Cameron Rolle of Sweet Belly Farm

The 406th recipient is Cameron Rolle of Sweet Belly Farm in Salmon, ID. Cameron writes:

What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “Self-Care means checking in with body and soul, daily routines that make time and space for relationships, exercise (outside of farm work) connecting and helping others, and making amazing food. For me recently, this has meant scaling back my farm business from trying to farm full-time to keeping Sweet Belly Farm as a smaller part of my life, that's fulfilling and meaningful, but not something that I have to work so hard at to pay the bills. It's meant taking on a part-time job at a non-profit in community food systems, so that I can farm with intention rather than a capitalistic point of view. I've also tried to step out of farming and my narrow view of what my day is supposed to produce and think about the wider "product" of how I feel each day. Since part of my week I am in town working at another job, I've taken advantage of being in town and exercised and done some yoga classes.”

How I might use this $100 self-care award: “A big need for me that can actually be met with an infusion of money is yoga classes! Taking yoga would help me structure regular exercise, stretching, and body self-care into my weeks, and having the classes paid for would be absolutely amazing. It's hard to spend money on something like self-care, but yoga would be great for my body, allow me to connect with friends, and help keep my body agile, limber, and unfrozen from the backbreaking work while farming. Classes here in my town are $10 for an hour-long class, that's at 7am on Tuesdays, perfect to start off one of my workdays in town at my part-time job. I would be able to pay for 10 classes, which is more than 2 months worth of keeping my body healthy and learning new exercises that I could keep going at home on my own as well.”

Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: "The most important needs I have as a farmer are taking long-term care of my body through healthy food, exercise, and paying attention to mental well-being. My body craves vigorous exercise, and to engage different parts of my body than while farming. When I exercise regularly, my body responds well, hurting less after a full day of farm work. I also feel so much better when I eat healthy, whole food meals, and I’ve noticed a big difference in my mood and energy levels when I eat more vegetables, protein, and whole grains. I feel more mentally healthy when I taking time for building joyous relationships, and doing activities with friends and loved ones. It’s hard to take time out of a busy day for this self-care, but strategies like paying for a yoga class invite regularity, contribute to my mental and physical well-being, making it easy to prioritize self-care.”

#realfarmercare