Katelyn Chapman picks spinach.
Franklin FFA member Katelyn Chapman found her place as an employee for Heirloom Acres, a small produce farm in Johnson County, Ind. Her job includes harvesting and packaging all of the farm’s produce.
Chapman worked three to four days a week in the summer. Her typical work day included packaging for farmer’s markets, restaurants or requested orders.
“For example, some days we would have a request for three pounds of lettuce,” Chapman says. “We harvested the amount needed, washed, dried and then packaged it all. Whatever was leftover would go into the cooler to be stored and sold at the farmer’s market.”
Potatoes harvested from the farm.
Heirloom Acres grows a variety of produce, including tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, multiple kinds of peppers, potatoes and sugar snap peas. The farm also has a hoop house, which allows more produce to grow. All the produce its employees harvest is sold to the Johnson County community at farmer’s markets or restaurants, including some in Indianapolis.
“My favorite part about my Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is learning more about agriculture and cultivating for my community,” Chapman says. “I really enjoyed seeing the growth process from start to finish; it was interesting to me.”
She’s learned a variety of things, such as which vegetables grow in different temperatures or irrigation. “There’s nothing I don’t like about this SAE,” she adds. “It does take a lot of work, but it’s rewarding, and I’ve learned a lot from it.”
Chapman isn’t the only one who enjoys her experience working for Heirloom Acres; her boss, David Sims, has enjoyed having her as an employee.
“She is a joy to work with, bringing her positive attitude and outgoing personality to work every day,” he says. “Her maturity, people skills, and communication are far beyond her years. She works well in a team setting and independently. Katey is open to learning, takes instruction well, and is not afraid to take on new tasks and challenges. She is very talented, and I am confident she will have success in whatever she chooses to do in the future.”
After reading her story, Chapman hopes people will learn not to be afraid of trying new things. “Look for something that interests you, and don’t miss out on the opportunity,” she added.
