It was 1988 and while organic production had a storied history, it was in the midst of a modern renaissance. Tom and Chris were eager to join right in and from the outset, their philosophy was always, “Why would we put poison on food our children will eat?”. Along with their kids and all their four-leggeds, they painstakingly began what is now a 35-year journey in growing soil so that the soil could grow nutrient-rich foods for themselves and food lovers everywhere.

By 1996 the demand for high-quality organic vegetables had grown beyond what could be harvested from their little farm. The family found a 150-acre farm outside of Chambersburg, PA. The farm soils were depleted from years of conventional monocropping, but Chris and Tom had experienced the power of regenerative agriculture on their tiny farmette and were sure they could bring these soils back to life. Twenty-plus years later, these soils are teeming with critters of all sorts, and to this day one of Tom’s favorite smells is that of rich, biologically active soils after a rain.

The early days, while full of many trials and tribulations, also were chock full of blessings. One of these was taking the family to the Florida Keys in the winter for a month when the farm fields lay dormant. It was on these family vacations that they would occasionally visit South Florida vegetable farms, and it wasn’t long before Tom got bit by the winter-growing bug! The family decided to dip their toe into 50 acres of rented Florida land just to see what would happen. Well, what happened was fun, a lot of fun! Along with that fun came hurricanes, floods, freezes, and increased disease and pest pressures that were unfamiliar. However, the positives of Florida farming always outweighed the hardships. The experiment was deemed a success and shortly thereafter 600 acres were purchased.

With the expansion in Florida, the farm became a year-round operation which changed everything. Not only did it allow the farm to offer their customers year-round product, but it meant that Lady Moon didn’t have to lay off any seasonal workers. The farm offered housing and travel assistance for any employee willing to travel between states. In the early 2000s, that was unheard of in agriculture. It is still unusual but Lady Moon wouldn’t do it any other way. Today Lady Moon Farms’ nurtures almost 3000 acres of highly productive biologically rich soils that smell delicious!

In 2015 Anaïs, Tom and Chris’s 2nd daughter, left her finance job in San Francisco to return to the farm. As today’s statistics show, the average age of farmers in the US is in their early 60’s with many having no family members interested in taking over their operations. Having lost Chris, Tom felt blessed to have Anaïs make such a momentous decision. In 2020, Anaïs took control of the daily operations that go into growing organic vegetables in three states year-round. We always say, it’s our people and our soils that make all the difference and every day we strive to honor both. It just seems right! Thank you for sharing the love.