For Lisa and Matt, “Farming Engineers” is more than just a clever name. The farming couple graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and worked as mechanical and software engineers respectively before Lisa made a professional switch to the agricultural world in 2008.

However, her love affair with produce farming dates even further back than her first growing season at The Farming Engineers operation in Clinton County ten years ago. Shortly after the Burkes bought their first home back in 2001, Lisa began growing a few veggies in her yard as a casual pastime. Before long, she was hooked.

“It kind of infected me like a disease, and I’ve never recovered,” she recalls with a laugh.

Today, Matt continues to work in the software field while Lisa applies engineer-like precision and focus to their certified-organic produce farm, on which more than 30 types of vegetables and fruits are grown year-round on three acres.  From peppers and squash to leafy greens and potatoes to melons and strawberries—the farm teems with food. Lisa retains three seasonal employees and one full-time staffer at her farm, and with a decade and counting of experience under her belt, her passion – both for her land and the employees that help cultivate it – shows no signs of dwindling.

“I’m really passionate about worker rights, and providing a fair wage is really important to us to make this a real, viable job for people,” Lisa says. “We pay more than a living wage for our area, and provide benefits for our workers. By shopping local, people enable us to do that.”

Each and every order you place on Market Wagon helps support local artisans and farmers like Lisa and her employees. “When you support local farms you can see that your money’s going straight back into the community,” Lisa adds. Market Wagon’s mission is to enable food producers to thrive in their local communities, and we’re so excited to work with farmers like Lisa who share the same desires for community. 

Click here to shop all of The Farming Engineers Organic Produce now.