How did you start working in agriculture? Did you always want to be a farmer?
David Haughton grew up in Central Jamaica surrounded by 14 acres of farmland abundant with fruits, vegetables, and livestock. Haughton received much of his farming knowledge from his mother and father. In turn, Haughton learned to grow foods such as watermelon, corn, tomatoes, and thyme in addition to raising animals including pigs, goats, chickens, and cows. Tending to his family’s land in Jamaica prepared Haughton to take on a life of farming in the U.S. In 1988, Haughton moved to the United States and began work at an apple orchard. Haughton’s experience driving a tractor across the land and picking apples inspired him to purchase his own farm. On January 16th, 1997 Haughton received the opportunity to purchase 30 acres of land in Clintondale, New York (NY). Through hard work and sacrifice, Haughton paid off the land within 7 years.
What is your role on the farm?
The latest study done by the Central Statistics Office reported that almost half of the farmers surveyed work 60-80 hours a week. Haughton is no exception; he works from sunup to sundown. On a typical day, Haughton gets up at 4:00am to mow the grass, groom the trees, and to make sure the animals are taken care of. Unlike larger farms, Haughton’s team consists of two people, his wife and himself. They occasionally get help from neighboring farmers.
What type of foods do you grow? Where do you sell your produce?
Haughton produces apples, cherries, peaches, nectarines, and plums along with vegetables and eggs to supplement his sales at local farmers’ markets in New York City (NYC). However, Haughton mainly grows and sells apples. On average, he produces 15,000 bushels of apples a year and most of the apples are used to make apple cider. As a small-scale farmer, Haughton’s primary source of income comes from these farmers’ markets in NYC. After a harvest, Haughton travels to the city three days a week to sell his produce. While Haughton could previously sell up to 3000 bushels of apples per season (September to November), he now sells an average of 500 bushels due to the increased competition as a result of new farmers’ markets in close proximity to his.
What are the goals and priorities of your farm?
Moving forward, Haughton hopes to acquire more land so that he can increase his scale of operations and workforce. Before Haughton expands his workforce, he wants to ensure that he can pay his workers properly with benefits. Based on Haughton’s farming experiences, he cannot bear to see farmers get underpaid, since he knows what it is like to be undervalued as a worker. Once Haughton gains the means to support a full staff, he would like to produce 100,000 bushels of different apple varieties per season.
What has been your experience working during the pandemic? How have your operations been impacted by COVID-19 and the need for social distancing?
When Haughton spoke about his experience working during the pandemic, he simply listed three of his feelings towards recent events, “Scary, scared, and even more scared.” Many of the farmers markets where Haughton sells his produce have been closed due to COVID-19. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make a profit from the vegetables and fruits grown this season, since farmers markets are one of the main sources of income for Trinity Farms.
In an effort to reduce waste, Haughton donates leftover produce to the Church of God of Prophecy in Poughkeepsie, NY or he uses it to feed the pigs, goats, and cows on the farm. In terms of social distancing, Haughton’s relatively small staff paired with the open space in the orchards allows the farmers to maintain physical distances from each other.
How would you describe the work that you are doing with Corbin Hill?
Haughton is a member of the Black Farmers Fund, which connected him to the founder of Corbin Hill, Dennis Derryck. Haughton now supplies all of the apples included in Corbin Hill’s GetFood boxes. When I asked Haughton how he feels about this new partnership with Corbin Hill he said, “Thank god for them!” Haughton hopes to be a partner with Corbin Hill for the rest of his life.
Storm Lewis