This Entrepreneur Focuses on Opportunity and Not Heated Immigration Debate
- Dave Price
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
With the United States in the middle of a fierce debate on which immigrants should be allowed to legally remain and work in the United States, people like Sharon Krause is focused on opportunities for those committed to making a living on the farm.
Should all people who entered the country illegally be forced to leave? Should only those who have violent criminal records be removed? Should everyone who overstayed a temporary visa get deported?
Those questions and others have divided local, state, and federal election officials, other policymakers, and agricultural producers at every level.
Finding Opportunities for Immigrant Farmers
Krause is focused on what she can control, and that means expanding her non-profit, In Harmony Farm, that not only trains immigrant but also provides them with some of the infrastructure that can otherwise price out people dreaming of getting into agricultural entrepreneurship.
Programs designed to help beginning farmers often focus on training and access to land. But for many immigrant farmers, the barriers go even deeper. Language, cultural differences, and the lack of a pathway beyond introductory programs can make it difficult to establish a successful operation.
That’s where the work of In Harmony Farm in central Iowa comes in. Krause -- who founded the organization after coming to terms with the reality that none of her children would want to take over the family farm -- said the nonprofit’s mission is not just to teach farming skills.
She aims to help new farmers, many of them immigrants and refugees, with the goal of eventually launching independent operations of their own.
“There are definitely many incubator farms across the country. But most of those do not graduate the farmers off,” Krause told American Farmland Owner. “And that’s really our goal.”
RELATED: How does an environmental engineer turn her focus to growing future farmers? Sharon Krause explained her path in this episode of the American Farmland Owner Podcast.
What are Incubator Farms?
Incubator farms typically provide land, equipment, and training for beginners. But participants often remain in the program without transitioning to their own farms. Krause said her organization is working to change that model.
“Our vision would be Iowa speckled with these specialty crop farms all across the state, feeding all of these rural and urban communities,” she said. “That would be our vision as an organization.”
Turning that vision into reality has not been easy. One of the biggest obstacles is helping farmers find land once they complete the program.
“That model is a little challenging, because finding the land for the graduate farmers is a real challenge,” Krause explained.
Overcoming Language Barriers for Immigrant Farmers
Another major hurdle involves communication. Many of the farmers participating in the program are immigrants whose first language is not English. Krause said that makes it essential to design training that is accessible and culturally supportive.
“Most of our farmers, English is their second language,” she said. “Today, we have 10 farm families from Burundi, Africa, and one from Cameroon.”
Providing the right translation and interpretation services has required creativity and persistence.
“Finding the appropriate interpretation and translation services is hard in central Iowa,” Krause said.
That means making sure farmers not only hear the information but can apply it effectively to their operations.
“How do we help get across that language barrier and make sure they feel welcomed, they understand the curriculum, and are able to apply what we’re teaching?” Krause said. “That’s something you don’t always see with other programs across the United States.”
Many of the farmers participating in the program bring remarkable life experiences with them. According to Krause, several of the Burundian families fled violence in their home country years ago.
“Many of them have been here for 15 to 20 years, but they fled Burundi due to the war,” she said. “They were repositioned in Tanzania in war camps, and some went back to Burundi for a while, and then came to the United States.”
For many, their farms and savings were lost during the turmoil.
“Most of them, their bank accounts were drained by the government, their land was taken away,” Krause said.
Before coming to the United States, their farming often focused on basic survival.
“When they farmed in Burundi, it was a real survivalist type methodology,” she explained. “As long as there was food on the table and a little bit of money in the bank at the end of the season, that was success.”
The goal now is to help them move beyond survival and build thriving farm businesses.
“What we’re trying to do is say, not only is it important to feed your family and make money during the summer, but let’s look at the acres of land that you are farming and figure out how you can be even more productive next year,” Krause said. “This isn’t just about survival. This is about how do we allow you to thrive.”
