Jacob Dawes- Harvest Coordinator, Master Cooler Organizer/Food Sorter & Topper of Roots
Greetings CSA members! My name is Jacob Dawes and I am the (relatively) new Harvest Manager here at Fifth Crow Farm. It’s a pleasure to take a moment to introduce myself to the real heroes of the farm – you all! Our CSA members are our most loyal customers and an integral part of our business. You all allow us to do what we love and are passionate about for a living instead of selling life insurance or something like that (no offense if you sell life insurance). At any rate – the written word couldn’t possibly convey the love and appreciation we feel for you in our hearts, but it will have to suffice for now… so thank you!
Since Sarah filled you in last week on some of the happenings on the farm and the veggies that are coming up, I will just tell you a bit about myself and what my job entails. My brother Sam called me in May saying he had some “good news” for me (Sam is a tractor operator here at Fifth Crow as well as an all-around good dude). I was living in Chicago at the time and working in a management and procurement capacity at an organic food delivery service, as well as living on an organic farm. He let me know that Fifth Crow was looking for a new Harvest Manager and that I was a perfect candidate given my educational and professional qualifications. Wellllllll at first I didn’t share his enthusiasm, as I enjoyed my work at the time and loved the city of Chicago but in the end I came around as I didn’t want to come to regret passing up an opportunity for a new adventure in the Golden State. I have to say after two months at Fifth Crow and living in Pescadero I feel quite sure that I made the right decision. Not only is this farm AWESOME (you all probably know this better than I), but I would venture to say that this area is one of the most beautiful parts of the country with nice, eclectic, thoughtful people to boot.
My job on the farm is to generally be aware of what is in the field, how far away it is from being harvest-ready, and to coordinate the harvest for seven (!) farmer’s markets, restaurant sales, and CSA boxes. It can certainly feel like a big job at times, especially given that I spent the last three years working in the distribution side of the business, as opposed to in the field. I won’t lie – it was a challenging task to come into the position of Harvest Manager in June, when the season was in full swing and they seemed to be getting by just fine without me. But, as is the case with many things in life, that which is the most challenging is often the most rewarding, and the rewards associated with my position have come in spades. Whether it be winning the inter-farm soccer tournament with my crew (pic left-right: Raul our awesome Field Crew Leader, me, & Felimon who is part of our Saturday field crew), attending one of the farmer’s markets we sell at, or just enjoying the natural beauty of the farm, I’ve already made memories that will last a lifetime and I know that there are many more to come. Oh and all the top-notch veggies and fruit don’t hurt either.
Until next time! -Jacob