Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Waldrop. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Anthony and Ellen grew up in Kinnelon, NJ, but only connected years later in Wilmington, NC. Anthony first became interested in farming through punk shows in NYC. Ellen grew up gardening and cooking with her family. We also both traveled for years and were always interested in the food culture in different places; visiting the local markets was always on the list of things to do. We eventually moved to Hawaii. Anthony managed the kitchen at an organic co-op and began working part-time on two organic farms. Ellen worked as a dive instructor and boat captain and eventually went to graduate school for Marine Biology. After 5 years, we were ready for a change and decided to move back to the mainland. We landed in Charleston, SC, and immediately began a home garden. Anthony started working part-time for Rooting Down Farm while also working in kitchens. Ellen began working at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources studying endangered sturgeon. After a year or 2, Anthony started working on the farm next to our house. That farmer decided farming wasn’t for him and put the land up for sale. In July 2017, we were able to purchase that land, ~11 acres. We have been farming it ever since.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far, the journey has been smooth?
Ha! No farmer would ever describe what we do as a smooth road. We bought our land in July 2017, and in January 2018, Charleston experienced a freak snowstorm with below-freezing temperatures for an entire week. We were 6 months in, had negative money, and our few crops were under frost covers that were frozen solid. When we were finally able to peek underneath them, we were pleasantly surprised-most things made it. But it was certainly stressful. That was out of the ordinary, but there are certainly regularly scheduled struggles. The low country is, well, low. Excessive rain can cause flooding issues, and the high heat and humidity in the summer can cause disease issues. We also have to worry about hurricanes. But because of all that, we have learned to adapt to what we grow, where, and when. For example, we put a lot more effort into developing in our (usually) mild winters and a lot less into the miserable summer. But that’s typical farming, there is constant change, and you need to pay attention and adapt.
One much smoother thing is our sales outlet. We are a market garden and primarily grow for our local Sea Island Farmers Market on Johns Island. It is a year-round market with amazing vendors and customers and a guarantee that what you buy is from that producer. It’s truly a local community. Over the last 5 years, we have built a solid following of loyal customers, and we are grateful for that. Sharing recipes of what we do with our products with our customers is always a lot of fun, and having them share back is very inspiring.
We’ve been impressed with Fire Ant Farms, LLC, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Fire Ant Farms, LLC, is a small family farm located on Johns Island, South Carolina, owned by Ellen Waldrop and Anthony Natoli. Since 2017 we have produced high-quality natural produce for our local community following the market gardener style of farming. This allows for intense production of high-value crops on a small scale and provides a wide variety and steady supply of fresh produce through our year-round growing season. All our produce is grown following organic techniques—no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We utilize a high-tunnel greenhouse, a caterpillar tunnel, and row covers to extend different growing seasons. Finally, our farm follows regenerative agriculture principles and practices low to no soil tillage. We use permanent beds, crop rotation, and cover crops to improve our soil health and increase biodiversity to create a sustainable ecosystem for produce production while decreasing input requirements and operating costs. We believe in being good stewards of our land and follow the mantra, “grow better, not bigger.” This philosophy is shared with our customers, who fully support our vision for responsible food production. Our produce is primarily sold through our local farmers’ market. This market prides itself on providing the freshest, guaranteed local produce and is viewed as one of the most successful farmers’ markets in Charleston County.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Farming as an entire industry is a high-risk business. One catastrophic storm, disease, or pest outbreak, and you may lose most or all of your crops and income. But we need farms and farmers to survive, so an interesting dichotomy exists. Farmers sometimes get the appreciation they deserve for feeding people while facing these constant obstacles. By planting highly diversified crops, following planting rotations, and utilizing season extension and crop protection technology, we try to buffer against risk as much as possible. We, as individuals, are generally risk takers; that is probably why we’ve been able to handle all the ups and downs of farming, but if I had a choice, a little less risk would be acceptable by me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireant_farms/
Image Credits
All photos are by Ellen Waldrop
