A year ago, I was given the opportunity to tour some farms in Benguet and Mankayan, Banaue with chefs and agripreneurs who were all looking for ways to shorten the line between farmer and customer, in this case, restaurants, as well as search for business opportunities that can lessen food waste.

One of the farms we visited was JLM Farms in Mankayan, Banaue, an organic farm that grows various produce for two prominent organic vegetable brands companies whose main clientele comes from Manila.

“JLM Farms stands for our name with my wife. J stands for Johnny, L for my wife Lolita, and M is for Marcos,” Johnny Marcos, the farm’s proprietor, said.

A key to JLM Farms’ success is Marcos’ willingness to innovate, and this can be seen by the large greenhouses that cover four hectares of his farm. He explained that he engaged in open field planting until he learned about greenhouse farming in 2020, which allowed him to diversify his crops. “We used to plant only two varieties: cabbage and potato,” he explained in Taglish.

A survey of surrounding farms will show that they, too, plant either cabbage or potatoes.

“When we built the greenhouses, we began growing lettuce [as well as] crucifers like cauliflower and broccoli.., [and] sugar beets and radish,” Marcos said.

The greenhouses are important for lettuce cultivation. “Lettuce, the crops we’re planting at the moment, needs shelter, especially during rainy season. We need to put up a shelter or greenhouse because lettuce is quite sensitive to [weather] conditions.”

The farm harvests about two tons of lettuce three times a week continuously. Aside from the greenhouses, the farm has its own sources of water. We have three deep wells. That’s why even during the summer months, we are still continuous [with our harvests],” Marcos said, adding that they used to rely on the rain until they discovered water sources within the farm.

JLM Farms has established three farms and is looking to expand its clientele. Its current major clients are big players that order a minimum of about 1,500 kilos of lettuce three times a week.

The greenhouses have drastically changed the farm’s output for the better, especially given the online climate crisis. “One of the major concerns is the sudden change in these weather conditions. Lately, it’s been too warm, and now it’s cold again. But of course, it has been solved because of the shelter. Yes, there are times when monsoon rain is experienced, and this would maybe last for a month, so the production gradually increases due to the climatic conditions. But at least we are coping because of this facility,” Marcos said.

As of the interview, Marcos was also the chairman of the Highland Agriculture Cooperative. When asked what the benefits of joining a cooperative were, he replied, “With regards to transacting with an office, a cooperative has a advantages… because as a group, they could access projects from government entities as compared to the individual. Of course that’s just the minor objective of it, but the major one is in order for these members to help one another.”

Marcos’ passion for farming, as well as his interest in innovations within the industry have served him well in his farms’ growth. JLM Farms is proof that when you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work. As Marcos said, “It’s my hobby. And I know that I am feeding people who are not farming.”