meet the farmer
GIRL POWER
Three Reno farmers embrace their responsibilities with passion and humor.
WRITTEN BY ANN LINDEMANN
PHOTOS BY JACI GOODMAN
Perhaps it’s the statue of David accessorized with Mardi Gras beads at the entrance that first alerts one to the inimitable approach of this 95-acre farm just 25 minutes north of Reno. It’s also evident when traveling down the long dirt road past the lush pastureland surrounded by meticulously crafted barbed wire and stick fencing.
The indicators are everywhere. GirlFarm is an homage to the diverse family enterprise of yore coupled with a forward-looking philosophy that embraces natural and sustainable farming methods. Wendy Baroli, her partner Jill Heaton, and Baroli’s sister Channelle Baroli are the masterminds behind the operation, which features a one-of-a-kind personal farmer program (including not only weekly produce and eggs, but also beef, pork, lamb, and poultry — all farm raised).
“We have 25 families in the program now and it has been really interesting to observe everyone during the last two years,” says Wendy as she inspects the 105 raised planter beds while two large tom turkeys — Turkey Lurkey and Malcolm X — trot next to her like devoted family pets. “We’ve had some people in the program who had never even pulled lettuce out of the ground. It’s been an incredible learning experience.”
Unlike standard community-supported agriculture programs, the Personal Farmer™ Program includes a lot of hands-on involvement. Each weekend, members come out to weed and harvest the garden and check on the growing farm animals. In November, members help out in the holiday turkey harvest.
“These families bring all different kinds of skill sets to the farm, from pouring concrete to helping out with electricity,” adds Heaton, who also is a professor of geography at University of Nevada, Reno.
FARM UPBRINGING
All three of the women come from farming and ranching backgrounds. Wendy and Channelle, an International Game Technology technical artist by day, are fourth-generation Italian/Irish farmers. Emigrants from Italy, their great-grandparents grew strawberries on the corner of Lakeside Drive and Moana Lane in Reno and later had a dairy and a small ranching and truck farming operation. Maternal Irish grandparents were subsistence farmers in Lovelock, Nev. Wendy and Channelle’s parents’ farm was sold, but upon retirement their father returned to farming in Idaho.
“My dad is pretty proud of us,” says full-time farmer Wendy, admitting that she often seeks out his advice on farming conundrums.
Heaton grew up on a Kansas cattle ranch, which she thought would stay in the family forever. However, the ranch was sold in 2000 and Heaton’s dreams of continuing the family business were dashed. Fortunately, she met up with Wendy a couple of years ago and her farming desires were realized.
After years of Wendy caretaking the GirlFarm property, the three women purchased the land in June 2011. Bucking the trend of other small family farms, GirlFarm now is totally sustainable and able to “pay the mortgage bill,” Wendy says.
 Clockwise from top left, Wendy Baroli with the Jacob sheep, a Berkshire piglet scurries into the barn, and Jill Heaton feeds peanuts to Woody, a 700-pound Berkshire pig. |
HUMANELY RAISED
GirlFarm strives to be a closed-system operation and humanely raise all animals. Both the heritage Dexter cattle and the open-range Berkshire pigs are pasture raised. The cows are almost completely grass fed and the lucky pigs get a little bit of everything, including past-date foodstuff from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and their favorite peanuts, which they will sit on command to eat.
“It’s called farm follies,” Channelle (aka CJ) says, laughing.
With their long tails and multiple horns, Jacob sheep dominate the farmyard. Inside the barn, chickens are laying eggs and young turkeys are growing in anticipation of holiday feasts. When the time comes, animals are harvested by a USDA-approved mobile slaughtering and custom meat-cutting operation.
A modern day iteration of the family farm, GirlFarm has a robust presence online where both farmers and members Tweet and post to Facebook frequently. The GirlFarm website seeks to characterize their philosophy: “The Personal Farmer™ Program is for the eater who has defined what they enjoy eating, knows what they want more of, and has a clear expectation of consistency and clean, fair food.”
For details about GirlFarm, visit GirlFarm.org.
Lake Tahoe-based Freelance Writer Ann Lindemann’s work appears in a variety of regional and national publications. She thanks Wendy, Jill, and CJ for the wonderful farm tour, which included learning how to make a turkey belch.
