Matt McCue is starting his farm!!

Greetings everyone, this is something my fellow farmer-veteran, and Peace Corps-music cohort recently scribbled about his current predicament.

Its been a long journey for Matt, he's came a long way from being a soldier in Iraq to a young farmer starting out on his own. The only way to live is to find a passion, and suck the marrow out of it. America, meet one of its heroes.

Soil tests, water tests, lease agreements, loans, co signers, bankers, and letters of intent.

These are things that flow through my mind as I search for the piece of land that will produce the food that will sustain my life and career; food that will become a small piece of the backbone of the bay.

Upon completion of every financial form imaginable I dream of bringing seeds to the soil. They will come alive and convert sunlight into sugar molecules. I will grow them in straight rows and space the plants in such a way that I can weed them mechanically.

In a few months I will become a part of a living system that will involve water reservoirs, underground pipes, filters, hose fittings, heavy machinery, light machinery, and plastic drip tape. All this technology and industry is built to catch the power of the spring and summer. Every agricultural machine ever made is a subservient juggernaut waiting for the days to become longer and the spring to come.

I will search Berkeley and the East Bay for our 150 CSA member quota. I will make it work because that is what I do. Horticulturist, Mechanic, and Businessman are some of the hats I have to wear; keeping the dream alive through soil tests, water tests, lease agreements, loans, co signers, bankers, and letters of intent.

Matt Mccue
Shooting Star CSA