Pharming for Phish

Up until about five years ago, I had a side job as a manager at outdoor amphitheaters. My main building was in Nashville, but I also did the Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio facilities, and occasionally subbed here in Noblesville at Verizon Wireless. (I still call it Deer Creek.) Organic farming and the concert business was an odd mix, and only rarely did the two worlds collide. About the only things I remember where there was any crossing over was when we hosted Farm Aid in Columbus. The Farm Aid people thought it was real cool that I was a farmer and went out of their way to send interviewers my way. And Dave Matthews Band is really into organic farming, so much so that apparently Dave buys up farms in his neighborhood when they go up for sale and converts them into organic operations. He turned one farm into a winery. They usually gave me a bottle of his farm's wine at each concert. I have not really even thought about the concert business in years until a couple of days ago when I got an email from a woman named Sarah with a fun job title: Phish Farm-Fresh Food Forager. The jam band Phish is playing this Friday at Verizon, and Phish is totally dedicated to the whole organic, sustainable farming, buying local, food movement. So they have hired Sarah to try to find local farms in each market to provide the food to feed 38 people for three meals.

It was fun when the caterer for the show called to give me the menus and to work out logistics. It only took a few minutes before we realized we remembered each other from all the years I spent on the road with Michael W Smith, Amy Grant, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, White Heart, Steven Curtis Chapman etc.. where she was the caterer all over eastern Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia etc... I knew her well and had enjoyed her meals many times. She had done a mapquest and told me I was 11 miles from Verizon. (All that was going through my mind was the memories of occasionally running late to get there, I always made it in 12 minutes, and that was going past Hamilton Southeastern schools, hopefully they weren't in session, think of all the children's lives I endangered, and I hate to remember all the small animals that were actually sacrificed in my rush, sorry PETA people!) It's so strange when two unrelated worlds collide.

We have set Friday June 26 as our first ever Rock the Farm Friday. Well, that's just a working title, we'll come up with a real name and Josh & Sarah will post more details. I think the time will be 6:00 pm until ??? The green coffee beans for espresso/cappuccino and coffee are being ordered. I will roast the beans the day before. We want you all to join us and have fun!

I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read this, whether you are a customer, cowshare owner, friend, or someone who has just stumbled on this searching for something on the Web. You are all significant, treasured, and loved, whether you know it or not! Life is so precious, and we're usually all way too busy to care much for each other, but that is what life is truly about. You have a Father that loves you way more than you can imagine and I want to be all about communicating that to you. We are striving to have a successful business here on the farm, but more than just trying to sell food to nourish your bodies, it would please me more to be able to help you find nourishment for your soul, the peace that surpasses understanding. Peace and blessings!

Mark

This is a short piece Sarah Brown put together of her children enjoying the animals here at the farm. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs2QUBJ7jA4