Now, Jim Baughman is standing in the middle of a crowd at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, with a banner behind him reading “Freedom Valley Farms.”
“At the time I didn’t really know what I was going to do with the land, I didn’t know that I was going to eventually start an organic produce farm on it,” Baughman said. “But when the time came, I said, ‘Hey, this looks like something I want to do.’”
Baughman has owned and operated Freedom Valley Farms in Owen County with his brother for five years. He grew up on a farm and always enjoyed gardening as a hobby, so after two years of infrastructure planning the two began harvesting crops on their five-acre property.
He said he often works 14-hour days for most of the week and sets up his tent every Saturday he can, even if it’s raining.
“I have a pretty good, loyal customer base,” Baughman said.” “Most of them want to buy local. They want to buy organic. They want clean, ?quality product.”
It’s a little late now, so most of his regulars have already come and gone.
Baughman said many of them stop by his stand because he specializes in certain greens during the summertime which other farmers don’t. He said others know him for what he’ll be doing six months from now.
Agricultural writer Eliot Coleman introduced Baughman to the mechanics of winter growing. Baughman said if he had to cut down to only one type of growing it would be in the winter.
“One of the reasons that I got into farming was that I read some books about winter growing,” Baughman said. “I was really inspired by them. I said, ‘If he can do that in Maine, we can do this in Southern Indiana.’”
While he does use traditional greenhouses for some crops, he also uses “low tunnels” to facilitate the outdoor growth of hardy crops during colder months.
While he learned this particular method from Coleman, he said he’s learned a lot from the vendors he meets at the ?market.
“It’s kind of another social outlet for me to come to the market to make new friends with the other farmers and vendors,” Baughman said. “I really like talking about how they’re doing things and how I‘m doing them.”
Just behind his tent sits fellow vendor Linda ?Chapman of Harvest Moon Flower Farm. She said she’s seen Baughman progress quickly.
“I really respect him as a farmer,” Chapman said. “He’s a really good farmer for someone who’s only been in the business for five years. He really has done some deep research, and he’s very earnest in growing really good quality organic produce.”
The drizzle has faded away and the crowd has thickened. A customer ?approaches Baughman and asks about the colors of the zucchinis he’s brought today. Baughman said he loves the interaction he has with the people who visit his stand.
And although the market is almost closed for the day, his work is not.
“We’ve come a long way,” Baughman said. “Three years from now I still want to be doing what I’m doing, but I hope I can be doing it a lot more ?efficiently.”
