Wild Kid Acres in Edgewater, Maryland is a farm dedicated to responsible livestock and land stewardship. The farm is becoming a hub for agricultural education, local farm products, and shared technological resources.
A trip to a farm in Cameroon inspired Gerardo Martinez, owner of Wild Kid Acres, and his family to begin the search for their own farm property. The land they found in the Chesapeake Bay was the ideal spot for what the Martinez family planned to be their homestead. But the property was in need of serious rehabilitation after becoming a dumping site and overrun with poison ivy in between owners.
“Slowly we started really getting into regenerative agriculture because our land was pretty much toxic. Here to date we’re at over 65 dumpsters of trash taken off of the property,” Martinez tells Food Tank.
Using methods such as hugelkultur, a layering technique developed for creating raised beds, Martinez filled in the large holes left after removing dumped materials. He made use of wood chips, an inexpensive organic resource readily available in the area.
While taking care of trash removal and house construction, Martinez and his family “jumped right into goats” for passively clearing invasive plants from the land.
“What we started noticing almost immediately is where we would clear the trash and not put organic matter or the goats, the grass would die…but everywhere that we would put the goats…there was an explosive growth of beneficial grass and pollinators.”
This observation led Martinez and his wife, Jessica Mendoza, to investigate biodynamic farming methods. They believe their role as farmers is to mimic nature.
After noticing significant flooding on and around the farm property, Martinez opted for a no-till method: pigs and a cow. These additional animals helped work moisture and fresh seed into the newly filled in land.
Success in mitigating flooding and adding organic matter to the land encouraged Martinez to continue mimicking nature through biodynamic and regenerative practices.
“Our practices evolve almost daily based on what’s happening within nature around us,” Martinez tells Food Tank.
Beyond the physical farming practices, Wild Kid Acres continues working to inspire, educate, and learn from the community.
“When we started, we didn’t know what we were doing, but we knew that we believed…that the farm is the center of the community, not part of the community. We’re not on the outskirts; we believe that we should be the center for education, for faith or healing, or whatever it is that the farm means to you,” Martinez tells Food Tank.
This approach drives Wild Kid Acres to be an active community hub where visitors are more than welcome. Martinez credits his family’s humility as beginning farmers for the interpersonal connections they have made through the farm.
The farm plans to host a summer camp program after witnessing the major role young people play at Wild Kid Acres. Martinez hopes to inspire young people to take up farming in the future. “We’re working on our talent pipeline,” Martinez tells Food Tank.
Kids who regularly visit the farm return home to tell their families about the success of Wild Kid Acres’ regenerative and biodynamic practices. In turn, the farm has become a space for learning that attracts many different groups.
Hispanic and Latino residents make up over 11 percent of Maryland’s population, according to the latest census. “We started becoming this hub of education for those who are not usually catered to.” Martinez tells Food Tank that Spanish-speaking individuals come to Wild Kid Acres to learn about growing in the region.
Martinez says that beginning farmers will always trust “a success story.” This is what draws many to the farm. In fact, Martinez tells Food Tank that Latino Farmers and Ranchers International is moving their headquarters to Wild Kid Acres.
Martinez tells Food Tank that creating resources for farmers beyond those provided by governments and nonprofits are important for marginalized growers. In support of this, Martinez and key partners started the Maryland International Agriculture and Environment Conference.
A two-story community barn is currently under construction at Wild Kid Acres. The barn will house animals, host an aggregate farm stand, and offer a production kitchen. Martinez is excited about the benefits to both local producers and consumers. The community is equally invested in the barn build and the forthcoming opening.
“I can’t even tell you how humbled I am by the people,” Martinez tells Food Tank. “To say that the community has been helping is an understatement. [The barn] is 100 percent built by volunteers right now.”
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Photo courtesy of Gerardo Martinez
