Moving Forward with the Coffee Farm

Coffee trees almost ready for the harvest!

When Brandy joined Sowers4Pastors, in addition to working in ministry he also returned to the work which has been in his family for generations - agriculture! Although he got his bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science (at the Air Force Academy) and was trained as a pilot, Brandy is now overseeing the Sowers4Pastors coffee farm. He arrived when S4P was smack in the middle of a coffee harvest. He learned about picking coffee. And pulping coffee. And drying coffee. Then things took an unexpected dark turn. He learned about coffee blight when the farm was hit with the same blight that was devastating coffee farms all over Honduras. Then there was a wildfire that burned more than 2000 coffee trees on the 50-acre farm. It was a depressing time.

Because Brandy’s personal knowledge of farming is somewhat limited, he had the good sense to look for help. He brought in agriculture engineers who were experts in the field. He consulted with these experts and learned from them. And he prayed. Everyone in S4P prayed. 

This is a current tree, bearing fruit
to be harvested very soon!

In the beginning, one of the reasons the coffee farm was started was to create jobs and help the community. But, in recent years, there has been a shortage of coffee harvesters. Even the number of regular S4P farm workers dwindled following the blight and the fire. Ten to fourteen farm workers became two to four workers as many of the men moved on to other opportunities. 

After all of that, Brandy and the rest of S4P felt they should continue working with the farm. Instead of actively farming 50 acres, the area is (for the time being) reduced to 17 acres. The land is still there and the entire area is recuperable at some point in the future. But for now… 17 acres. Due to the blight, some of the trees were pruned back severely, limiting how much coffee will be harvested for the next few years. Brandy expects coffee production to be very low for the next two years and hopes to have a more substantial harvest in three years. 

Keeping the farm going means that it will still create some jobs. The coffee farm has helped Sowers4Pastors become closer to the community–forging good relationships. And, Brandy, whose grandparents worked on coffee farms, has discovered that he has more relatives in the area than he can count. Basically, he seems to be related to about half of the residents in the nearby community of Catulaca. Just last week, he was talking to a local man, and they discovered they are something like 2nd cousins! 

The coffee trees that were pruned
back to short, thin stumps
are being carefully tended. 

  S4P also wants to continue to be able to give good coffee to the      gringo teams that visit and to take coffee to the churches they        visit in the States. 

 Brandy described the trees as beautiful and full of coffee when   they   first joined S4P. He said, “Seeing the coffee dying on the   trees   was hard. It was a big loss. But it’s doing okay. It took   some   engineers to help figure out a plan to work on it. They   suggested   what fertilizer to use to help the trees recover faster.   It has been a   nice experience, learning about coffee. All of the   newer staff   members are from the city. Alexandro said he had   never seen a   coffee tree before coming to Sowers4Pastors. He   thought that   after the harvest, you had to cut the trees. The trees   are coming   back. It has been a big challenge but we’re trusting   in God and   we’re feeling better.”

Recently, Brandy attended a men's conference. While there, he spent time praying for different things and he heard God’s voice while praying about whether or not they should continue with the farm. That voice said, “Keep doing it. Keep having fun!” 

 - posted by Christi