This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking with Andrea Davis-Cetina, who owns Quarter Acre Farm, a certified organic produce farm on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Davis-Cetina grew up in Maryland but moved to California after studying sustainable agriculture at college. After working in landscaping and gardening, she was able to secure a lease on a quarter acre of land in Sonoma, where she then farmed for a decade, selling at farmers markets and to restaurants.
It was the issue of long-term land access that fueled Davis-Cetina's decision to move back to the East Coast in 2018. Davis-Cetina's family had settled on the Eastern Shore, and she says farming there is surprisingly similar in some ways to farming in Sonoma.
"The climate is different, but it's not that different as far as the length of the growing season, the amount of sunlight, those types of things," said Davis-Cetina. "And then also the clientele that I had grown accustomed to working with out in Sonoma was very similar to the clientele on the Eastern Shore."
Quarter Acre Farm's Maryland location started its operations in 2019. Davis-Cetina grows certified organic vegetables, fruits and herbs. She has always farmed sustainably. "I want to leave a piece of land better than I found it," she said.
She also realized the economic benefits of being certified organic.
"Once I had that organic label at the farmers market, it totally increased my sales. It made for a lot quicker transactions," said Davis-Cetina. "This label that is highly regulated, it adds that level of trust that people who don't know you or aren't really familiar with your operation then go like, 'Well, you must know what you're doing.'"
In addition to selling her produce at the Easton Farmer's Market, Davis-Cetina also sells prepared foods, including guacamole and pico de gallo made from the tomatoes grown at Quarter Acre Farm.
Davis-Cetina's husband, a chef, helps her prepare the food and accompanies her to the market where he also cooks tacos and similar fare on-site.
