Roots

Dan Landis

by Alli Katz & Michael Persico

PHOTOGRAPHS BY michael persico

Dan Landis (With Rachel Landis)

“We’re three generations on this farm. I’ve been farming my whole life. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t like it. I had a part-time job for a while doing landscaping when I first starting doing the produce, but it’s hard to do two things at once and still make money. Produce farming takes a lot of management and work. I love planning and watching things grow. The farmers markets are great because you get to meet the consumer. They say, ‘This lettuce is the best I’ve ever had.’ It’s enjoyable to create a relationship with the people who consume what you grow. It’s really challenging to grow organically—with weeds and bugs—if you’re not on top of things it gets hard. Conventional guys just spray whatever on and that’s it. But the challenge is what makes it fun. When you can overcome this stuff and grow things organically, you can prove to the other guys who don’t believe in it that it works.”