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Today I will be talking with someone who likely inspired many of you to get into farming, to consider farming, or to farm better, not bigger.
I’ll be talking to market gardener, Jean-Martin Fortier.
We’ll start out talking about his days before he farmed and how he figured out exactly who Jean-Martin Fortier was and what he was about. And we’ll end up in the fields talking about something that still gets JM excited today, the soil.
To me, JM’s story is truly inspirational, he has already walked that path that many of us want to walk. He’s arrived at success, but it didn’t start there, instead it was a long journey to get there.
When you step back and look at JM’s farming career, it’s an iconic journey. Going from a non-farming background to being a very successful farmer, author, leader for the cause, and one of the most respected pioneers in the market gardening world, and it’s a journey that could have never happened originating in suburbia.
Today we will go from skateboarding in the suburbs of Quebec to becoming a farming icon in the US. It’s an intimate portrait of Canada’s most renowned farmer, and the journey that inspired him.
Notes from the conversation with JM:
- The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
- RWC links:
- Why are you doing it?
- Love of growing, for business, for community, it’s different for everyone. Accept what works for you.
- JM spent $40 per bed improving soil, might sound like a lot, but each generates $600 to $4000 per year in crops per bed.
- Soil is not the limiting factor for a site. Slope is. Geographic location is. Soil can be fixed and built.
Connect with Jean-Martin Fortier: