By Megan Sando
Stillwater NewsPress
STILLWATER, Okla. — What used to be a fruit tree farm tucked away on the east side of Stillwater now produces 10,000 pounds of produce for the Payne County Jail.
Much of its success has to do with location – mostly secluded and peaceful – and sorting out the kinks over three years.
“In the evening times, we’ll watch the sun start to go down, while the breeze comes sweeping in, the air smells good,” Officer Mark Hall said.
Far away from commercial Stillwater, four trustee inmates work in shifts of two at the garden every day from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Hall stops suddenly during a tour of the 49 rows that grow squash, cucumber, onion, tomato, green beans, potatoes, okra and cantaloupe. This year’s crop is by far the most successful.
“Listen, this part of town is a lot different,” he said. What follows is a pause with silence, mostly birds chirping and the wind sifting leaves through the trees.
Today, the inmates take turns tilling greens beans that aren’t producing.
“I tell them if you make a mistake, fix it, and its no big deal,” Hall said.
Hall’s philosophy for managing the farm is paying off. The jail saves thousands of dollars on food purchasing. Every day, the produce is transported to the jail and cooked or stored in industrial-sized freezers.
With this summer’s rain, water and irrigation costs are down, too.
The trustees are nonviolent and sentenced offenders, given the job with the county’s knowledge of their work ethic and previous experience.
“The farm gives them a chance to make their own choices,” he said.
In the heat, inmates work in intervals of 15 to 30 minutes and are allowed to take breaks.
Hall said the only issues to come up this summer are an influx of weeds. Sometimes, turtles eat the cantaloupe. An electrical fence keeps out deer and raccoons.
The garden is for the most part chemical free.
Hall and Jail Administrator Reese Lane are planning a fall garden this year. The two have onions in mind, maybe more.
One of the inmates tells Hall it’ll take them two hours to mow and weed for the rest of the day.
“Tomorrow, we can pick,” Hall said. “And take it easy.”