Casa Fresco Farm

Narrated by: Chris Chavez

Interviewed by: Anonymous Graduate Student, Fall 2025 GEOG-589 Qualitative Methods Class

Web Profile by: Zoë Romans and Ty Franco, Spring 2026 SUST-364 Local Food Systems Practicum Class

Getting into Farming…

Casa Fresco Farm owner Chris Chavez got into farming through a mix of family influence, personal transformation, and a desire to create a better life for his children. Growing up in Albuquerque, Chris spent much of his childhood helping at his grandparents’ cattle ranch in the Chilili Land Grant. Those experiences outdoors gave him an appreciation for agriculture and food production from an early age. However, his path into farming did not fully begin until adulthood when he was working in concrete construction and became a father.

Chris explained, “I wanted to do something outside. What really got me into it was when our son was born, and I was working in concrete at the construction company. I changed because my son was born and we changed.”

Wanting more time with his family, Chris decided to leave construction work so that one parent could stay home with their son. While doing smaller concrete jobs on the side, he began thinking about returning to school and exploring careers connected to agriculture. This eventually led him to discover Albuquerque’s Grow the Growers program, which became a major turning point in his life. Through the program, Chris learned farming skills and growing techniques.

“That’s where I learned the drip system and intensive growing — the 30 inch beds.” Chris immediately applied those lessons to his own property, explaining, “I learned it there and that same year I implemented everything that I was doing over there at this spot down here.”

The program gave him the confidence and knowledge to transform his small backyard garden into a successful farming operation rooted in family, sustainability, and community.

What It’s Like to be a Farmer in New Mexico

To keep his business thriving, Chris states that farming and selling produce is his most important priority. He sells primarily at the Downtown Growers Market, MoGro, and New Mexico Harvest, with the addition of Three Sisters Kitchen and The American Friends Service Committee as occasional buyers. Some logistics in running an agricultural business includes getting insurance, food safety permits, and water tests covered, all of which have increased in costs in recent years – i.e. a raw food permit went from being $15 in prior years to $50 in 2025.

“Year by year seeing what you need, what makes sense, and what helps you, your body, and your family.”

Farming demands a plentiful selection of tools, so Chris’s undeniable skill at innovation is opportune. With the help of a welder’s tool, most likely a soldering iron, he built his own tiller from his kid’s old bike and made a manual root washer with an attached spraying hose to wash produce. In addition to these, he uses a hand weeder and bed roller to tend to his land. Chris received grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for cover cropping seeds and his hoop house – a contentious project with his neighbors; he was finally able to get it established underneath a massive cottonwood tree, a location he chose due to the pleasant heat bank that’s formed around it. The Farmer’s Market Association provided Chris with a grant to get his cold storage setup – he uses CoolBot technology attached to a window AC unit within an insulated Tough Shed that keeps the indoor climate at 32-38 degrees fahrenheit for storing vegetables.

There’s a flexibility that’s offered by being a farmer that can’t be found in other professions. When Chris’s wife’s alternator broke, he found the time to replace it, when his boys need to get dropped off at school, he’s able to take care of their needs. This by no means infers that it’s an easy job, there’s so much labor to do that when winter comes, it was initially troubling for Chris to discern what to do with his lessened workload. He took his days to fix and build things, along with “taking the time in the winter to contemplate, relax, and enjoy”. Initially during the off-season, Chris would feel uneasy about the lull and take to working concrete jobs until he realized that it wasn’t necessary to be busy all of the time.

The Act of Planting

One of Chris’s favorite things about his work is the act of witnessing seeds grow and germinate. He’s discovered the crop that really works for him and his land – carrots. He plants them at the end of February or the beginning of March, lets them get to a sufficient size, then harvests a hefty quantity all at once, thanks to carrots not requiring daily harvesting. It’s known that they grow easily, are simple to store, and readily sell. Some of the crops that bring some hassle to produce are okra, green beans, and snap peas which he may choose to skip some seasons due to their labor-intensity. There’s some trouble in growing bell peppers and potatoes Storage is a major consideration, and tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce are harder to wash, more finicky to grow, and don’t last as long post-harvest.

To successfully grow anything, one needs to understand the soil they’re working with! At Casa Fresco there’s mainly clay earth – it’s nutrient-rich and holds moisture well, but gets compacted, so Chris uses slightly raised beds for his growings to keep the dirt loose and help with drainage. Some advice Chris offers is to constantly have some extra seeds on hand to put in the ground when something doesn’t work out. The wind is another serious challenge; it attacks shade cloths and frost covers which demands additional innovation to secure them against the gnarliest gusts. Without a tractor, it was somewhat difficult to incorporate cover crops, although finding solutions without certain machinery is something that Chris excels at!

“Motivation is family”

Chris’s family is the foundation of both his life and his work as a farmer. Much of his motivation comes from wanting to build a life where he can stay close to his wife and two sons while doing work he loves. Instead of continuing long hours in construction, he chose farming because it allowed him to be more present for his children.

Chris explained, “I take my kids to school; I pick them up. So, that was a big part of farming in the first place. I knew that I would be able to do that, having it here at our house and wanting to be with the kids.”

Some of Chris’s favorite memories involve planting seeds and picking carrots with his sons when they were younger. He talks about them helping in the garden, using little rakes, harvesting vegetables, and eating carrots and turnips fresh from the field. These moments are especially meaningful to him because they’ve allowed him to share his love of farming and outdoor life with his children.

Chris also credits much of his success to the support of his wife. He said, “Yeah, I have a lot of support, mainly my wife and kids. She’s always been the number one cheerleader for me to keep doing.” Her encouragement helped him continue farming even through difficult seasons. In the end, Chris has made it clear what drives him most: “Motivation is family… It’s the biggest motivator.”