Victoria Rogowski of Laurel Glen Farm

The 632nd recipient is Victoria Rogowski of Laurel Glen Farm in Shelton, CT. Victoria writes:

What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “I left my career as a teacher in 2020 in order to support my husband’s 100-year-old farm and raise our young son. I now love what I do here full time and feel fortunate to be raising 2 kids on the farm. Unfortunately, I work very early mornings and late nights so that I can spend many of the daytime hours with my kids. It’s rewarding but exhausting. When I put them to bed, I log onto the computer to work. I’m constantly stressed about completing the responsibilities that I need to do so that the farm can run smoothly with our other staff members during the day. I sometimes feel that my days are a vicious cycle of staying afloat with no respite. Self-care means being able to rest and do things I enjoy by myself and with my husband, who should feel like more than just a business partner to me. I would like to be able to read, run, or have an adult conversation without splitting my time between my kids and the farm. I want to show my kids that farm life is a balance and doesn’t need to be all-consuming. I am my best, most patient and productive self, when I am able to take time to do things for myself.”

How I might use this $100 self-care award: ”Working alongside my husband means we are deeply bonded because we pursue the same goals. Unfortunately it means our conversations are mainly focused on sustaining the family farm and creating a future for our children. We utilize help from our family to watch the kids so we can work, and often feel too guilty to ask our parents to watch the kids so we can do an activity alone. Our income is so limited that we can’t afford consistent child care or fancy vacations. $100 would pay for a babysitter for a couple of hours so we could take a walk on the beach and reconnect in a different environment off the farm. We would like to show our kids that having interests off of the farm are also important, and that we are more than just business partners - we are married! Rejuvenating in this way will help us to have more productive conversations when back on the farm and approach work with new perspectives.” 

Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: "Having child care to do activities alone off the farm constitutes self-care for me. I love my job, but I have other interests and passions beyond farming that help me to feel complete. Being able to pay for a babysitter to explore some of these activities would be a dream. For example, I love to go for a run but I can’t do that with kids in tow.”

#realfarmercare