Beckham is the old soul of the operation; handling farm tasks that have been carried out on our family farm for the past 230 years. Prior to the produce and pumpkin transition, our farm flourished in tobacco and grazing cattle. Side by side with his dad, Beckham worked to organize the genetics for our beef operation and efficiency of the farm flow. Sustainability is a huge asset for our cattle; we are able to minimize produce waste and generate hay in fields during crop rotation years. No field is generally empty (whether that be produce, hay or other row crops) and produce not able to go to market can always find its way into the field for livestock consumption.
Beckham prefers the behind the scenes management of having a farming operation. Monitoring fields for preparedness, the continuous farm improvement that needs to go into an establishment that was founded in 1783, machinery repair and frequent trips for parts and pieces; he keeps our business running like a well-oiled machine (for the most part). Whether it be early morning delivery or late night box packing, Beckham fits into the assembly line wherever needed. While the other pieces of our operation puzzle excel in multi-tasking, Beckham is able to focus on projects on hand and creatively solve problems as they arise.
Beckham is the ultimate girl dad. He has a current cattle feeding partner and another due in July. We admire his ability to take the extra steps to include the mini managers in daily farm tasks. It’s important that we include the children during growth of our farm; young minds learn from watching. Work ethic, land and animal stewardship, process and follow through; our kids are learning so many things that aren’t necessarily provided in a school setting. Beckham has patience and the ability to make mundane tasks fun; it really is his dad superpower.
Farming is not for the weak. It’s a daily gamble; too much or too little water, pests, disease, limited growing season and reliance on uncontrollable factors that can impact our farm for the entire 6 month growing period. It’s a chance as to how much you are going to sell, who you are going to sell it to and how much produce will you have left over after you fulfill orders. It’s having weekly meetings with your family to determine who should be doing what and when, even though you don’t have concrete PO’s. It is a total shot in the dark, but it’s a shot that we are willing to take. A shot that we will take time and time again to continue doing what we love. This is our chance to blaze a path for the young eyes watching us through struggle and success.
