March 2025 - 31

ORGANIC GROWER
fruit and herb production; and put in
two high tunnels.
" We grew that first year from about
$70,000 in sales to over half a million
this past year, so it's been fairly rapid
growth even though our footprint
hasn't been expanded that much, "
Becker said. " Today, we have eight
high tunnels and caterpillar tunnels
on our farm, and we have about an
acre of covered production, which
means we're able to extend our fairly
short growing season. "
Throughout it all, Becker focused
on profitability and growing out the
farm's direct-to-wholesale sales,
and a CSA accounts for 20% of sales.
Cattail is doing some online farmers
market sales, with the rest being
direct to institutions, stores and
restaurants, as well as working with
local aggregators and a cooperative.
Finding a love
Becker lives on her farm with her
husband (who runs his own farm
business) and three kids.
Originally from New York City,
Becker found an early interest in
food insecurity and in her spare
time would deliver meals to people
who needed help. After high school,
she attended Cornell University and
dedicated much time to volunteering
in community gardens, immersing
herself in the world of seeds and
the complexities surrounding them.
Becker graduated in 2003 and got her
master's degree at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, with an emphasis
on food and agricultural policy.
" During that time, I was working
on small farms as a side project,
as I felt it was important for me to
understand agriculture in a more
hands-on way, " Becker said. " I'm
a very active person, and I realized
there was something about this
type of farming that was uniquely
challenging in ways that other
careers didn't feel to me. "
For Becker, the core mission of
Cattail Organics is personal, rooted
in the reasons she became a farmer.
It's a commitment to nurturing
community connections, fostering a
more just food system and cultivating
high-quality produce that showcases
the beauty and challenges of
sustainable farming practices.
Seasonal strategy
Being in a climate where there are
approximately 90 guaranteed frostfree
days can present a challenge.
" We have a short, fairly intense
growing season, " Becker said. " That
kind of impacts the investments we
made and how we structured our farm
season in a lot of ways. We are actively
producing during that season and start
greenhouse production around the
end of February. We have unheated
high tunnels with standing crops (like
scallions, onions and spinach), and
by April we are harvesting greens out
of those tunnels. "
Usually, plantings don't begin until
May because of the moisture and
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March 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2025
