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Swift: From Microgreen Farming to Food Waste Recycling
Above: Reed Youngbar at Swift Microgreens Farm in Billings, Montana. In farming, even if you do everything right, things can go wrong. Access to a sustainable, thriving market is essential for any farmer to succeed. New and first-generation farmers are often forced into the dilemma of either purchasing somewhat affordable land far away from…
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John Brown: A Passion for Soil Health
John Brown views his life in cycles. He categorizes his life into different phases that have all been integral to form who he is today and how he came to be so devoted to soil health in this cycle of his life. Looking out across grassy, northern plains pastures in Shepherd, Montana, John explains…
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Christine Hampshire: The Wyoming Food Freedom Act and Raw Milk
Above: Christine Hampshire at Cross E Dairy. Christine runs Cross E Dairy, a raw milk operation, in Leiter, Wyoming on the family beef cow and calf ranch. Leiter, Wyoming is wide open country nestled along Clear Creek in eastern Sheridan County. Although Wyoming is not known as a major dairy producing state, the openness…
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Wyoming Food Freedom Act Provides Opportunity for Producers
Above: Joe Wesnitzer in his hydroponic greenhouse in Sheridan, Wyoming. Joe Wesnitzer was surrounded by the gentle hum of a heater while working in his greenhouse harvesting fresh lettuce in late October — a rarity in Wyoming. Outside, his herd of Scottish Highland cattle grazed the frosty ground. The sun was just beginning to…
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Local Producers Connect Community to Food: B&G Produce and the Capital City Farmers’ MarketAbove
Above: Matt and Lindy Geraets standing in their greenhouse about 20 miles east of Pierre, South Dakota. Matt and Lindy Geraets never set out to be farmers. Standing in freshly fallen, early-November snow, the Geraets reflected on their missteps, triumphs and journey into farming. Matt and Lindy grew up near Pierre, South Dakota.…
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Bill and Kate Harwell: Sky Island Farm
Above: Kate and Bill Harwell own and operate Sky Island Farm in Hoquiam, Washington. It’s 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, rain or shine. “Every single season,” Bill Harwell said, as he sorted heirloom tomatoes in the late September sun in Hoquiam, Washington. First generation farmers Kate and Bill Harwell own and…
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Annika Charter Williams: Food Hub
Above: Annika Charter-Williams holds her son, Willie, and daughter, Stevie at their ranch in Shepherd, Montana. Annika Charter Williams helps her 4-year-old daughter Stevie pull on a pair of pink and brown cowboy boots. It’s early morning in late-August. Annika’s father, Steve, rides up to his daughter and granddaughter on a chestnut brown horse.…
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Steve Helling: Prairie Hillside Garden
Above: Steve Helling at home in Brookings, South Dakota. “I want to tell my story because I think it’s important for other people considering starting out in smaller scale agriculture to see an example of what can happen down the road. Since we’ve been doing this and living this for 38 years, it has…
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Doug Lewis: Transitioning to Organic
Through education, patience and practice, farmer Doug Lewis has succeeded in keeping his family’s farm in business. Today Doug and his wife Mary run Agristar, an organic farm in North Powder, Oregon. Agristar was born out of the Farm Crisis of the 1980s and the Lewis’ have fought methodically and strategically to be where…
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Nash Farms:Farming with Family
Above: Tom Tschida at Nash Farms in Carbon County, Montana. Rusty, but functioning, antique tractors and a modern solar array frame Tom Tschida as he describes the unlikely way he became a rancher. “I’d been away working for a long time when [my parents] bought this place and started building it up. A few…