Who Grows Our Food: A Conversation with Mr. Henry

11.3% of farmwork in Vermont is accomplished by seasonal H-2A Temporary Visa farmworkers, a majority of whom are Jamaican—an estimated 400 individuals. Established in 1986 as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the H-2A Visa Program allows agricultural businesses in the U.S. to hire temporary foreign workers for seasonal positions that they would have otherwise been unable to fill with domestic workers. 

Fall is just around the corner in Vermont. The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped folks from visiting their favorite farm stands and orchards to go apple picking and finding the perfect pumpkin to carve. Local food is on everyone’s mind as bountiful harvests fill the shelves of local co-ops. And it wouldn’t be possible without the essential workers who grow our food—some native Vermonters and others traveling from worlds away to help our food system flourish. As part of Food Connects’ series highlighting how our food system connects us, especially in unseen ways, we sat down with Mr. Lionel Henry, Scott Farm Orchard crew leader, to learn more about his experience living and working in Vermont as part of the H-2A Temporary Visa Program during this global pandemic. 

Mr. Henry, as he goes by, is from Thompson Town, Clarendon in Jamaica. Although Jamaica is his home, Mr. Henry has spent each summer since 1979 in the U.S. as part of the H-2A Visa Program. He’s cut sugar cane in Florida, grown tobacco in Connecticut, and harvested apples first at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole, NH, and now with Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, VT, where he’s been since 2001. Out of respect for Mr. Henry's rich cultural heritage in Jamaica, where Patois is the mother tongue, we have left his words intact as much as possible, even though we are aware that his style of speaking may seem unusual for readers who don't have much experience with Jamaican Patois. 

Farmworkers are essential to our local food systems, and H-2A Visa workers are heavily relied upon to help local farms, like Scott Farm Orchard, successfully operate from year to year. Many of the H-2A Visa workers have been coming to the same farms for many years and their historical knowledge of the farms is invaluable—they know the farm and the apples like the back of their hands. “Our boss need us to help,” says Mr. Henry. “So we have a lot of different varieties (of apples), lots of different varieties, and whenever time we down here and like your boss would like this variety here now to pick, he stay down here and send you up there, you have to know exactly where it is, the perfect row that you are going and get it.” 

And their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. At the end of the day, Mr. Henry feels like his work is valued and appreciated by the community—instilling a sense of pride and loyalty. “I really observe that a lot of these people care for us… and we also care for dem and love dem too and try to do great work (at the farm). Lots of people came here at the farm stand to buy, they always appreciate what we do, the good work, and lots of dem tell we ‘Thanks!’" 

Mr. Henry is the leader of the crew and takes pride in the work he does each day. “I try to work very honestly, and work with dem (the crew) honestly, work with the boss honestly, yea, and try to doing a good job… they have a lots of respect for me, yea, because me have a lots of respect for dem."

So, how has COVID-19 impacted their work and travel? And what does it look like back home?

Concerns for his family in Jamaica are still strong. Since he came to Vermont in early July, the number of cases in Jamaica has doubled. Mr. Henry also noted that, like many in the U.S,  people in Jamaica are losing work. Back home he does farming—planting yams, bananas, and other crops so his family can bring them to the market. The pandemic, however, has slowed the process of selling their food. They’ve had to adapt to new ways of delivering food and must go less frequently. But, as Mr. Henry says, “people still have to eat!”

And eat they must. Despite the challenges surrounding COVD-19, Mr. Henry still made the journey to Vermont this year. The H-2A Visa Program provides a vital income source for those who participate in it. Because of the money Mr. Henry earned through the program his daughter was able to go to university in Kingston, Jamaica. “So, you know, being as we have our family to take care of and we need some help, so we come and risk, try to risk ourself and try to, you know, do the best we can to keep social distance and everyting and safe.” And they come back each year to not only build themselves up back home but also with a sense of dedication to the crops and farm.

The high risk and the challenges surrounding COVID-19 has changed the experience this year. The journey from Jamaica to Vermont was different. Normally he would fly to Florida and take a bus up but this year they took the plane all the way to Manchester for safety reasons. Working day to day, they have to think about their safety and how to protect themselves. Like many of us, they must now social distance while working and frequently use hand-sanitizer—an added stressor to the already demanding nature of their work. And still, they came. "We come and risk...we have is this crop here and our boss need us to help." Farmers are able to turn to and rely on the H-2A workers in meaningful ways and that value and vulnerability creates a long lasting connection between two different cultures.

But it’s a risk Mr. Henry is willing to take. The unemployment rate in Jamaica is projected to reach 12% due to ramifications from COVID-19. Because there are no other options, some may turn to crime. So, does he recommend the program to the younger generations? Enthusiastically, yes. "We all encourage younger people if they can come in the H2 program and fi do this work because you know some of dem down there don't have a job and if they come here they get something to do...I mean you just work and make yourself be comfortable and you contact your people dem, back home, your family back home and make dem know that you alright and they alright. You just try to be comfortable in yourself."

The work he and other H-2A Visa workers do is not easy and requires sacrifices including time away from family and friends. Mr. Henry is grateful for the opportunity it provides, despite these challenges, and is motivated by the care the community shows for him. For now, we celebrate this interdependence between our local farms, much of the local food many us eat, and the Jamacains working hard to support us. "Lots of thanks, lots of thanks, lots of thanks, lots of thanks! Because if never this way (having H2A work), things were going to be worse...you have to put something to use...(so you) make yourself very comfortable with your family."

Photos Courtesy of Scott Farm Orchards.

Producer Spotlight: Scott Farm Orchard

If you’re traveling along Kipling Road in Dummerston, VT you may happen upon Scott Farm Orchard. The picturesque views of the orchard and farm buildings seem to take you back in time. And rightfully so. Scott Farm is owned by the Landmark Trust USA and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places—farmers have actively farmed the land there since 1791. We chatted with Simon Renault, Scott Farm Orchard’s new General Manager, who was very excited to share with us what’s been happening on the farm this season.

If you didn’t already know, the orchard boasts 130 different varieties of heirloom apples. It is incredible to imagine 130 different types of apples when our typical grocery stores may only carry up to 15 varieties! They also grow all kinds of interesting fruits like gooseberries, pawpaws, persimmons, delicious Japanese plums, peaches, pears, medlars—you name it! Their dedication to biodiversity and care for these heirloom varieties makes them stand apart.

And we can’t imagine having to pick a favorite, either for cooking or eating! “Calville Blanc is a favorite cooking apple, made famous by Julia Child's who recommended it in her Tarte Tatin (a french apple tart),” says Simon. “Reinne de Reinette is also a favorite. The delights of a Blue Pearmain were described with such poetry by Thoreau. Black Oxford is an old Maine heirloom with a mild flavor, hard as rock which helps it store well; its flavors enhance over the winter. “ There are just too many to choose from!

And we know that our community loves their heirloom products. “More than 80% of our crop stays with a 75 miles radius,'“ says Simon. “Scott Farm has a deep commitment to our local community. Providing our neighbors with healthy fruit is our main concern and motivation. Food Connects helps us by distributing some of our fruit and getting us in touch with many local institutions with whom we do not already have a working relationship.”

With new leadership, the farm is focusing on a few new initiatives. “One of the very interesting things we have been working on is taking a closer look at is the antioxidant properties of heirloom apples. Apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol. Apples contain a variety of phytochemicals, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, all of which are strong antioxidants. We have sent some of our oldest heirloom apples to labs to try to show the particular health properties of some of our apples. Particularly in this time of health crisis, it is very relevant for us to take a health lens on the work we do and consider that our number one priority.”

Not only are they expanding on their research efforts but their farm store is growing as well. “Our Farm Market has a much wider range of products this year. The current COVID-19 crisis pushed us to understand our market as a real service to our local community and we are delighted to be meeting that need.” Scott Farm Orchard, like many other farms we work with at Food Connects, is responding to the community need and demand for fresh, local food.

And they expanded their fall fruit CSA offering. “For 13 weeks, from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, CSA members will go home with a half peck of heirloom apples and other fruits. Every week they get to discover 2 different varieties of heirloom apples. Picking up a basket directly from the orchard (or at our other two pick up locations in Brattleboro and Putney) is a great way for people to shop for healthy nutritious food while staying safe.”

Scott Farm Orchard Is participating in Dig In Vermont’s Open Farm Week. Join them on August 13 and 15 for a virtual Hard Cider Tasting They are partnering with Eden Cider, a cidery based in Newport, Vermont that gets a lot of heirloom apples from us to make its harvest artisanal ciders.

So how do you do a virtual tasting? The way it works is that guests order a tasting kit from Eden Specialty Ciders (3 375ml bottles and a Scott farm glass) on their website and register for the tasting, then a zoom link will be sent via email. They encourage people to invite some friends or family and make it an event. The tasting will be guided by Eleanore, owner of Eden Specialty Ciders. Tastings include their dry cider (Brut Nature), an ice cider, and Siren Song Demi-sec. It promises to be really fun and a great voyage into the world of hard cider, for both the novice and the connoisseur.