Birth of a New Farm

This last fall I took some time to do a pretty honest assessment of the state of our farm. Reflect back at where we have been over the years. And then refine a vision for the future.

The first thing I concluded is that we have been truly fortunate over the years both in the fields and in the marketplace. We have expanded our fields from 3 acres in 2003 to 35 acres this year, and our membership from 17 (many of whom are still with us!) to 3,800. Thanks to our members, sales volumes have grown at an annualized rate of 74% over the last 9 years. So there is no doubt in my mind that along with some good fortune, we are also getting a few things right.

As a part of this introspection, I thought deeply about how we could add more value to our members. Make your experience better. That led to some newness to kick off 2012. Namely, different box sizes and flexibility to choose the items you want. Something our members had asked for many times.
I also spent a huge amount of time thinking about something pretty important – our name. Los Poblanos Organics.

I thought about how this venture started 9 years ago on the historic Los Poblanos Ranch, thanks to the generosity of the Rembe family who agreed to let me farm their land. The fact is the scale of our farm has expanded greatly since then and we now grow most everything on our South Valley farms. I grew up playing in the fields of the North Valley, so I loved being able to name the farm after my childhood stomping grounds. But now, our scope is no longer just one area in the North Valley. Our dreams and goals are larger than that.

So then you get to the obvious question: should we continue to call our little enterprise Los Poblanos Organics? After pondering that question a good bit and having discussions with the Rembe family and other trusted friends, I decided that a new name might better reflect our future aspirations.

We chose a name that we hope exemplifies pride in local American farming, and recognizes my family’s century-long dedication to the land. I am honored to introduce our members to Skarsgard Farms. (new logo above)

In a nutshell, nothing will change for our members except the name. Our farm land has not changed. Nor have our services. We hope this will be a positive step that will highlight our farm as a unique undertaking. A farm not limited to one part of one town in this state.

The new name also speaks to my personal commitment to the local food and small farm movements here in New Mexico. Make no mistake about it folks; this farm is here to stay. And I could not be happier about it!

Ok, now on to arm you with the tools to dispel the impending rumor mill.

#1. LPO and the Los Poblanos Ranch did not get a “divorce.” The relationship that we have and maintain with the Rembe family has never been stronger. They have been huge supporters of the farm (and me personally) over the last 9 years, and they will continue to be an integral part of our future. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Ranch and are forever appreciative of their help over the many seasons.

#2. We did not sell out to Wal-Mart...I know this sounds crazy, but people sometimes come up with some great conspiracy theories. And I can assure you this; I did not change the name of the farm to my last name just so I could turn around and sell it off to a box store. Or anyone else, for that matter.

#3. “They dropped ‘Organics’ from their name. They must be a conventional farm now.” This could not be further from the truth. Our commitment to Organic and sustainable agriculture has never been deeper. I want to gain your trust in our stewardship of the land and not by a word we put in our name.

All in all, you will continue to be a part of an amazing local farm. You are going to see our Skarsgard Farms locally grown food choices continue to increase while maintaining access to a diverse offering from other local and regional producers.

As we weave this web of conscientious consumers coming together with sustainable producers, we will have a food system that we can all take pride in as well as enjoy on our taste buds. That is worth working for.

I want to take this opportunity to again sincerely thank our loyal members for your support and our dedicated employees for making Skarsgard Farms possible. Please do not hesitate to call or email with any questions that you may have.

Cheers to a new beginning, Farmer Monte Skarsgard