Kickstarter

WE made it!  Thank you so much for your support and donations. After 28 days we passed our goal with 8031.00.  Thank you so much.  That was the most stressful 28 days of checking the computer, posting that video, nail biting, and I believe I received another grey hair but we did it!  All of you came through to provide enough money for Stay Hoppy Farms to start their programs.

In that 28 days I realized that so many people believe in the same value of food, health, education and farming as Stay hoppy farms.  It also made me see so much love for others in this world.  I know when donating just from past experiences for cancer research, ms walks, etc. that sometimes it just feels as if that money goes to a program but there is a disconnect from that point on.  I mean that you are not connected to see the results of what your money is going to, you just have to have faith that they did something good with that and are working hard on their programs to help.  So with this fundraiser, Jordan and I decided that we don't want all 128 of you to feel that you donated one time and now you will just hear from us for the next year. We want to stay connected to our backers that have donated to help us start our projects.  For those of you on Facebook, it's easy for you to follow us on our page because we post pictures all the time, but we want to put out a monthly newsletter for the farm.  Nothing fancy, just an update of where your money has gone and what programs have started and the people we will help!  We haven't decided if this will go out on a mass email list or if we can just post it to our website.  We will figure out these technical issues with in the next week so if we do an email, we might ask you if you would like to be on our list.

The day that we hit our goal, Jordan and I were working really hard to harvest 36 pounds of kale and lettuce that we took to the Sonoma County food bank.  This food bank took the produce to a soup kitchen in Petaluma that morning to feed homeless people.  This was our first donation of free food for people in need.  That day was a perfect day for Stay Hoppy Farms. Not to toot our own horns, but that was some good looking lettuce and kale too! We have decided that once a month we will give to the food bank some type of vegetable as it goes to so many programs to help homeless, women's shelters and meals on wheels. This is just one program that your donation will have supported. 

We are working with the school district as we speak to get geared up for the fall. I just read a statistic that is absolutely jaw dropping.  One in five children in America, one of  the wealthiest nations in the world, are deprived from food or do not have proper food access.  So if you have children that means in your child's class there is at least 5 kids out of a class of 25, that are sitting there next to your child that might not have had breakfast or dinner that day.  Children need to eat more than anyone in this world because they are in such important developmental stages.  This effects their brain, capacity to pay attention for education, eyes, heart and lungs and more.  I can not believe that in the United States that we have this issue.  This is absolutely heart breaking.  Here at Stay Hoppy Farms, we are just one farm, one acre, two women but we have 128 people that also have our back on this issue. Sometimes when my body aches and my arms hurt everyday, I feel like I am 50 and sleep deprived and I feel as if my work is never done, well I think about this issue and it makes this adventure all worth it.  

Another program we want to implement is that we do talks at schools to get the kids interested in farming.  We love our jobs and we think that people should know how great it is to farm.  We need more small organic farms in the United States.  When you are a small farm you can farm by hand and not have to spray the chemicals that cause cancer and other damaging issues to your body on your food.  You also can impact your community with food, volunteers, and show people how to farm.  Also with small farms you are first to the market with fresh food and you know your local farmer.  The problem with commercial farming is that we are paying for food from other countries and paying the shipping, the diesel, the tax and the farmer gets about .20 cents on that product after all that work.  With getting it from other countries, there are less jobs, and the regulation on food spraying is not as thorough as here in the United States.  This is why going local and from a farm that you know of is idea.  Of course, you can't get certain vegetables year round in some of the places you live but if you try and get 50%, well that's a start.  Anyways, education is a big part of this program, not only about nutritional value of veggies for kids, but about how farming is great and anyone can farm. 

Well this is just some of the programs that with the money from kickstarter we will able to start implementing right now.  The money that you donated will go directly to the farm and farm materials.  It's not going to Jordan and I but to stay hoppy farms.  We actually will have a 501c3 number which means our tax exempt number or EIN for those of you that would like claim your donation on your taxes.  I am not sure how you go about that so talk to your accountant and we will be in touch with you all when we receive that number.  We did start the paperwork before this kickstarter aired so that you all would have that.  We now have to pay for the paper work but that's why we put it down for our kickstarter campaign!  

Jordan and I wanted to say from the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU.  Your support financially and just knowing that you all have our back is such a blessing.  We really want to encourage you to meet one of your local farmers in your area or community.  Thanks again for all of your support and please look us up if you are ever in this area, we would love to meet you and give you a hug and show you the farm.  

Oh yeah please stand by in the next couple of weeks, we will have a thank you video!  Stay tuned!

www.stayhoppyfarms.org

Kendra Freeman

Jordan Vermillion

So I once was told, that if you do what you love, the money will come.  I guess I never really thought about this saying until lately but it is true.

Jordan and I first met 3 years ago. We did not live in the same city so our friendship was over the phone the last year.  We were on the phone one day talking about farming and dreaming of owning land (not together) somewhere and having our own individual farms. I originally had told her about Hops and how we should farm Hops for financial reasons. She thought that was a great idea!  So we decided to go into business together and become farmers of hops. We all know Hops grows best in Oregon where I was living in Portland and well Jordan is from Sunny California.  Trying to take the sun away from that girl is like trying to get a goat to move where you want it to.  So well I decided if we were going to own a farm together, well I guess I have to give up ol' sunny Portland and move to California.

We started Stay Hoppy Farms with the intention to do Hops, hence the name. We searched for 5 acres all over sonoma county and we actually had 2 offers to lease land.   Both were not the right fit for us.  We searched high and low but  ended up on the goat farm that Jordan actually lives on, and right there before our eyes, the 1 acre paradise was laying there the whole time.  The only problem is we couldn't see it, maybe because literally we couldn't see it, the weeds were to the SKY!  With hops you need more land than one acre so we decided to do veggies.  We sat down and counted how many brassicas we could grow and how much money we would make.  At selling 600 heads of broccoli at $3 dollars a piece , that would bring in about $1800.00.  If we did that twice a year we would both bring in $1800.00.  If only Farmers were rich instead of good looking'!  

I don't think this registered for either of us, we just kept farming and started the land off to the right foot.  We worked morning to night every single day to get the farm ready to plant. We both took money from each of our savings and bought a greenhouse, 5 shovels, a pitchfork and 12 khaki campbell ducks!  We both worked for a month and half straight without taking a full day off until we had plants, swales, and a farm.  We finally had something that looked like a farm, not a field of grass! During all of this we kept talking about how we would love to help families in need or how sad it is that the statistic for the average age of farmers is 60 years old and how it's a dying career.  We talked about how half the time people don't know where their food comes from or what is put in it and how the kids in the US, one of the wealthiest nations in the world has major health issues and how the rise of cancer has grown by over 300%.  There is a lot to talk about when you are farming and working all day!  

Well it only took two weeks before both of us decided that we are going to acknowledge these issues and make a stand and to make that leap of faith with our veggies.  And here we are...we are a non profit educational farm that is going to be dedicated to help others in need, treat the earth well and respect what has been given to us.  

I am astounded by the amount of people who have faith in us and have backed this project as I am writing this in full gratitude for you and your support.  

WE ARE ALMOST TO OUR GOAL thanks to each and everyone of you!  This was just a dream until March 9, 2012 and because of your support, whether we make our goal financially or not, I know 102 people think we can farm and do this.  102 people are a part of this farm.  102 people feel the same way about education and farming go hand in hand.  102 people are changing this world and making a difference.  

I want you to know with the utmost integrity that we will use the kickstarter money only for farm items.  This is going to make a huge difference in the materials that we need for this farm. 

Thank you 102!  You are amazing... 

We are asking everyone that has donated to go the extra mile and for the next 3 days to post our video on their Facebook as a status update so we can make our goal.  You just click share the video.  If you are not on Facebook, if you could share our video on your email list.  Lets see if we can get a large portion of the United States to see our video.  We are only two young women farmers who just simply had a dream...

Thanks so much, 

Kendra and Jordan

Also if you haven't liked our fb page please do, it's here that you will see updates and photos!

also please visit our website too!

www.stayhoppyfarms.org 

Thanks to everyone as we have started this project on kickstarter!  It is like watching a ticking surprise!  Everyday I just watch the support come in and it brings tears to my eyes.  I can't believe that we have this much support, not only financially but just emotionally, morally, and just to know you all have faith in a cause that is so dear to both of our hearts!

It's funny because never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that picking up a shovel and working so hard would turn out to be the most profitable in my heart!  Everyday I am out in the sun, sweating and working hard,I just have so much gratitude, not only to mother nature but to all the people that have faith in us to succeed and teach the world about farming.  

Thank you all so much and I really hope each and everyone of you has a chance to come by the farm to check it out!

We are almost to 25% of our goal in just 5 days!  Very impressive!

Kendra Freeman and Jordan Vermillion (farmers for you)