Simple Promise Farms welcomed staff, board members, and community members to the farm for a collaborative visioning session.
Together, we reflected on our shared experiences, discussed the farm’s impact, and set meaningful goals for the farm’s future. Check out the inspiring ideas that emerged below!
Five years into operations, Simple Promise Farms (SPF) has grown into an organization bringing value to the recovery, farming, and human services communities. With so many opportunities for growth, leaders from the staff, board, and partner organizations came together to provide input for a long-term vision for SPF.
When sharing what brought them to the farm that day—and keeps them coming back—there was clear alignment on why.
Simple Promise Farm feels different.
The call for the future was also clear: SPF must grow to make more love, compassion, healing, and connection accessible in Central Texas and beyond.
Thanks to new leadership, the farm is on track to grow more produce than ever before. This puts SPF in a great position to explore new sales markets, test engagement strategies, and involve more partners and volunteers to contribute to the purposeful work of growing food.
As part of introductions, contributors also shared what they would grow if they weren’t bound by reality.
– Integrity
– Understanding
– Community
– Time
– More Affordable Care
– Device Chargers
– Hot Peppers
– Full Beard
– Brussels Sprouts
– Courage of Vulnerability
– Watermelon
– Good Food for Families
– Airline Miles
– Ethically Sourced Meat
– The Future of SPF is Regenerative
– Creating spaces, systems, and foodstuffs that live the values of SPF
Contributors were asked to imagine SPF in 2045, twenty years in the future, and describe what it looked, felt, smelled, worked, tasted like, etc.
Regeneration: the farm—and all elements of the organization—operate in ways that not only produce food, but heal past harm and invest in long-term sustainability.
Inclusion: recovery at the farm includes women and is more accessible to more people of color. More diverse communities lead and engage in activities at the farm.
Product Expansion: the farm grows more types of produce, some of which is processed to create more food products (like hot sauce).
Space Expansion: from opening more farm programs (franchise), to helping more existing farms implement impactful programs (federation), SPF expands opportunities for meaningful work and recovery.
Retail Expansion: whether or not SPF acquires Whole Foods, there is more revenue from placing vegetables and products in retail markets without having to “sell out.” This can include more permanent markets operated by SPF.
Diversified Revenue: not only is SPF earning revenue, the organization is maximizing funding through aligned opportunities, including workforce development and local and regional food plans.
With this vision in mind, contributors chose between Farm Growth, Community Growth, and Organization Growth to continue planning for 2025.
Community Growth priorities included communication to better educate about recovery, holding classes at the farm for seniors and others, developing intergenerational events, and exploring connections with workforce development.
Organization Growth priorities included developing board committees for farm, community, and organization growth, recruiting more diverse leaders, and formalizing more roles for involvement and investment, including a major donor program.
Executive Director Brandon Guinn shared a drawing and a new frame for the future: Regenerative Recovery.
Following the visioning session, SPF leaders will develop annual plans for 2025 and continue engaging contributors to implement them.
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