On episode two of Lancaster Farming’s new podcast about women in agriculture, we’re hanging out with Erica Lavdanski, an organic produce farmer in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
She co-owns B & H Organic Produce, a certified organic farm in Morgantown that has been operating since 2008.
Lavdanski’s farming pursuits began in her teenage years and led her to a job with organic farmer Paul Hartz. Despite a generational gap, a friendship grew around their shared passion for organic.
A decade later, they formed B & H Organic Produce.
“He was a mentor. He taught me how to run tractors, fix tractors,” she said, recalling her early years working with Hartz. “He did most of the fixing, but he taught me a lot, and just a lot about, you know, the integrity of the soil.
“It’s a really treasured experience that I got to have with him.”
B & H Organic Produce now serves farmers markets and restaurants in the Reading area and runs a CSA. It also donates produce to Café Esperanza, a nonprofit restaurant that operates on a pay what you can model.
Lavdanski spoke about the challenges many organic farmers are facing, including tight operating margins and consumers who don’t always understand why prices for organic produce are higher.
But, she added, it’s a lifestyle she’s proud of, and she finds that it comes naturally to her.
“As women, we are creators,” Lavdanski said. “(It’s) a part of our DNA, how we’re biologically made, and farming is creation. It’s about constantly creating new things. Growth. You’re planting seeds, you’re harvesting.”
Listen here:
