We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Bayne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
Even as a young child, my family had a vegetable garden. I remember the drudgery of going out there and hand weeding. The hours dragged on. Hearing the other children playing in the street was a constant reminder of the misery I was dealing with. This doesn’t sound like someone who will later become a farmer, does it? My mom did a ton of canning the bounty from that garden. Tomatoes and beans were the main items. Thankfully, we only had a summer garden. Year round gardening is still very foreign to this day.
As we became older, the garden got smaller, as my parents didn’t have time to take care of it. We still had a few tomato plants. Who can deny the flavor that is only found in the backyard tomato plant?
I left home and joined the Marine Corps. As the only female in my barracks, I had the room to myself. I was able to grow a few tomato plants in pots.
Soon after leaving the military, I bought my own home. I planted mostly flowers and very few vegetables. I think I wanted the traditional yard and flower garden. Soon after though, my husband encouraged me to grow some vegetables. The garden expanded every year. Next thing I know, he’s bringing home 4 chickens. We had never owned chickens. We didn’t know anything about them. I’m not even sure I ever held a chicken before that. So, we built them a small coop and learned about them. I’m not sure what came next but over the next few years we got more chickens, rabbits, quail, turkeys, pheasants…all while living on a suburban lot that didn’t allow backyard chickens.
We knew we had to move before we got into trouble. We started searching for a 5 acre lot. Around here 5 acres is the magic number that zoning can’t really tell you what animals you can have. We went through many homes and realtors in the next 1.5-2 years. We just couldn’t find what we wanted in our price range plus the market was busy. Houses sold before we could see them. It was a frustrating time for us. Our realtor and some friends had sent me the listing for the house we eventually bought. I had viewed in on Google but didn’t think it was what we wanted. Out of sheer desperation the kids and I drove out to view it. I made an offer on the spot. Although it didn’t check off every box, it was mostly what we were looking for. About a month later, August 10th 2017, we moved in.
We hit the ground running. We found someone who came out and tilled our first garden. It’s about 1/4 acre. It’s hard to believe how much you can grow on something that size. Due to the timing of the move, our first crop in the ground was garlic. That winter I immersed myself with youtube videos, books, and anything else I could on market gardening.
I had heard about the NRCS-Natural Resources Conservation Service. I went and met with my local officer, John Williams. He was a wealth of knowledge. He told me about an EQIP grant-Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The grant covers a good portion of a high tunnel (similar to a greenhouse without heat). He assisted me with legalizing my farm and applying for the grant.
The following year I was approved for the grant. The problem is that I had to pay for the tunnel upfront. The grant money doesn’t come in until after completion. As a beginning farmer, we were already in debt. It’s not just seeds you need to buy, farming isn’t cheap. I was happy I got the grant but couldn’t see any way I’d be able to finance the tunnel. My dad found out about my dilemma and said he’d loan me the money until I was reimbursed. I hate to borrow anything but I sucked it up and took him up on his offer. Our first tunnel was ordered! I had never built, worked in, or even really been in a high tunnel. Thankfully, someone near us had one and let me look at it numerous times during our build so I wouldn’t make too many mistakes. Our tunnel arrived and I still didn’t feel ready to tackle the build. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find anyone willing to install it. I put on my big boy pants and started. We’re now in summer. We should have been busy maintaining our 1/4 acre garden but it definitely didn’t get the attention it needed. Between the hard, dry, summer ground and rocks, getting the ground posts in took what seemed like forever. Once that was completed, it wasn’t smooth sailing, but it was less daunting. About 1-2 months after beginning, we completed the tunnel. Almost on the 2 year anniversary of moving here.
After that tunnel was in, we expanded the garden space another 1/4 acre. Baby steps.
I had heard about these smaller, moveable tunnels online. They’re called caterpillar tunnels because from over them, they resemble caterpillars. They’re not as wind or snow resistant as high tunnels but they’re much cheaper and easier to install. Next thing you know, in 2021, we have 3 of them.
If we hear about a grant opportunity, we apply. There is an organization called Homegrown by Heroes. It’s part of the Veterans Coalition that assists farmer veterans. They offer mentorship as well as a yearly grant. I spent many hours and weeks applying for their grant only to be turned down every year. I don’t think I’ll make it as a grant writer.
In 2021 we heard we were approved for another high tunnel. Now that I had some experience installing one, I wasn’t apprehensive doing it again, but I didn’t really want it to take 1-2 months. Our local Amish supply store was kind enough to help me out and I had a crew of 4 knock out most of the tunnel in 1 day (we had already pounded in the ground posts prior to them coming out). We were left with a few days work for us. It probably would have only taken them hours.
While this was going on, we also expanded the garden area again by about an acre. We’re still trying to not get overwhelmed, which we still were but….
It was about now that one of my daughters decided she’d like to work on the farm. She is in charge of the vegetable production.
We were pretty maxed out on garden space the way the farm was organized. We had about 2 acres growing space. In 2022 we decided to take over a 2 acre paddock we used for sheep grazing. That would bring our total growing area to 4 acres. It was at this time that we decided to buy a tractor. Up until this point, we have been doing almost all the work by hand. We had an older tractor that could plow but that’s about it.
6 months later we decided we needed even more space. Winter 2022-2023 we tilled up another 2 acre sheep paddock which brings our total garden space to 6 acres which is where we are currently.
Going from 2 to 6 acres in that short a period of time was hard. I had never driven a tractor and had no idea how to cultivate with one, still don’t do it well. Farmers only get to right their mistakes once a year. It takes a lifetime to really figure it out but even then, mother nature messes with you.
In 2023 we grew delicious, beautiful sweet corn. The problem was that we had ragweed sprouting up between the rows of corn. By the time the corn was ready, the ragweed was taller than us AND the corn stalks. That made picking oh so much fun. In 2024 I managed the weeds in the corn better, but not great, but we barely got any corn. I also grew about 1500-2k tomato plants outside of the tunnels. They barely produced anything. Tomatoes hate getting their leaves wet, they do much better in a tunnel getting watered with drip irrigation (waterlines on the ground). I also decided to grow a huge variety of flower and plant starts for customers gardens. I barely sold any and am still composting plants from that failed venture.
We started dabbling in flowers from the beginning. Just a row here and there. In 2023 we had about a 1/4 acre flower garden and started our u-pick flower farm. In 2024 we expanded that slightly and one of my daughters took over this part of the farm. We were planning on doubling that for 2025 but the daughter in charge of this will be visiting Europe this summer so we probably won’t make a drastic change.
We have also been growing mushrooms for the past few years. In the winter of 2023=2024 a mushroom vendor joined our farmers market. Due to their presence, our mushroom sales plummeted. We decided not to grow them in 2024.
From 2018=2023 we experienced massive growth but that came at a personal cost. I was working 16 hour days, 7 days a week. We attended 6 markets a week during the summer. It became too much. During that time, I lost my mom in 2021, a good friend in 2022, and my dad in 2023. Losses like these made me reevaluate life. I loved my job, but I wasn’t spending enough time with my kids or husband unless we were working. In 2024 we decided to quit all farmers markets except our local one that is every Saturday, year round. We also kept 2 that were only once and twice a month on Sundays. On top of that, we decided to take every Wednesday off. That allowed me to take the kids hiking and spend a day doing stuff not farm related. With the exception of a delivery or 2 that was near where we were heading, we spent the day enjoying ourselves.
In 2025 we will be experiencing even more change. We are turning 2 acres of our garden space into a vegetable u-pick. With rising grocery costs we have been trying to figure out how to best help our community. We hope this will be the answer. It will also help us to decrease labor as the daughter that is in charge of vegetables is due with baby #2 the same time that the other daughter is heading to Europe.
On top of the now 6 acre market garden, we raise chickens, pigs, and sheep. Animals come with their own headaches. I prefer to deal with vegetables while my husband prefers the animals. We’ve had sheep, pigs, and chickens all escape their fencing to come visit the vegetable gardens. When they’re behaving themselves and staying in their fences, they’re lovely little creatures.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am Jennifer Bayne. My husband, Mark, and I own 7 Wonders Farm. We named our farm after our 7 children. My kids don’t like it when I say this but, some days I have 7 wonderful children and some days I wonder why I have 7 children.
We grow a wide variety of flowers and vegetables as well as chicken, pork, and lamb. We grow our produce using organic standards and our meats are pasture raised. We are different that most farms in how we raise everything. Our animals are provided a great life living in the fields doing what animals do. We don’t confine them onto a concrete pad with nothing to do except eat. Our pigs root in the ground and are fed any leftover produce. They enjoy playing in the sprinkler on hot days before they go bury themselves in the mud puddle they dug for themselves. They also like to chew on our shoelaces as we check on them. Our chickens are raised in the field while 2 Great Pyrenees sisters guard over them. They get to sleep, eat, peck around, and flap their wings in a safe environment. Our lambs live in the field year round eating grass in the summer and hay in the winter with farm vegetables throughout. They regulate when they want to breed.
Our produce and flowers are grown in the field and in tunnels using organic standards although we are not certified organic. We use our products in our own home and we want them safe for everyone.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
We are making a huge pivot in 2025 by becoming a vegetable u-pick farm. We will still offer prepicked vegetables in our farm store and we will continue to go to our local farmers market but I hope half of our sales will be from the u-pick. This is due to losing 2 of my daughters during the busy summer months. I fully encourage my kids to make their own path. I don’t want the farm to hold them back so I had to come up with a solution that could solve many problems. The problems are the economy-customers are having problems making ends meet but I can’t afford to give food away. I can give them the experience of picking their own vegetables which saves them money and saves me labor.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I’m still trying to unlearn how to be a perfectionist. I want everything to be perfect. Farming isn’t a perfect science. Sometimes things need to be good enough. Whether it’s a flower with a small bug bite or a tomato with a blemish, that’s good enough. People don’t realize that the majority of products aren’t perfect. Too much waste is made in this country by expecting everything to be perfect. You can cut that little spot off the tomato or cabbage, it will be alright. My rows aren’t usually straight and my weeds take over sometimes, it happens. What’s important is that I grow food that is healthy and nutrient dense for my community. I’m definitely getting better about this but maybe I’m just getting lazier.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.7wondersfarm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/7wondersfarm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/7wondersfarm
Image Credits
Pig and sheep picture – Erin Bayne
Drone pic – Richard Busby