BEND BULLETIN:

http://www.bendbulletin.com/sp/5091484-151/redefining-urban-farming

Navy veteran Benjamin Curtis has spent his entire life on the pursuit of helping and serving others. His goal to grow Full Rotation Farms, his community supported agriculture urban farming program in Bend, Oregon, is an extension of that desire. He believes that the world is facing a serious food crisis, and he wants to be part of the solution.

“We have a serious food problem, and people don’t even know,” said Curtis, who spent two years working on mike boats for the U.S. Navy. “If it were a perfect world with healthy food, I would not be so passionate. I want to help solve this problem, be a man of action, and put my money where my mouth is.”

Curtis’ military career began on June 26, 1992, when he joined the Navy because he said he wanted to gain the discipline and leadership skills that the military instills and because he wanted to support our beautiful country.

“Working on the mike boats while serving on the Coronado Island base in California, I was fascinated with the Marine teams,” he said. “I was fortunate to be able to drop the teams off for their special operations as we landed on the beaches.”

During his stint, Curtis said he also enjoyed being deployed on a ship to Canada. “During the trip, we practiced driving the mike boats in and out of the belly of the ship after it was filled with water.”

After his two years of serving were up, Curtis was discharged honorably, and used his G.I. Bill to attend college to learn massage therapy. Upon graduating, he used his skills while volunteering for the Portland, Oregon Veterans’ Outreach by providing massage therapy to the vets and their spouses.

“The vets and their wives reported experiencing dramatic results in reduced stress and in getting better sleep,” said Curtis.

Prior to entering the military, Curtis had spent most of his young life growing food, which he said is his passion. He began taking an interest in farming while growing up in small towns around Oregon, and while attending school and living in Utah, where he worked alongside his stepfather in a fruit stand. He said he learned entrepreneurial skills at that time, and began growing food for himself.

Now, he believes his life’s calling is to farm, and after leaving the military and graduating from college, he continued to grow food for himself and others.

While supporting himself with his massage therapy practice, Curtis began farming on a small scale. “Every place I lived, I grew food and I am extremely healthy for it,” he said.

Over the years, Curtis practiced small-scale farming techniques, planting garden boxes on rooftops in Portland in 2002, working and managing a half-acre vegetable plot in Hawaii from 2008 to 2010, and growing food on a half-acre mini-farm in Alsea, Oregon in 2011.

Then, in early 2016, Curtis took the plunge and launched Full Rotation Farms CSA in Bend with a box of seeds, $7.13 and a vision. Since that time, he has grown 1,500 pounds of vegetables on 2,100 square feet of land, supplying as much as 50 pounds of food to an average of 50 people a week during last year’s growing season. He accomplished this by working six days a week for eight months last year, and during peak season, he worked 12-hour days for six straight weeks.

“Farming for my outstanding CSA has given me deep fulfillment, more courage and less depression, and there is a smaller carbon footprint (than with traditional farming).”

The mission statement for Curtis’ CSA reads, “Full Rotation Farms is determined and committed to doing whatever it takes within the framework of integrity to change our food system by building and educating a healthier food culture, empowering people through direct contact and practicing small-scale organic methods so we can consistently serve your family with the freshest cut produce possible.”

Among the vegetables Curtis provided through his CSA in 2016 were kale, chard, an assortment of beets, salad greens, carrots, Pac Choi (Asian greens) and tomatoes. He also hunted and cultivated mushrooms to add to the food baskets. To participate in the CSA, members pay an upfront fee of $150, which entitles them to a weekly pickup for four to six weeks depending upon the quantity of vegetables supplied. Curtis customizes baskets for members based on family size and preferences.

Though there are other urban farmers in the region, what makes Curtis’ approach unique is that he does not own the land he uses. He farms in other peoples’ yards. With the blessing of participating homeowners, Curtis cultivates lawns, gardens and unused land and turns those spaces into productive food-producing plots. In 2016, he utilized three yards in Bend, and was feeding 13 Full Rotation Farms member families by April 15. By June, he was in peak season, and continued to supply vegetables through December.

For the coming season and into the future, Curtis has set lofty goals, and is working hard to make them happen. As of early 2017, he had 15 members in his CSA, and hopes to grow that number to 30 by this year’s peak season. He plans to start distributing food as early as the end of April, and has been growing an assortment of food over the harsh Oregon winter in his indoor nursery to accomplish that goal. He has also recently acquired a three-year lease on a one-acre plot in Bend, and hopes to secure one more yard for this season.

To move forward on the one-acre plot, Curtis estimates that the cost for fencing, irrigation, equipment and insurance will be in excess of $10,000.

“I will continue to farm multiple yards if I get them, but the focus is the acre,” he said. His goal for the one-acre plot is to train veterans and others to farm, which he said teaches self-reliance and increases self-esteem. “Fresh food equals healthier people, and leads to better thinking and work performance,” he said.

Longer term, Curtis said he hopes to have 100 CSA members by March of 2018, and wants to eventually raise Icelandic sheep for milk and cheese production.

For veterans considering a career in farming, Curtis offers this advice:

“I started this with no money. I don’t suggest that,” he said with a laugh. “It’s best to have at least $6,000 to start with, and don’t quit your job right away. Doing therapeutic massage has allowed me to invest in Full Rotation Farms and survive as an urban farmer in my first year.”

Though Curtis enjoys serving others with massage therapy, he said that over time, he hopes to be able to support himself through his Full Rotation Farms CSA.

“I am extremely healthy and passionate about small-scale farming,” said Curtis. “I have a strong work ethic and laser focus. I always follow through. My business is successful, and my products are increasing in quality. But I must have the tools required to save time and money, increase productivity and preserve my body so I can serve as long as I can.”

Ronni Wilde