Have you ever wondered how Farm stands, farm to table practices, and farmers markets alike grow and process their produce? Better yet, how the business is run or why the prices vary so significantly from grocery stores? I began my internship at Normans Farm this past summer and after gaining knowledge surrounding smaller farms, I can thoroughly understand consumers' preference for organic, well grown produce.
When I originally began searching for an internship I was extremely unsure of what I wanted to do. Nothing I had looked into seemed to fit any aspect of not only what I had been learning about throughout the prior school year, but more importantly, what I was interested in doing. After reaching out to John Norman, one of the brothers who began the business, I quickly became confident that an internship within their company would be perfect for me.
Talking with John helped me lay out my internship expectations and what I would be doing throughout the summer, along with extra tasks he felt would be beneficial for the business if I was interested. He mentioned that because the summers are so busy, all of the little additions he would like to make to the stands and farm as a whole often get lost, and hoped I would be able to help him while he was unable. He had me focused mainly on outreach to other farms in addition to my shifts at the farm and farm stand throughout the week. Aside from assisting customers at the stands, and helping pick whatever fruit or vegetable was in season through the summer months, I focused on outreach to local farms whose work John admired in hopes of making connections and hopefully getting information or a tour of the farm to learn more about how they produce their products. This was to help John as he wanted to implement more sales within that product range that he was not as familiar with. I was able to gain lasting connections with farms such as Larriland, to look at their pick your own selection, and Tanglewood Flower farm. Through various visits, I was able to gain a multitude of relationships and further explore how various owners run their business and learn more closely about how close the owners are with their clientele, as well as why that was so prevalent for their thriving businesses.
Throughout this process I learned how prevalent the IAA is within the community of farms in Maryland. I was able to grasp farm to table practices, learn step by step procedures for farming and business growth as a whole. The connections I made and relationships formed will continue to help me in the future as I continue my interests through agricultural studies. I am beyond appreciative of the Norman’s community for this opportunity and am grateful for the experience it has given me.
