final words for the readers?

A: Don’t be afraid to blossom just because your neighbors, the “next flower”, isn’t quite ready. Don’t be afraid to give out your beauty to the world, to the earth, your friends, your family. It’s super important to me to feel comfortable being myself. That’s been a lot of my own journey in life, is just being comfortable with myself. Once you can be comfortable with your own emotions and your own thoughts, I feel like that’s the first step in being able to shine your brightest.