Have you ever wanted to learn to grow your own food, but didn’t know where to start?
At the locally owned farm Sweet Jones Farms gardening and farming enthusiasts of all ages can learn how to grow fresh produce on their own land or at the farm.
J’Quincy Jones, Louisiana farmer and owner of Ecolone Handmade Soaps, started operating Sweet Jones Farms in 2017. After casually growing his own produce most of his life, he wanted to own his own farmland and teach others about the value of working the soil and being able to grow and harvest your own food.
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“I want to change the perspective around being a Black farmer and owning land,” Jones says. “People used to run away from farming. I want to help people see there is wealth in growing your own food.”
Jones trains 10 adults and six youth farmers on everything from poultry maintenance to farming business skills at the Watson farm. He offers an eight-week youth summer camp and an all-ages enrichment program.
At the summer camp, students get hands-on farm experience and learn everything it takes to grow produce, maintain livestock and poultry and even how to design a community garden. During the all-ages enrichment program, aspiring farmers get unique training based on their age and skill set.
Through the programs, Jones aims to help create generational and sustainable wealth in the Black community by coaching more Black farmers. When he began his journey, he didn’t have any mentors of color to support him in the farming industry, he says. Now, he is changing the narrative.
Sweet Jones Farms sells seasonal produce, eggs, honey, seasonings and ready-to-cook meals like stuffed bell peppers, vegan Creole stuffed artichokes and Louisiana seafood stuffed mushrooms. Customers can order online or join the membership program to have fresh food delivered to their door every month.
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Jones says he’s just getting started. In the future, he wants to become a chef and open a farm-to-table restaurant that uses the fresh produce from Sweet Jones Farms. Until then, his mission remains the same: to keep growing, teaching and motivating the next generation of farmers.
Sweet Jones Farms is at 35726 Weiss Road in Watson.