What’s Project F.A.R.M.™ ?
F.A.R.M. stands for First-class American Rural Made, and it’s a project that was conceived here, at my farm. As rural communities fade and farmers continue to disappear from our landscape, we decided something must be done to support those struggling to maintain their rural lifestyle. That’s where PROJECT F.A.R.M. comes in.
Rural America is full of unsung crafters — hard-working men and women, young and old, who deserve their fair share and find it hard, if not impossible, to compete in today’s marketplace. To that end, many of the products we sell on our website, or in stores “come with a face” — you can “meet” or “get to know” the person behind the product. As the concept grows and you see our PROJECT F.A.R.M. label on more and more products nationwide, you’ll know you’re supporting rural people like Miss Wilma and Friends, of Kentucky (who boasts she has burned up seven sewing machines making pillows for us), or the women of rural Idaho who sew our “Farmgirl at Heart” tote bags, or the people of Shiner, Texas who fabricate the products in our wireline.
Rural Defined
How big is too big? Using our rural area as a guide, we came up with a standard for defining rural that incorporates something familiar to almost everyone — stoplights! Any locale that has less than 40 stoplights is rural in our book. As we add more artisans to our project, you’ll see our PROJECT F.A.R.M. “stoplight code” popping up more and more. If you’d like to read the guidelines in full, or find out what’s required to submit a product for certification, click here.
Here are a few of our favorite PROJECT F.A.R.M. businesses:
- Kaspar Wire Works, Shiner, Texas
- Miss Wilma & Friends, Knob Lick, Kentucky
- Framing Our Community, Elk City, Idaho
- Bags of a Feather, Wendy Morse, Blandford, Massachusetts
- Bizzy Lizzy by Heidi Perry, Oakesdale, Washington
- Black Canyon Restorations, Emmett, Idaho
- Carolyn’s Natural Soap, Perry, Kansas
- Cottonwood Herbals, Nicole Geraci, Ransomville, New York
- Country Lights, Justin & Deborah Gilliss, Royal Oaks, California
- Dear Prudence Lollibags, Prudence Rapozo, Big Lake, Minnesota
- GirlyAprons.com, Michelle Davenport, Jasper, Georgia
- HandCandyMittens.com, Charlotte Reid Besaw, Mannsville, New York
- Homestead Drying Racks, Abby Jo Van Houtan, Blanchard, Idaho
- Honey Bee Holistics, Melissa Carr, Concrete, Washington
- Maple Ridge Soaps, Lana Bush, Bracken County, Kentucky
- Mary Ann’s Gourmet Bean Soup, Seasoning & Dip Mixes, Wendi Lankister, Glenrock, Wyoming
- Nature Maiden, Connie McCaffery, Cutchogue, New York
- Orchard Farm, Kate Jaeckel, Moscow, Idaho
- Small Fries, Elma, Washington
- Soy Scents, Lena Shandor, Hurricane, West Virginia
- Spoonfoolery by Dick Warwick, Oakesdale, Washington
- Steel My Art, Diana and Les Rasmusson, Sams Valley, Oregon
- Sumptuous Soaps, Kathleen Tetzlaff, Pullman, Washington
- Sunflower Sundries, Mount Olivet, Kentucky
- Vintage Charm, Elaine Tolson, Chewelah, Washington
Buying something made by hand from someone you “know” is our concept of how the world should be, and once was, not so very long ago. Look for the PROJECT F.A.R.M.™ mark on products in stores near you. In the meantime, if you know of a First-class American Rural Made business/product that you think should be promoted as a PROJECT F.A.R.M. endeavor, click here to tell us more.
See how Project F.A.R.M. helps support three local families in our Project F.A.R.M. video.