Cetta Barnhart is connecting to the community in ways that are unique and valuable. As the owner of Seed Time Harvest Farms, a fresh produce delivery service, she is using her platform to not only promote the value of healthy eating of farm fresh local foods, but she is also educating those along her path about the significance of financial protection and asset management. Walking confidently down the path that was paved by those who came before her, Cetta Barnhart is making her own statement on self-sufficiency and wellness that she wants to share with you all.
Raised in Philadelphia, the maternal side of Cetta’s family came out of Cairo, Georgia. “We would come down every year, and the only college I ever knew about and wanted to go to was Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). It was no question. It was the only school I applied for when it was time. I came and conquered the highest of seven hills, graduating from the School of Allied Health.”
While her journey to graduation was delayed by motherhood, it introduced her to the health field which became the catalyst for her current path. “Life said, you can have children in the midst of your scholastic journey.” This became the shift of being a student on campus while balancing the act of being a mother. “I did get my degree in Health Informatics and that was the point in which I knew I could do anything. And if I can do it, you can do it too.”
Evolution of Seed Time Harvest Farms
Through marriage, Cetta was able to utilize her knowledge of health and blend it with the world of farming. “Marriage into a farming family was pivotal in my life. My sweet, country husband oft found that his sentimental gifts of peacocks, ducks, geese, emus and such led to the discovery of what it means to be culture shocked. Now, I’m from Philly, and I like flowers. I’d like ducks, but now I know that like duck eggs. I knew that you could have Rottweilers, I just didn’t know that I’d have 25 at one point.” The day came when she had lost her career dream job. Having two young daughters, the next career move had to be adjusted because she was not willing to leave town and them in someone else’s care. Later that week when visiting her father-in-law’s place, he had a beautiful set of golden zucchinis that was rotting in the fields because a local company was unwilling to package it and move it forward.
Cetta saw an opportunity to address an issue while meeting the needs of others. It became the start of a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) program with delivery. It has been a staple in North Florida since 2012. By gleaning from the zucchini crop and other local farms, she found that there was way too much food available and not enough people who knew about it. By emailing a few friends who placed an order, Seed Time Harvest Farms began.
Seed Time Harvest Farms is a seasonal operation, functioning usually in the spring and fall of the year. “We try to do summers here in Florida, but sometimes it’s so hot that there are little vegetables for July and August. I think it also helps people to understand why the foods that we eat seasonally should change according to what is growing in the area each season. There’s a reason for that. Each season brings its own nutritional value to your body eaten at its peak of ripeness in its right season. Like for instance, there is a reason that oranges, grapefruits and lemons are available from November through March. Best way to get your Vitamin C and build your immunity,” Cetta explains.
The continued success of Seed Time Harvest Farms every year has been Cetta’s ability to find and connect with new farmers each season. “I would run into wonderful, organic and traditional farmers who had an abundance of food, and there has always been more food than what the farmer himself could eat or sell. The evolution of Seed Time has been on the strength of finding good farmers and never hiding them. They have their customer base, but we’ve been able to help increase that base through social media and networking in the communities. Seed Time started on the scriptural basis of ‘as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest will never cease’ (Genesis 8:22), and what I’ve learned is that to be truth,” Cetta shares.
As expected, there are a multitude of lessons and tips that Cetta has picked up along the way regarding farming that can be of value to those who are looking to grow their own crops. “Good soil matters. Start with the dirt. The composition of your dirt determines the strength and value of your plant, and sometimes that means putting something in the soil organic matter. Potassium, calcium, nitrogen and oxygen – those are four components that are needed in the composition to raise a good plant.”
Cetta describes that it is equally important to know where you’re getting your seeds from. “What we’re experiencing in the farm community is a big push from government and other sources to use genetically modified seeds while making it less and less accessible for you to get good seeds. So good soil, seeds, and the right type of fertilizer (food) leads great crops. Knowing the difference between your bad and beneficial bugs I essential.”
The Focus on Finances
Alongside her work with Seed Time Harvest Farms, Cetta Barnhart spends a great deal of her time advocating for financial wellness and literacy. Her work as a life insurance, annuity and long-term care representative keeps her informed of ways to assist families with risk management and financial wellness. Firsthand experience that comes as the result of the lack of planning can lead one’s family devasted. “Having whole life cash value plans and other supplemental services helps protect families. In many cases this is not an option, it’s a necessity for legacy-building,” Cetta says.
“Our black families have not really been taught well about how to pass on financial wealth. What was taught in the other cultures was how to have ample coverage to leave enough money on the table so that you can maintain your lifestyle. That’s what life insurance does. Insurance is preparing for the what-ifs, and you never know when that may occur. All of my grandchildren have whole life insurance policies so that the money grows as they do, creating a pot of money for use later. No one wants to consider the loss of a child, and few heal from it,” Cetta communicates. “I watched my mother slowly walk to the grave five years to the day of the loss of my brother. We buried them on the same day five years apart.”
Cetta encourages everyone, especially women, to take initiative in achieving financial wellness to gain and ensure self-sustainability. “Don’t be afraid to learn about trading, investing and other financial principles that will teach you the basis of wealth management. Find a financial representative you can trust and learn from so you can divest your money into multiple things that are going to bring you a return. Dedicate some of the time spent on social outlets to educate yourself. Sit in circle and among those that are teaching the money game, for it is a game that we must be well-versed in to teach and take care of our families. Principles like the 80/20% rule and how it breaks down (80% of your money goes to living expenses – inclusive of tithing as a believer) as a whole and 20% of your money goes to the protection of your family and future wealth,” Cetta shares.
In efforts to share more success stories of resilient women in various business industries, Cetta started a series called Seed Time PLUS. This platform highlighted their accomplishments and journey because as Cetta states, “I kept running across phenomenal women who were doing well in their trade and craft. They were willing to share the knowledge to help the collective. So, we began to highlight them”. These women were in the of the automobile industry, forensic accounting, beauty, office management, agriculture and so much more. Her heart is to help women know that they can do anything and keep moving forward no matter what.
LIFE LESSONS
For Cetta Barnhart, holding close the memories of her elders and upbringing is a considerable part of the success she is now. “I carry those who came before me in me. They whisper in my ears and serve as my guides. My mom just passed February 2021, yet the life and lessons she taught still very present. My grandmother passed in 1976 yet her DNA is in me and all of what she did or didn’t do, I carry. That’s just the real simplicity of it, I couldn’t run from it if I wanted to,” Cetta conveys. “My grandmother sold chicken and chitlin dinners from the trunk of her Cadillac in the 50 and 60’s. Later owned a restaurant, hotel (bed and breakfast spot before it was popular), divested in real estate and so much more.” That’s the kind of people Cetta came from. “My grandmother was a slap hustler and could make money hand over fist, so I’ve learned how to be as innovative as they were.
After the death of her mother, Cetta shared that she took a moment to still herself, evaluate and reflect on the special moments of triumph and failure. “I took off about two months before coming back home. During those months I thought about what I wanted next. My drive back from Pennsylvania, took me on a route I had never taken before. Our tradition of driving was up and down I-95 North/South. This time, I returned through the mountains of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia. I got a chance to view the most magnificent landscape and experience one of the most exhilarating drives ever. It was from the beautiful mountain top of Ruby Falls that I had an epiphany. It was a cloudy day, and from the mountaintop you could barely see the seven surrounding states. However, it felt like the heavens were touching the earth and my great cloud of witnesses and all my ancestor were there. Mind you, mom had just left a short while before.
I believe that when a good elder passes on, there’s a mantle left behind. And the other elders gathered to meet them in the air. For me, it was that type of experience. I looked up and said all to all of them – every single one of them, take with you everything that won’t serve me well and leave to me that which I need to survive and be well on this side of living. That was my moment I let all things that no longer served me go and started my do over. You adjust differently when you are reminded of your value and how rich you truly are”
Cetta is a church girl, always has been. “My fore-parents were Founders of Churches, Bishops, Pastor, Teachers, Elder, Saints and friends. My relationship with God and understanding of who Jesus is goes beyond what people have told or taught me. It has grounded my whole life, guided my every decision. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong. But I still trust that ALL THINGS ARE WORKING FOR MY GOOD because I love HIM. It’s all for my perfecting. That’s what I choose to believe and it keeps me going and at peace.”
FOLLOW HER
Supporters of Cetta’s Seed Time Harvest Farms CSA can look forward to some new and wonderful development. A new website has been created – www.seedtimeharvestfarms.com. It now provides an outlet to year-round services of delivery every two weeks. She continues to find local farmers in the North and Central Florida/South Georgia who grow great produce. Even plans in expanding her services to include ranchers of cattle, sheep, and goats to provide USDA certified grass fed and organic meat to her customers. “Seed Time Harvest Farms has been around since 2012. There have been many lessons learned about customer service and what the customer desires. We didn’t always hit the mark, but we listened, made changes, and kept going and growing. Our focus on the farmer, educating them and increasing their potential sales through our service is a win-win for everyone. Both the farmer and the consumer,” says Cetta.
One of the other things that is to come is nutritionally sound packaged meals. These won’t be just a meal put together with great flavor but will include those beneficial foods known to help build and support a healthy body. “Grounds are being cleared for preparation of a new Farmer’s Marketplace in Jefferson County. While our produce will come from many great area farmers, we are focused on bringing more Black Farmers in the region’s produce to the forefront,” Cetta explains. “Culturally, we hope to help address some of our known health disparities by addressing our access to food that heal us and cause no harm. That means that we will be working with farmers and ranchers who use the best practices in organic and natural farming. We’re looking for the good stuff to feed our people.”
Cetta Barnhart, over the last 7 years, has immersed herself between two key powerhouse industries, farming and agriculture and that in the world of Financial Services. She’s deemed herself as the Financing Farmer. It’s the places she has found her Ministry. Ministry means serving. “I’m not Ministering from the pulpit, (although I can rightly divide) or trying to tell the people they need to come to any one church. But I am here to declare to all people that God’s Love IS here for us to live extremely well, and that’s the thing we need to do on this earth – live well and treat people right. That’s what He has given us.”
“The women in my family have been the ones who taught me how our health and wealth are directly affected by our choices. I, like many of you, came from women who did good business around good food. Many were not aware of some of the financial legacy building sets of information that we now have access to or we’d all be better off. However, what they did leave us goes beyond money. It still was rich! It’s now left on us to carry this torch forward with all the knowledge and wisdom available. That’s why I stay working and learning in the area of financial services using life insurance and other wealth growing options to protect and grow our wealth so we can have and share it for generations to come. I plan to share that knowledge with as many paths I cross. I must keep it going.”
STAY CONNECTED
E-mail: Seedtimebiz@gmail.com
Telephone: 850-251-0386.
Rashida A. Marshall is the creator of AFIYA Magazine, a digital health and lifestyle publication for Black women. This creative venture grew out of her love for learning, teaching, and sharing valuable wellness information to help improve the quality of life. Rashida is also a Pilates and dance instructor specializing in women’s health.