Thirty-five years ago, Rob picked up gardening as a hobby, a pastime that eventually led him to the challenge of farming the desert. His farm is in Tonopah, Arizona where he has lived for the past eleven years.
Originally, Rob's goal was to cultivate using purely organic methods. As Rob explaines it:
Unfortunately, though, as large corporations and the federal government became involved with organic certification, small farmers such as me were being priced out getting the “certified organic” label. A small farm must now pay between $400 and $1,400 for certification, annual fees, plus the cost of the inspection which includes travel expenses for the inspector.
Regardless, the produce Rob sells is chemical-free. INO pesticides of any kind, NO insecticides, ZERO antibiotics, NO chemical fertilizers, and absolutely NO genetically modified organisms. Certain sprays and soaps are allowed in organic farming, but at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm he practices an all-natural method using beneficial bug warfare, green compost, natural fertilizers, and companion planting.
