Eating well is not just about good food or stunning preparation; eating well is also about the human connections we make when we buy from the people whose passion it is to grow and provide a premium product for general consumption. I am talking about our local farmers, and they are part of what strengthen our community as whole, farmers just like Mark Rhine. Mark Rhine is the Oregonian behind Rhiba Farms, a 3.3-acre farm located in the San Tan Valley. Rhiba supplies pesticide-free, nutrient-dense produce to the public through their on-site farmstand, and at the Gilbert farmer’s market, in addition to some of the premier restaurants around town.While Rhine has been a farmer for the last 14 years, he previously worked as a broadband contractor for the phone company. In making a lifestyle change for his health, Rhine started juicing and experimenting with growing wheatgrass in a small greenhouse. Rhine explains that at one point, “somebody caught wind and we got an account with Whole Foods, who was looking for a local supplier of wheatgrass. It just took off from there.”
The wheatgrass grow operation—which continues to this day—sparked a career change to full-time farmer, a change that is aligned with Rhine’s core belief of being a productive member of society. “To me, it is service. I have taken enough from this earth, and it is time to give back. My job is an earth keeper, to leave this place better than when I found it.”
As an “earth keeper”, Rhine espouses a holistic land management practice called regenerative agriculture that, he explains, uses animals as part of the transition in the field to improve the health of the soil. It is a symbiotic relationship with other farmers, as Rhine borrows sheep from other farms to feed on the weeds in his fields. “The animal piece of the paddock is so important to the life cycle of the soil. The sheep kick up the topsoil with their hooves and feed off the land. Their waste becomes part of the natural cycle of the soil. The farmers love it because their animals have been eating good food and come back nice and fat, and we love it because the animals are eating the weeds and we save on labor.”
Agriculture education for Valley youth is also a high priority for Rhine, who as a member of the Blue Watermelon Project, introduces children to, in his words, the “miracle of growing food.” He adds, “I am hoping that out of all the kids I talk to, 2 or 3 will have the right touch for farming and continue the tradition.” He also hosts farm tours—for children and adults alike—and runs a project called Cooper’s Chicks at Tempe Elementary School, encouraging kids to raise their own chicks by supplying the eggs and incubators. Parents need not worry, for after hatching, the chicks go to the farm to lead a wonderful life supplying eggs for Rhiba’s customers.
Rhiba Farms is a favorite among many local chefs, supplying Valley favorites like Chris Bianco’s Tratto, Phoenix City Grille, and Santé, to name a few. He explains, “Chefs are a big part of our business. They enjoy talking to the farmer because they want to know what is going on with the dirt. When they inspect their orders, they ask a lot of questions about the produce, which is one of the reasons why I do my own deliveries. It is something I call the Farmer’s Shadow, which means every day, I have to be out in the fields, looking at the produce, feeling it, smelling it, tasting it. All of this ultimately comes through in the quality of the produce.”
Rhine is also Vice President of the Sun Produce Cooperative, a 40-farmer co-op managed by Cindy Gentry, founder of the original Phoenix Public Market. Boasting they are the largest distributor of local foods in Phoenix, Rhine explains, “Together we can do so much more than I can do by myself at Rhiba Farms. Chefs have the buying ability from 40 different farms to supply produce year-round.” Sounds like a win-win for everyone.
Retail customers looking to buy Rhiba Farms produce can find them at the weekly Gilbert Farmer’s Market as well as at the Rhiba Farms farm stand at 40792 N. Rattlesnake Road in the San Tan Valley. Farmboxes can also be ordered online and picked up at various Valley locations including at the Sphinx Date Company in Scottsdale, the Moon Shadow HOA in the San Tan Valley and the Phoenix City Grille restaurant. A recent summer farm box may have included patty pan squash, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Rhine also experiments with specialty items such as mushrooms, specifically local varieties including blue oyster, king oyster, and pearl oyster mushrooms. In addition, you can find Rhiba Farms micro greens at Valley Safeway-Albertson’s locations, which is interestingly Rhiba’s largest customer.
Rhine has made it his life’s calling to supply the Valley with the most nutritious food possible, educating the next generation along the way. Ever modest, he says, “This is not work for a lot of money; this is work of passion. You are not going to get rich being a small farmer. But, I have never felt so passionate about my job or my work. I have people that come up and give me a hug and tell me they are a cancer survivor and they have been eating my food and they are still alive. They need nutrient dense, freshly harvested food; they don’t want chemicals to poison their body. And that is very humbling to be able to do that for people.”
For information on farm and wheatgrass boxes, farm tours, event space leasing, classes (like essential oil classes, garden classes), the Cooper’s Chicks Program, and more, contact www.rhibafarms.com.
Written by Marci Symington
Photography by Luke Irvin