The four young farmers featured in the Conservation Generation film have been blogging for NYFC, sharing what it is like to be a young farmer in the arid West. Read their stories:

Harrison Topp of Topp Fruit in Paonia, Colorado, and Fields Livestock in Montrose, Colorado

Three years ago I made my first fruit sale from my family’s orchard in Colorado. It was my first year managing a fruit crop after years of farming vegetables for a CSA in North Carolina. That first year, friends, family, and community members assembled from across the state to pick and store ton after ton of plums and cherries. The crop was bound for a fermentation start-up business in Boulder, CO called Ozuke. KEEP READING HARRISON’S STORY.

Tyler Hoyt of Green Table Farm in Mancos, Colorado

When we found our farm, my fiancé Kendra and I knew it was the right fit for us. It had plenty of run-down pasture for grazing animals, lots of semi-flat terrain for crops, a barn and corral that were in shambles, a defunct farmhouse that was livable, and—most importantly—lots of water. When we realized how much water was tied to the property and that much of the irrigation infrastructure was already installed, we got excited. When we found that the water comes from Mt. Hesperus (the Northern Holy Peak for local tribes), we knew that this was the spot to build our future in a dry region. KEEP READING TYLER’S STORY.

Nery Martínez of Santa Cruz Farm & Greenhouses in Española, New Mexico

I’m Nery Martínez, a Guatemalan guy. When I came to the United States I was 18 years old, and I had never done any agriculture work, not even in my country. Honestly, when I was in Guatemala I didn’t help my grandpa clean his small corn and bean fields. I never thought that I was going to be farmer. Over five years ago I came to New Mexico to spend time with my aunt and her husband, Don Bustos. Don owns Santa Cruz Farm & Greenhouses in Española, New Mexico, which is a six-acre vegetable farm that has been Certified Organic for more than 20 years and has been farmed by the same family for over 400 years. KEEP READING NERY’S STORY.

Casey Holland of Red Tractor Farm in Albuquerque, New Mexico