Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Walsh.
Hi Victoria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I (Vickie) – am a retired disabled combat Army Veteran and retired federal employee who served 25 years in the Cyber security Arena. Brian is a Marine Corps Veteran who has recently retired from Data Center development work as a contractor for the government.
Brian and I moved to our farm (which was just a front yard at the time) because we needed a bigger home for ourselves and our 6 children. During COVID, Brian began building out a homestead for our family and over time, we fell in love with what we were doing and decided to open up as a farm for the community.
We are a designated urban farm and provide a variety of produce, eggs, honey and coffee (we also started roasting coffee during COVID), along with events at the farm which now include a 10-week homeschool Program, a summer camp, an adult day camp, a massive Halloween event and birthday parties.
We had no previous farming experience before we began this journey but through hard work and dedication, along with our amazing community, who has been beyond supportive and helpful, we are now running a success farm.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
NO – but that’s ok! It’s all part of the learning process. Between every success you see on the farm, its been predicated by 3 failures, but we don’t give up. We learn from our mistakes and as we get better a this, we have more successes than failures. We’ve loved it all.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are farmers! Specifically, we are urban farmers, which means we operate on 5 acres or less of land, due to the densely populated area in which we live. We have created our farm as a learning farm, teaching people how to grow in a variety of ways, in areas that they are familiar with (patios, porches, garden beds, high tunnels, trellises, hydroponics and so much more).
We are most proud of the community we’ve built and belong to. Farming is our passion, but the community has filled our hearts with so much joy that we can’t imagine a day that we don’t farm anymore.
What sets us apart is that urban farming on this scale is very new. We are building a plane in flight, which makes it harder for sure, but our hope is that others follow the framework we’ve laid out. I think we also stand out because we promote and encourage other to do what we do too – we don’t see it as competition. We see it is as a necessity for a sustainable future for generations to come.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
We share a lot with our community – they know so much about us! We want them to see the real, to see the raw, and see the achievable. They may not know just how bad we want to see other urban Farms operate. We very much believe that we can change the way we look at farming and how achievable it can be for just about anyone.
Pricing:
- Play Days – every Wednesday are FREE
- Pay What You Can Birthday Party Options
- Birthday party packages starting at $200
- Summer Camp – $365
- 10- week Homeschool Program – $365
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hanselhillfarm.com
- Instagram: @hanselhillfarm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanselhillfarm
