Sarah Robertson and Loose Leaf Farm - An Oral History

Getting the farm started

Sarah and her husband Mark started their first small garden over 10 years ago. It was a “small patch of beets” in their back yard. Sarah mentions that at the time they were “both making good money and had decent careers.” The small garden brought them joy. When they noticed their priorities shifting to accommodate the needs of the garden, they made the life-changing decision to dedicate more of their time and resources to a small-scale farm that they named Loose Leaf Farm.

They found a quarter acre of land and started growing radishes, lettuce, beets, and carrots in small quantities. The soil had not yet been built up so that first harvest did not yield much produce. They didn’t live on the property that they are farming on today until 2021, and practiced commuter farming¹ for over seven years. “I don’t recommend commuter farming.* It’s very hard, and you almost always forget a tool somewhere else…so, we struggled,” Sarah explains.

Sarah and Mark became involved as vendors at local farmers’ markets as soon as they could. For farmers who want to make a profit, becoming established on a farm is just as important as becoming an established community member. It takes time, sometimes even years, to build up the soil to ensure that it has the proper amount of nutrients to successfully grow high quality and bountiful produce. It takes about the same amount of time to earn the trust of community members shopping at the local food markets in order to make decent sales.

Running a Farm as a Business - A Holistic Approach

Farming is a process that starts with soil building and planting, and doesn’t end until the produce is sold. Everything in between costs money. Sarah emphasizes the importance of making intentional cost-efficient decisions on what to plant, how much of it to plant, how it will be harvested and packaged, and to always be water-wise in order to succeed. Sarah and Mark have decided to implement holistic farming practices² as a way to practice regenerative agriculture, make their farm more sustainable, and to connect to the land.

Learning what plants thrive in intense heat and need less water is critical n the New Mexican environment. Depending on location and access to water, flooding crop fields is a way to communally share water in New Mexico. However, “sharing the acequia with your neighbors and counting on the acequia having water in it is a huge challenge” says Sarah. For some of her crops, she has implemented a drip system connected to a well – which is a cost-effective way to manage water usage.

Sarah shares some of her failures and says, “you always do have failures.” Researching holistic farming practices helped expand her knowledge early on. Sarah and Mark have an extensive at-home library from collecting books over the years. Sarah also took advantage of free courses with Holistic Management International and they eventually offered her a job as a Program Manager that she is deeply passionate about.

Sarah stresses the importance of learning from neighbors. Farming books and common farming practices tend to be very area specific. Farms look and function differently depending on the climate in which they are located. Sarah advises to “have somebody that’s actually in your area” when seeking mentorship and guidance. This is a way to build a stronger community and can reduce unnecessary mistakes that lead to failures. Sarah says “we’re in a good place now, but if we had just had someone to ask, we could be a lot further along.”

Bugs and pests are a part of nature and therefore a part of farming that can not be avoided. To steward the landscape and protect her produce, herself, and her community from harmful pesticides, Sarah has implemented holistic methods of pest control. She keeps her chickens in close proximity, has a routine waterflow, and spends hours tending to the gardens. She has also learned through trial and error which plants attract the most bugs and how much time and effort she is willing to put in to fend them off. Sarah mentions that she no longer grows squash because of the amount of squash bugs the plants attract: “that’s just a mental health decision for me because it’s not really worth it.” Making decisions about how you spend your time is important.

A Shock About Farming – Women in Agriculture

It is no secret that the agricultural field is largely male-dominated. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, only 36 percent of the global agricultural labor force is composed of women. Despite representing a smaller portion of the agricultural field, women are very active and involved, their work often being crucial to the success of their respective farms. Much like her husband, Mark, Sarah spends most of her time out in the fields tending to their crops and various animals that live at Loose Leaf Farms. Outside of the physical labor associated with farming, she also handles much of their finances.

Even so, Sarah is often referred to or acknowledged as “the farmer’s wife” instead of as the farmer. This shows a gender bias in the field of farming and misrepresents Sarah’s efforts, achievements, and title. Sarah briefly touches on this subject, stating that:

“I’m surprised that it’s so persistent that, as the female farmer in the relationship, I’m often invisible…I was busting my butt out in the field too. I do all the taxes for us. Farming is a lot more than just busting your butt in the field. I do a lot. I do everything he does. I’m not mad at it. But it does shock me that it’s still such a big deal.”

This sentiment is reflective of what often deters women from pursuing agriculture and highlights the further importance of her work in this field.

As the number of U.S. farms continue to decline and ecological issues become more prevalent, many see farming as an unwise career path. However, farmers like Sarah Robertson and her husband, Mark, represent a new generation of farmers who, even amongst a world of uncertainty, work hard and remain steadfast in the craft as cultivators of the land.

Credits

Narrated by: Sarah Robertson of Loose Leaf Farms

Interviewed by: Jacqueline Kelley-Cogdell - Fall 2025 GEOG-589 Qualitative Methods class

Web Profile by: Luz Maria Houidobre, Christina Gutierrez, and Shea Dolan - Spring 2026 SUST-364 Local Food Systems Practicum class