Lorenzo Jones, Sr, Farmer, Chicks Ahoy LLC
Back in 2022, A major realization hit me: at 50, I knew 60 was just around the corner. It made me wonder what my life would look like by then. I had to face some hard truths: whatever I thought I’d be doing by age 65, I needed to master by 60. With 55 fast approaching, the time to start acquiring those new skills was right then. I knew the answer already. The answer was clear.: I wanted to be a farmer—an old school farmer though, one who produces both crops and community organizers right here in Bloomfield.
My deep-seated connection to Bloomfield, CT, took root during the early 1980s. It was during this time that my mother chose to relocate our family to the area, desiring to live closer to her older sister, who had established her home in the town following her marriage. I started out at Bloomfield Junior High School, but we later moved to Hartford, where I finished at Fox Middle School. I returned to Town for the ninth grade at Bloomfield High School, where the student body completely embraced me. Even though most of them had grown up attending the same schools and churches, and despite me being the new kid “who talked country,” I never experienced a single argument or fight. Guided by supportive teachers, I graduated in 1989 alongside an incredible group of classmates with whom I easily stay in touch with to this day.
The farming and the outdoors though are experiences that I go way back with. This was a seed planted in me a long time ago, and nurtured by the influence of my mother and my stepfather, a man truly devoted to the outdoors. Alongside a circle of seasoned outdoorsmen within my family—including my grandfather, uncle, and my mother’s cousin—my stepdad initiated me into the worlds of camping, hunting and fishing. Long before I mastered the balance of a bicycle, I was already learning the meticulous skills of cleaning, inspecting, and handling everything from handguns and rifles to bows, blowguns, and hunting knives. By the time the training wheels finally came off, I had already spent years processing small game and understanding the discipline of not only producing food but producing it for my community.
Most people know me for the career I built as a community organizer and the family I raised in Connecticut between 1989 and 2020. My path began in Hartford as a community leader with a local, community-based organization called the Asylum Hill Organizing Project, which launched a journey of over 30 years dedicated to community organizing and policy reform. Throughout those three decades, I was also raising my children, splitting their upbringing between Hartford and Bloomfield. The roots of our family were firmly planted in this soil; there was a time when nearly every grandparent of my children lived within a mere five- or six-block span, spanning four different households from Talcottview Rd across Blue Hills Ave to Packard Street. When my wife and I bought our own home in 2011, we chose Bloomfield specifically to keep the kids close to their family. Now that my children have graduated from colleges and trade schools and are successfully transitioning into adult life, the family has grown up. Finding myself at 50 years old with an empty nest, I had to pause and ask myself: what comes next, and what exactly am I going to be when I grow up?
A motivating factor that brought it all together was learning that 98% of Connecticut’s farmers identified as white, a statistic I later understood specifically described as aging white male landowners. This information sparked the organizer in me to take action. I established Chicks Ahoy LLC, an agribusiness located in Bloomfield, beginning with a flock of 6 laying hens for egg production. After acquiring farmable land in Connecticut, our operations expanded to include composting and producing fruit vinegars, preserves, and hot pepper sauces from our harvested crops. Driven by my background in community organizing, I immediately began translating my lessons learned into public education material for anyone interested in farming.
To further broaden this impact, I joined forces with Diana Martinez, owner of Middletown’s Dee’s Crafty Bees. We engaged in more than 100 individual sessions with community members, agricultural agency staff, and local producers to rally people aspiring to become farmers across Connecticut. This partnership resulted in the launch and management of the Farmers and Leaders of Color (FLOC) cohort, an initiative designed to provide entrepreneurial support. Central to FLOC is our “How to Become a Farmer” program, which provides a detailed, monthly milestone checklist to help members navigate the initial phases of business creation. After completing their agribusiness setup, FLOC Cohort members can join our CoOp2Kitchen initiative as vendors providing their products. Supported entirely by volunteers and charitable donations, this mutual aid program purchases goods directly from FLOC Cohort producers for distribution to families and individuals in the neighborhoods of Bloomfield and Middletown.
Through grassroots ownership and partnerships, FLOC expands BILPOC agriculturalists across Connecticut, helping communities grow nutritious food while increasing visibility within the Bla and USDA. Over the past four years, this collaborative framework has delivered essential support and a wide range of practical skills that we can pass along to others. Some of the educational curriculum for FLOC includes the following topics
- A History of Agriculture, Food, and Farm Work in the United States
- The USDA Census of Agriculture with FAQ’s about farming and agriculture
- Agriculture and Farming Agencies, Terms, and Definitions
- Entrepreneurial Support
- Review of CT Applications, Licenses, Training, and Certificates
Through the efforts of FLOC, we have successfully mentored over 200 aspiring growers and producers, guiding them through the process of gaining formal recognition from the Connecticut Department of Revenue. This collaborative support has empowered members to launch diverse agribusinesses that provide everything from poultry and eggs to artisanal honey, mushrooms, cut flowers, and handcrafted wellness balms. Diana and I remain fully dedicated to leading these training sessions and providing the direct coaching and mentorship necessary to navigate the complexities of securing a Connecticut Farm Tax Number. By uniting local merchants and veteran producers into a robust network, we are bolstering the representation of BILPOC farmers throughout the state, fostering local ownership and public-private alliances that enable us to grow nutritious food for our own neighborhoods.
Our FLOC cohort meets monthly, and these sessions are open to anyone, regardless of where they are in their farming journey. Whether you are just beginning to dream or are already in the field, we are here to help. Our members are constantly learning, and there isn’t a farm concept or agricultural scenario they haven’t explored or considered. If you are ready to try your hand at farming, I encourage you to join us. We offer assistance year-round, and you can register for our next session by emailing Lorenzo@chicksahoyct.com.
Reflecting on this four-year journey, I often evaluate where I am in this transition from a career spent entirely in the trenches of community organizing. While colleagues and younger leaders have pivoted toward academia, advocacy, or the often-treacherous waters of elective politics, I have chosen this path. For me, that pivot is farming. Once I finally gave those dreams a voice, the path forward became undeniable. My foundation as an organizer remains the bedrock of my work; I am merely mentoring a new cohort of leaders while tending the soil with tomorrow’s producers. Crucially, I avoided the allure of the political arena. Now, as a landowner providing stability for my family, I am finally stepping into the identity of the farmer I set out to be. My heart is at home here in Bloomfield, and as 65 approaches, I see a future anchored by this lifelong calling to the land.
