Customer Feature: Scott & Rebecca Ramsey (Wyndale Gardens)

斯科特和丽贝卡(贝基)拉姆齐发现了他们社区的需求，并将这种需求与他们对科学和健康食品系统的共同热情结合起来，创建了温德尔花园, an aquaponics operation 在阿宾顿, VA. 水培是两种耕作方式的结合:水培(无土种植植物)和水产养殖(养鱼)。. The primary function of the operation is growing green butter lettuce, which the Ramseys sell to wholesale customers, including the local Food City grocery store, 也 as the local school districts.

During the pandemic, 拉姆齐一家住在科罗拉多州，他们意识到如果不太了解他们的食物系统，处于食物链的末端并不是一个特别有利的位置. “看到杂货店的货架一夜之间卖光了，体育彩票外围平台非常害怕，”斯科特回忆说. “体育彩票外围平台不知道体育彩票外围平台的食物是从哪里来的，体育彩票外围平台俩之间也没有一个园艺能手, 但体育彩票外围平台开始研究不同的耕作方法，最后买了一个家庭水培系统, just to play around with growing our own food indoors,他分享道. 然后, 一件事导致了另一件事……他们学习了鱼菜共生，并对最佳实践进行了更多的研究. They hired a consultant, toured several commercial farms, put together a business plan and ultimately bought their 34-acre farm, named Wyndale Gardens, 在阿宾顿, 2022年的VA. 斯科特·拉姆齐是阿宾登本地人，和家人一起搬回这个地区一直是他的梦想. 

可持续发展和成为土地的好管家是温代尔花园的核心使命. 拉姆齐夫妇能够改造和再利用已经在房产上的三个温室，以适应他们的鱼菜共生生产, and they have a variety of other sustainable practices in place, 也. 去年夏天, 斯科特和贝基与弗吉尼亚理工大学合作，制定了食品安全规范，并获得了良好农业规范(GAP)认证. 

Scott and Becky run Blue Nile Tilapia as part of the aquaculture system, and they’re able to convert fish emulsion into nutrients for the plants, eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. 拉姆齐夫妇还将过滤系统产生的废物作为肥料重新用于种植床, and also fertilizes the hayfields on the farm. The fish need the water temperature to be about 82 degrees, so they have to heat the water year-round. They recently purchased a wood fire boiler, 它为他们的六个鱼缸里的水和三个温室里的空气提供热源. The Ramseys receive scrap firewood from their neighbors, Thad and Camille Finney, who own a landscaping and sawmill business, 所以他们能够以很低的成本为温代尔花园的设施供暖.

种植黄油生菜的过程始于斯科特将有机种子种植到可生物降解的生长泡沫块中, or “grow cubes,” where it takes about two days for the seeds to germinate. Once the plants have germinated, they go into grow lights for about two weeks, which allows enough time for a root ball to form. 从那里, the plants go into grow beds, where they’ll stay for about four more weeks until they reach maturity. It is roughly a six-week process from seed to harvest. The original system in 2022 supported 1,200 plants per month and they have grown to harvesting about 4,000 heads of lettuce per month. 

In addition to the aquaponics operation, the Ramseys have a chicken coop, from which they sell fresh eggs; an on-site apiary, where they harvest their own honey; and host farm stays to support agritourism through Harvest Hosts. 最近, 他们与阿宾登的Sweetbay酿造公司建立了合作关系，酿酒厂从拉姆齐夫妇那里购买蜂蜜，从当地另一位农民那里购买啤酒花, 他们计划在今年夏天推出一款夏季啤酒. 拉姆齐夫妇还与阿宾顿橄榄油公司合作，开发了一种特殊的混合沙拉酱，与他们生产的黄油生菜搭配得很好.

通过在当地农贸市场与河山农场的戴夫·奇克的联系, the Ramseys were able to meet the school nutrition director for Bristol, Virginia schools, 谁能把他们和当地其他学校的营养主管联系起来. 他们更多地了解了农场到学校项目，美国农业部为学校系统提供资金，从当地种植者那里购买农产品, and get that food into the school systems. Between the school districts they serve (22 schools total), the Ramseys’ lettuce provides about 10,000 meals per day. 拉姆齐夫妇发现，他们的生意最有价值的方面是为他们的社区和当地的学童提供营养和美味的产品(黄油生菜). 他们的动机在于，他们知道，通过他们在农场生产的东西，他们正在对社区产生重大影响. 

Regarding their relationship with Farm Credit of the Virginias, 贝基共享, “We have a wonderful partnership with Farm Credit, 从体育彩票外围平台结清贷款到7天后搬到这里. Our loan officer, Tina [Puckett], 在酒店遇见了体育彩票外围平台，一开始就认识她真是太棒了.斯科特继续说道，“农业信贷是这一切开始的关键。. It had always been a dream of mine to get back to Abingdon, where I was born, and raise my family here – and Farm Credit really made that happen for us.” 

The future is bright at Wyndale Gardens. Scott and Becky plan to build a pollinator habitat on the property, 这样他们就可以用天然饲料养活蜜蜂了. It will beautify the land, help with erosion and improve soil quality. 他们还计划建造一条高隧道，专门用于种植农产品，用于教育目的，并与社区成员分享他们的知识. 现在, they are enjoying perfecting their operation, managing hurdles, 培养关系以支持新的市场机会，并在农场抚养最小的女儿.

As beginning producers themselves, 斯科特和贝基对那些想开始从事农业的人有以下建议:

• 制定强有力的目标，知道你想要完成什么，然后在挑战到来时坚持下去.
• Build relationships in your community. 了解谁可能正在做与你相似的事情，并找出你可以在哪里结合力量对你的社区产生影响.
• 和你的信贷员成为朋友——有一个强有力的信任是非常重要的, 信任的关系和可用的信用，能够发展你的业务. 
• 不要仅仅因为你认为某些市场不适合就贬低它们. As producers of fresh produce, we thought the farmers; market/CSA route would be our market, but we sort of fell into the wholesale market, which has been far more lucrative.
• Take advantage of any educational opportunities that are offered to you. It’s never a bad thing to get advice and hear different perspectives. We attended a Farm Credit Knowledge Center Transition Planning dinner, and it gave us a lot of things to think about for the future, even though we’re only in year two of our operation.
• 这也是一个与其他农业生产者建立联系并向他们学习的好机会.

This feature story was published in the June 2024 Leader Magazine. Access the full magazine (digital version) 在这里.