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Jan “Jano” Keenly, a local market gardener known for her warm smile and friendly demeanor at the Socorro Farmers’ Market, has become one of the 100 recipients of the For Farmers Movement Grant. The grant awarded her $500 to support her small business, allowing her to continue to provide fresh produce to the community.
“I was completely humbled,” Keenly said, “I was humbled to be nominated, and then just totally blown away because there were 940 nominations throughout 46 states.”
According to the For Farmers Movement, The United States has lost 141,733 farms in five years and over 20 million acres of farmland. The For Farmers Movement supports American farmers by sharing their stories, replacing myths with facts, awarding farmer grants and providing the public the platform to support them.
“Someone went to the trouble of nominating me. I was so honored. It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was actually really easy to fill out all the paperwork,” Keenly said. “They want to know about your farm, but then they give you two options. If we give you a grant for $500 what would you do with it? What if we give you a grant for 1000? So I’m the recipient of the $500 one, and basically I’m going to buy plastics to go over my bed so that I can increase production.”
She mentioned that two other farmers in Socorro County were also nominated, and only one other farm in New Mexico, which raises sheep, received the grant.
“I want to draw attention to this organization so more NM farms are nominated and receive grants,” Keenly said “And it’s all kinds of different farms. It’s not just market gardeners like myself. I mean, you got traditional farmers in there, and one was buying hay. She just wanted more hay because prices have gone up 40%.”
Keenly grows the three sisters, corn, beans and squash. She also grows pumpkins, zucchini, Swiss chard, lettuce, tomatoes and pepper. She usually offers honey and offers a variety of baked goods and even has gluten free options.
You can follow Keenly on Instagram at @eworks_farm
