A Global Village in Grafton seeks to help and heal the hungry on a farm
At the very end of Moroney Street, long after pavement gives way to a dirt road, is a little paradise Ulan Pixan Athohil Suk’ll calls Tuck-Away Farm.
There are about 50 acres of land, with clucking chickens and farmland, trees laden with peaches and apples. Tribal members have visited, touching base and renewing their dedication to the land, originally a Nipmuc Village.
“I do not like selling food,” the Guatemalan native said. “I teach people about the land, how it needs to be planted. Instead of giving you a fish, I teach you how to fish kind of thing.”
She and other members of the cooperative have instructed people on how to grow their own gardens, created a Community Supported Agriculture farm share to help economically deprived families and, on Thursday, hosted U.S. Rep Jim McGovern and leaders from the United States Department of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and other local and federal agencies.
Admiring the view of horseback riders trotting by a chicken coop in the valley below, McGovern, wearing an “End Hunger Now!” mask, chatted with Ulan about the Global Village at Tuck-Away Farm’s mission and offered the services of the various agencies.
“The first year was very challenging,” said Ulan, who moved to Grafton in 2016. “The problem with any farmer is the land that was depleted. We had to replenish the soil.”
That involved crop rotation and judicious choice of plants. The traditional “three sisters” — corn, squash, and beans — were planted together, with the occasional flowers to ward off insects.
“We should be creating programs that teach people how to grow their own food,” McGovern said.
“This is Nipmuc territory, which not a lot of people know,” said Chief George Spring Buffalo of the Pocasset-Nemasket-Assawampsett Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. “The Hassanamesit Woods are right over there.”
The rumbling response of a train nearby punctuated his remark — the Grafton & Upton Railroad is also nearby.
COVID-19 has affected her ability to keep workers on the farm. Another hazard, Ulan, noted, is Grafton itself.
“This town is a pain in the butt,” she said. “I’ve been begging Upton to take me.”
All eyes turned to William Blake, Grafton’s management analyst, who was representing the town. He cheerfully indicated he was taking notes.
The main issue? Housing. Farmhands work long hours and should be able to live communally, she said.
“You can’t farm unless you live on a farm,” she added. “If you’re going to work 12 hours a day, you shouldn’t have to go to sleep in a trailer. If people could work and live here, we can do so much more and farm year round. They’re not hourly employees. They are people who will work to own.”
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