Not far from the hurly-burly of Manitou Avenue, it’s so peaceful that deer feel safe hunkering down under trees even as humans walk by a few yards away.
That gentle spirit that permeates Flying Pig Farm on Keithley Road is also evident in Barak Ben-Amots, the nonprofit farm’s executive director.
As he hosts a tour of the 1-acre property, he proudly points out the structures and works-in-progress that await the start of growing season.
It’s all here: compost area; Monarch Larva Monitoring Project site; rental garden plots (there’s a short waiting list); pens for goats, chickens and ducks; sheds with murals; a “trinket library”; the large yurt; a future small vineyard; and much more.
Ben-Amots, 31, didn’t grow up thinking he’d be a farmer. He was raised in an academic home, with parents who excel in — and teach — music and visual art.
When he left Colorado Springs for Beloit College in Wisconsin, he knew he didn’t want to major in education.
“The very first class I was in was called ‘Designing an Ideal High School.’ Well, one week into the class, I was like, ‘OK, well, I guess this is what I’m gonna do for the rest of my life,’” Ben-Amots recalled.
When he returned to Colorado, he eventually connected with Jeremy Tackett, who was working at Smokebrush Farm in Manitou and became a great mentor for him.
Tackett had teamed up with Doug Edmundson, whose family has owned the Keithley Road property for generations, to establish Flying Pig Farm.
“I was coming in with no agricultural or horticultural knowledge at all, no experience and basically very little outdoor comfort,” said Ben-Amots, who had been teaching English at Manitou Springs Middle School.
But he quickly started learning his way around the farm and its animals.
“As soon as I was taking care of a bunch of goats, I was like, ‘Oh, I know why I’m here, I’m here to bring water to these animals.’”
And as long as he was there, he thought, he could throw some seeds on the ground. And he looked at a tree to see if he could prune off a dead branch.
“All of a sudden, you realize that your life is completely full of meaning, and overloaded with worthy activities,” he said.
Because Ben-Amots was a teacher and had ties to this area, he realized that he wanted to use the farm as a living classroom.
Now, Flying Pig draws everyone from preschoolers to Fort Carson soldiers. He knows at least half a dozen students who have decided on careers working with the land in some way.
“If you’re getting your food for really cheap, or wrapped in three layers of plastic and cardboard, what you’re getting is not from a very positive relationship with the land, and not from a very positive relationship with the people,” he said.
“And so they get a sense that that kind of food comes from a lot of suffering. And that they want food that comes from a lot of joy.”
During the farm’s peak season with local schools, about six weeks in the spring and 10 to 12 weeks in the fall, about 200 students come through. Plus four or five camps this summer.
“I bring in really great teachers, student teachers from Colorado College. Some of our high schoolers who have been with the farm for years come in and assist. And it is just a blast. So during the summer, we average more than 40 to 50 kids a week,” Ben-Amots said.
He can’t do it alone, of course, and has two farm helpers and a supportive, hardworking board that includes his wife, Ruthie Markwardt.
We belong to this planet. – Barak Ben-Amots
He respects farmers for their essential work and says that they’re disrespected in the U.S. economic system.
“The main value that we’re providing was connection with land, and learning, and that the food could be shared with all of those students and with local families, and not have that pressure on this land that it has to be generating income by generating food,” he said.
That said, Ben-Amots wants to establish a produce stand and is looking for a “retired” walk-in cooler or a shed he can turn into a cooler.
His wish list also includes additional board members experienced with finances, the law or horticulture. Since Flying Pig Farm is a young nonprofit, every board member does a little of everything.
“It takes everybody knowing this place, loving this place, thinking of this place and showing up when we need them,” he said.
If you can help, contact Ben-Amots at info@flyingpigmanitou.org.
Even though the physical labor can be demanding, he doesn’t want to be anywhere else, anytime soon. But Ben-Amots hopes to work himself out of a job by moving farm leadership into the community. He would still be part of it as a teacher, guide and support for decades to come, sharing his feeling for the land.
“We belong here. We belong to this planet. We belong to this ecological family,” he said.
“We have a role to play. And it’s a role that humans have played for a very long time very well. And we’re participating in a story that I don’t believe is a tragic story.
“I think we’re in a tough moment. But being here has given me great hope.”
Information: flyingpigmanitou.org.