 |
|  | |
SHARE IDEAS, EXPERIENCE & HOPE | | |  O'Papa Profile: Travis Forgues
A second-generation Vermont farmer, Travis Forgues is a member of the Organic Valley Family of Farms cooperative and lives within a few miles of the Canadian border with his wife Amy and their two children Emma (4) and Gabriel (3).
Q. How has being a father inspired you in your work with organic agriculture?
A. Family has always been the driving force in my life. As a child, I was raised on a dairy farm that put family lifestyle at the top of the priority list. My father always seemed to have time for my two sisters and me even when other needs were pressing on him. My mother and father always put the needs of the family much higher than the needs of the farm. As a child, I doubt there was any better atmosphere to be raised in.
As I grew into adulthood, found love, and became a father myself, the issue of how we wanted to raise our children was a huge motivator. What Amy (my wife), and I wanted to be able to offer our children was the family life I had been able to enjoy and grow in during my childhood. The big question of course, was how. Agriculture was becoming a more and more difficult livelihood, and we really had no interest in exposing our children to a lifestyle that wasn't one of hope. The answer? Organic agriculture. Not only was the move to organic production on our farm the right thing to do for the environment, for the cows, and for the family, it also allowed us some financial incentives that would make it possible for us to create a lifestyle of hope for our children. It is a move that I would never change, and has changed my family forever.
What inspires me most in organic agriculture right now is the ability to pass along this vision and hope to other families. Every farmer that is able to join Organic Valley is another parent who has the unique opportunity to raise his or her family in a safe home, where family can come first, and the future for their children is as bright as one can hope for. It is because of this inspiration that I work to spread the Organic Valley mission and bring on more farmers. What can be better than passing along this legacy to my children? | | |
| | | |