We were lucky to catch up with Lynsey Gammon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lynsey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I didn’t start out my adult career life in farming. I took a very roundabout way to end up on my path. My grandmother, a tough Italian woman, taught me to garden when I was a young girl, living in the mountains of Lake Tahoe. I loved playing in the dirt, but never gave it a thought as an actual career choice. I took a very mountain girl traditional path and went to a small liberal arts college, where I studied Spanish and Italian. From there I found the Pacific Northwest and my love for women’s health and public health. I worked in women’s health for several years and got my Master’s in Public Health when I moved to Utah. I always thought I would stay in the nonprofit world and make a difference that way. But having my first large backyard proved to be a game changer in my future career. I threw myself into gardening, and discovered that many of the lessons my grandmother bestowed upon me were right at my fingertips. I was quite good at it. And when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I had fully immersed myself in the earth. I dove in full force. I began selling produce, and expanding my growing spaces. When I moved to Park City, I continued my path by helping start the community garden. The physical connection with the earth was something I embraced and wanted my daughters to see in my eyes. I had never held passion for something in the way that I do growing and working with the soil. From there, I just continued my adventure and education in farming and started my own farm which led me to Blue Sky.
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 still remember the first snap pea I picked off of its curling vine. The delicate yet bold freshness of this vegetable took on a whole new excitement because my Italian grandmother and I had nurtured these vines. We planted the barren looking seed into the sandy soil, watered it daily, and watched as the first real leaves grow into a four-foot vine filled with edible pods of sugary, crunchy peas. I was hooked.
Upon arriving at The Lodge at Blue Sky, I saw amazing potential in the land at Gracie’s Farm and immediately saw the future of the fields. I wanted to build a sustainable farm that exhibited techniques to successfully grow in the difficult climate and short season of Park City. Before we planted our first seed, we created the vision and mission of Gracie’s Farm.
We strive for Gracie’s Farm is to be a model in sustainable, organic farming practices, exemplifying the dignity and abundance of eating from and providing back to the earth. We nourish and educate through beautiful experiences amongst the guest, team, and community.
A successful farm is driven by intentional planning and execution. From soil research to a state-of-the-art sustainable greenhouse, and then a deep review of climate patterns, the crops are selected. Utah’s unique growing season makes crop selection as essential as the relationship with a chef.
The farm hosts an array of farm experiences for The Lodge guests including being a farmer for a day. My dream is to connect people to the land and show them the importance of growing food. As a farmer for the day, guests partake in many farming tasks including planting, harvesting, and of course, the results of sharing in the food grown on the property.
Being a part of the vision of The Lodge at Blue Sky, and seeing the farm come together as part of that vision is a dream come true. I sometimes have to pinch myself. My two daughters, who are the light of my life and the fire in my heart, have been known to say, “Mommy, you have the BEST job ever!” I have to agree.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
Everyday on the farm is different. Some days I glow with the intrinsic joy that working the soil brings to me. Soaking in the fresh air and absorbing the sun’s recharging vitality. We have successes and days of bounty and abundance in what we pull from the earth. And then there are days that feel like I have learned and absorbed absolutely nothing in the almost 15 years of growing. The humiliating failures and nature’s curveballs can bring a farmer to her knees in utter despair. There is no way to learn or know everything on a farm. It is such a multi-faceted career that relies on its expansive focus to have success in a season. A farmer is in a way a grower, soil scientist, biologist, hydrologist, diagnostician, mechanic, manager, guest liaison, numbers manager, spreadsheet wizard, and nurturer. With that many specialties, one is bound to fail consistently and profoundly. But there are those special moments that bring the luster back to the discouragement. The first harvest of a special crop. Seeing someone’s eyes explode in wonder at the taste of a fresh tomato from the vine. Sitting amongst the flowers and vegetables at twilight with a community of people to share in the unique and holistic atmosphere of a farm dinner. These moments remind me of the true beauty in what I do. And even after the hard failures and the perpetual tests of Mother Nature, I would choose to do this every single day. Over and over again.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I don’t know that I could even qualify this knowledge as advice. I feel so incredibly lucky for the team I have on this farm. And I don’t know that I have expertise in this because they are so great. But if I had to lean into giving some advice on this, I would say: learn from your team. They all bring such unique and interesting life and work experience to the forum. While I always give some guidance, I trust in them to make the best decisions they are equipped to make that will benefit the farm and team as a whole. I empower them to feel ownership over their jobs and positions on the farm. Giving them autonomy and creative license to explore what brings them joy as long as it fits into our mission and goals on the farm. I think that giving them that respect has brought such a positive and supportive atmosphere to the farm. We are a family and really effective team. They all work so hard and I think they love what they do. Oh, and always always say thank you!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.graciesfarm.com and https://aubergeresorts.com/bluesky/gracies-farm/
- Instagram: @graciesfarmbluesky
Image Credits
Dan Campbell Patrick Brandenburg