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A ceremony on Thursday formally cut the ribbon on the nearly 14-million-dollar Bexar County Urban Farm off North Walters on the East Side to help promote healthy gardening, cooking, and eating.
The 10-acre farm is the new home of the local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. It will use the facilities at the farm, including indoor and outdoor kitchens, to teach locals more than 100 free courses related to garden, kitchen, and table.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert pushed for 12 years to make the farm a reality in his precinct, which garnered the support of the commissioner's court.
He said healthy produce from the farm can also be shared with those in need across the community.
"Everybody is really struggling with the high cost of food, so now we'll be able to actually lower people's grocery bills a little bit," Calvert said.
County Judge Peter Sakai and University Health President Ed Banos are among the local dignitaries who back the farm. Former Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff was a supporter very early on.
David Rodriguez, a master gardener with the extension service, said simply caring for a garden is healthy too.
"Gardening is good," he said. "It's good exercise. Being self-reliant. Growing your own fruits and vegetables."
Rodriguez called home gardening the nation's number one luxury hobby with a big green industry behind it.
The farm will partner with University Health and the San Antonio Food Bank to promote healthy diets. Obesity and diabetes remain major health challenges locally. Calvert said people have made the connection that food is medicine that can help heal.
He said the farm has room to expand, including space for an event center and an orchard. Calvert said the farm could host festivals, community events, and even weddings.
The crops to be planted after the ribbon-cutting in the months ahead include onions, beets, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, radishes, and tomatoes.
The farm without the main buildings it has now, produced 25,000 pounds of food during the pandemic and won state and national awards, according to Calvert.
The farm is affectionately known as "Greenies," a playfull spin on its former nickname, a once blighted spot known as "Goonies" because of its spooky, overgrown appearance that nearby residents kept their distance from.
