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NARR: Hector PerEZ is an experienced farmer. Dan Aticks has land - and a bigger operation than he can handle himself. Last month the two men reached an agreement that PerEZ says makes them partners, for better or worse.
TAPE: HECTOR PEREZ
WE'LL COVER 50% EXPENSES ON EVERYTHING. WE BOTH ARE GOING TO LOSE THE SAME PERCENT. AND, AH, THE PROFITS ARE GOING TO GO THE SAME - 50-50. (:11)
NARR: The farm - Mountain Top Orchard - is a long rectangle of New Jersey land that sits on one of Hunterdon County's highest points. Many of its 75 acres are planted with peaches, pears, apples and more. Its owner, Dan Aticks, is 63. For years he's managed to sell just a fraction of the fruit his orchards produce. The trees grow more than he can pick. Aticks has fallen further and further behind.
TAPE: DAN ATICKS
I DO WHAT I COULD DO AND HECK WITH THE REST. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT I COULDN'T DO - WORK 14 HOURS A DAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO YOU WAS DOING WHAT YOU COULD DO. (:10)
NARR: Aticks stands surrounded by the Bartlett pear trees that his parents planted more than 40 years ago. The trees are tall and gnarled. The farm hasn't turned a decent profit since 1992, but Aticks doesn't want to turn it over to developers. He needed a partner.
AMBI: SOUND OF PRUNING
NARR: He found Hector PerEZ.
AMBI: MORE PRUNING
NARR: PerEZ uses a pair of long-handled lopping shears to clear out the branches that clutter the center of a yellow peach tree. He's 40, and he says he has a lot riding on this first season.
TAPE: HECTOR PEREZ
I'M TAKING MY CHANCE. I ALREADY BOUGHT A LOT OF STUFF. IT'S ABOUT $40,000 THAT I ALREADY SPENT ON THE VEGETABLE SUPPLIES - SEEDS AND EVERYTHING. I HAVE EVERYTHING ALREADY. EVERYTHING IS ORDERED. (:13)
NARR: PerEZ will grow vegetables and flowers on the farm's unplanted land.
PerEZ and Aticks will both work in the orchards, following the agreement they've signed.
Both men care about the farm's success, but it's PerEZ who could lose more this season. Aticks has gotten used to simple needs - he says his only requirements are food, and a place to rest. PerEZ, though, has committed his savings from five years of work, managing a vegetable farm nearby. Now, one setback could ruin him.
TAPE: HECTOR PEREZ
WE HAVE TO PAY THE WORKERS WITH OUR MONEY - THE MONEY WE HAVE SAVED FOR THIS. AND IF A DISASTER OCCURS IN JULY, WE'RE DEAD. IT'S A HUGE RISK. (:14)
NARR: There are other risks, too. PerEZ doesn't know how long he'll be able to farm this land. This is a trial period. His current agreement with Aticks only lasts a year.
Land tenure expert Kathy Ruhf works with the group Land for Good, a nonprofit that helps New England farmers keep their land in farming through lease agreements, transfers of ownership, and other plans. She says alternative ways of accessing farmland become more common when land prices rise. PerEZ's situation may seem perilous, but Ruhf says sometimes not buying land is a better option for the start-up farmer.
TAPE: KATHY RUHF
IF THEY ARE PAYING RENT INSTEAD OF PAYING A MORTGAGE, IF THEY HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO GET OUT OF IT IF IT'S NOT WORKING… THAT'S A BETTER RISK MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT THAN IF THEY'VE MADE A COMMITMENT THAT'S MUCH HARDER TO GET OUT OF ON A PIECE OF LAND. (: )
NARR: According to groups like the New Farmer Development Project, immigrant farmers are one of the fastest growing groups in U.S. agriculture. The USDA's most recent Census of Agriculture shows that the number of Hispanic and Latino farmers in the United States grew by 50% over a five-year period.
PerEZ is one of 20 new farmers who have started farming through the Greenmarket project since 2000. The Greenmarket runs farmers markets all over New York City, and it has offered PerEZ four where he can start selling produce this summer.
Despite that security, project director Kate Granger says PerEZ's worries about the months ahead make sense—especially now. She says spring is hard for farmers. They spend on supplies for the year but don't make money for months. Seeds take time to grow into plants.
TAPE: KATE GRANGER
THIS IS THE WORST TIME OF YEAR FOR A FARMER BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GET IN THE GROUND AND YOU WANT TO PLANT STUFF AND YOU WANT THINGS TO GET GOING. AND YOU'RE JUST SPENDING MONEY ON EQUIPMENT AND SEEDS AND THERE'S NOTHING COMING IN… IT'S A VERY VERY SCARY TIME OF YEAR. (: )
(AMBI: sound of walking on dead grass)
NARR: At Mountain Top Orchard, PerEZ balances his pruning shears on his shoulder and walks toward a sloping stretch of ground, matted with grass.
(AMBI: more walking, under, plus him listing vegetables, if that works)
He points out where the sweet potatoes will go, and the white, red and Yukon Gold potatoes. There will be green beans, Swiss chard, melons and strawberries. It's a catalogue of work still to be done, but PerEZ says he's determined to farm.
TAPE: HECTOR PEREZ
I LIKE FREEDOM, I LIKE THIS KIND OF JOB. IF THIS FAIL - IF I LOSE ALL THE MONEY - I'LL WORK FIVE MORE YEARS AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN. (:11)
With hard work and good weather, PerEZ will start selling his vegetables, and fruit from the orchards, at Greenmarkets this July.
Molly Messick, Columbia Radio News.