Funds for New Farmers Paying Dividends

Lily and Matt believe people can make a living off of the farm, despite the myths.

By Paul Lehman, FSA Regional Public Affairs Specialist

Matt McCue and Lily Schneider never believed the myth. They always knew they could make enough money farming to support their family.

“There’s a myth, lots of people say you can’t make a living farming,” said Schneider. “Everyone has just bought into this idea. But thankfully we’ve had mentors who have helped us along the way.”

At Shooting Star, Matt and Lily are hands-on partners running a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) operation they started five years ago in Suisun Valley, Calif. They rotate through nearly 35 types of produce each year and are now farming 15 acres.

“The [USDA] Farm Service Agency keeps this country running,” said Matt. “The banks just wouldn’t touch farmers like us, but FSA helped us get started.”

Matt is a veteran who served in Iraq and Korea with the U.S. Army. He is also a veteran of the Peace Corps, serving in Niger helping sesame and millet farmers improve their planning and field operations.  Lily studied agriculture and did field work in South America with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile working on kiwi, apple and pear crops. The young couple met in Santa Cruz while working in the fields at the University of California’s organic farm.

Three employees work alongside Matt and Lily, earning a living wage during the year. The crew harvests, grows, processes, packages and delivers to more than 200 subscribers. Most of the time it’s all done in the same day. They also sell at six urban farmers markets in the area from May to November.