Meet Farmer Ross – Harvest’s Expert at All Things Agricultural

Soon after earning a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University in 2013, Ross DeOtte quickly realized he was not meant for a 9-to-5 office job. Searching for something different, he thought back to when he tried to dig up his mom’s garden in Arlington at age 10.

“As a kid, the idea of being able to grow something was pretty miraculous,” he said. “I guess it started then and when I realized I didn’t want to do business, it was ‘how can I do something that’s more connected to nature and make a livelihood that way?’” So he took an internship at an organic farm in Greenville.

“I wasn’t interested in joining the rat race and paying bills and stuff I didn’t even care about,” he said. “This was the most practical way of having something connected to nature.”

After moving to an ashram in Denton six months later and finding spirituality, he looked for a paying job. Driving past the then-undeveloped Harvest community that encompassed both Northlake and Argyle, he noticed the open spaces and contacted developer Hillwood Communities about farming the land there. He was told an onsite commercial farm, greenhouse, and gardens already existed, but someone new was needed to oversee them. Three months and five interviews later, he got the job. That was in 2017, and he’s been known as Farmer Ross ever since.

“I definitely liked the mixed vegetable stuff,” he said. “I didn’t want to do the large scale agriculture of growing 100 acres of corn and 100 acres of cotton and 100 acres of wheat. That really wasn’t interesting to me. That was food that you couldn’t eat. I preferred the mixed vegetable stuff, permaculture, and orchards and stuff like that.”

The farm is located north of FM 407 adjacent to Farmhouse Coffee and Treasures. It includes a farmhouse, greenhouse, parking lots, orchards, and raised flats that homeowners can rent with gardening tools and hoses provided.

Today, he manages all aspects of the six-acre Harvest Farm, which produces lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, fruits, and much more. He oversees everything from growing and maintenance to teaching classes and leading special events and securing volunteers. The produce is used for the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) paid membership program plus donating surplus crops to the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Ross is an independent contractor who makes money by leasing the greenhouse to area restaurants, hotels, and farmers markets. The homeowners’ association pays for upkeep of homeowner plots from money paid by home-owner rentals.

“The idea is those people rent them out for a year or two, and then they are inspired to build something at their place,” he said.

Currently, Ross delivers produce to individuals who select the service. He also leads activities including seed planting in March, the very popular salsa making class in the summer, ladybug releases for kids in the spring, plum harvesting in April/May, and apples and pears later in the year. He also conducts educational classes throughout the year on topics like composting and pest control with hundreds of people participating annually.

Having served in his position for nearly nine years, Ross still faces challenges.

“Over the nine years I’ve had people contact me for different reasons about farming,” he said. “I think a lot of people glamorize farming, especially with my generation. It’s drop out of the rat race and start a farm. They idealize it. I would say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

“The challenges are many. You never get a day off. When it freezes outside, I need to cover the plants. When a pipe bursts, then I must take care of it. It’s like running a small business where the buck stops with you.”

Fortunately, Farmer Ross finds more pleasure in his work than any negatives that come along.

“I love being in the garden,” he said. “I think it fits the greenhouse most of the time. Walking in there and dealing with plants is nice. I also like talking to the residents. I think it’s fun to interact with them and be a human being with them.”

To find out more, visit HarvestByHillwood.com.