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a community farming cooperative
GROWN Locally - Our Farming Cooperative
GROWN
Locally
Producer Profiles
Here is a list of all the GROWN Locally producer/members. Click on any profile you wish to read or scroll down and read 'em all! Thanks for getting to know us.
Kyle,
Mari,
Teddy, and Violet Holthaus
Michael Nash and Solveig Hanson
Scott
Nordschow and
Marissa Knehans
Kyle, Mari,
Teddy, and Violet Holthaus
Kymar Acres is home to Kyle, Mari, Teddy and Violet Holthaus, and is located between Decorah and Waukon. This year you can look for a number of exciting things from their farm. KyMar Acres products include various vegetables, eggs and flowers. The flock of free range hens lay tasty, farm fresh eggs and the beautiful flowers will be arranged and grown by Mari.
KyMar Acres:
•vegetables
•flower bouquets and buckets
•fresh eggs
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Merle and Cindy Steines
Merle and Cindy Steines have lived on beautiful Top of the Hollow Farm for 27 years. Merle and Cindy operate a small row crop operation, a commercial organic goat dairy, and the garden. We market organic soybeans, goat milk, and fresh produce through GROWN Locally Cooperative and at the Decorah Farmers Market. Potatoes of all colors and characteristics have become our specialty and pleasure. Giving local people the opportunity to enjoy fresh organic produce is rewarding for us and we look forward to more opportunities to further fill that need.
Top of the Hollow
Farm:
• potatoes
• other vegetables
• herbs
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Al and Sandy Peake
Al and Sandy Peake own and operate Peake Orchard in Waukon. They will be providing Sunflower Fields Farm Shareholders and GROWN Locally Food Basket members with a variety of early and late apples. They are enthused about being part of the GROWN Locally family and we all are looking forward to their delicious products. In addition to all the orchard work, Al also works as a real estate agent in Decorah and Sandy is working towards her teaching licensure at Luther College. This makes for a very busy life, but we haven’t heard them complaining!
Peake Orchard:
• many varieties of apples
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Jeremy Peake and Jodi Gaunt
This is Jeremy Peake’s fourth year as a GROWN Locally grower. This season he is joined by his fiancé, Jodi Gaunt (an intern last season at Sunflower Fields). Together they operate a pasture-based dairy farm west of Waukon. Jeremy and Jodi will provide pasture raised chickens and turkeys for GROWN Locally during 2005. Chickens will again be offered in small and large sizes as shares and turkeys will be available in time for Thanksgiving.
New this year, they will also be offering pork for sale by the piece, half or whole hog. The pork is raised outdoors and according to animal welfare standards - see note below. Jodi is excited about continuing on as a GROWN Locally producer member. Both Jeremy and Jodi are looking forward to providing you with quality poultry and pork this season!
J&J Farm
• farm-fresh chickens
• turkeys
• grass-fed pork
Jeremy and Jodi’s pigs are fed no animal by-products and are given no antibiotics or hormones. They have space to move in outdoor deep bedded pens and are in the process of being moved to an all pasture raised system. The pork will be available by the cut on the GROWN Locally website or by calling GROWN Locally. An insert in an early newsletter will explain how you can order a half or whole hog.
Connie Burns
Connie Burns is a Registered/Licensed Dietitian with over 15 years experience in the field of foods and nutrition. Connie will be offering nutrition education to GROWN Locally participants through food demonstrations, newsletter articles and a Q & A Hotline service.
Living Well Services
• moderator for DINE Locally
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Karel and Joyce Rawson
Karel and Joyce Rawson have been growing strawberries for 21 years and fall raspberries for 3 years, west of West Union. We sell u-pick and prepicked berries at our farm, though GROWN Locally Food Basket and Institutional Sales, Sunflower FIelds Farm Shares, and Farmers Markets. Since retiring from over-the-road semi driving, we are raising a few vegetables. It is our goal to provide good tasting, nutritious berries for your enjoyment and good health. For pictures of our operation and recipes visit us at www.rawsonberries.com .
Rawson Berries
• strawberries
• raspberries
• vegetables
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Michael Nash and Solveig Hanson
Sunflower Fields is the farm where Solveig Hanson and Michael Nash grow a wide variety of vegetables for GROWN Locally. Thirty acres of their farm is devoted to raising produce for the cooperative’s Farm Shares, Food Basket and Institutional Sales programs. Sunflower Fields also hosts GROWN Locally’s washing and packing areas, very busy places during the growing season. In addition, you will find the cooperatives’ new kitchen and processing facility, licensed by the state of Iowa, nestled behind the old red barn. The facility gives us the ability to do things like slice, dice, shred and peel our vegetables as well as develop recipes for many kinds of value-added products - all using our own fresh, local produce. There is also more excitement this year at Sunflower Fields as we prepare to plant a test plot of grape vines, 20 acres of native prairie and add twenty more acres of trees to our beautiful woods! Solveig and Michael extend an invitation to all to come out to Sunflower Fields for a visit and a chat!
Sunflower Fields
• vegetables
• hand-made functional soaps
• herbs
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Wayne and Cheryl Wangsness
Our farm is a family farm that is once again in the process of passing from one generation to another the challenge of growing healthy food. We grow sweet corn for Grown Locally and special soybeans for a soy milk that is marketed through Organic Valley. Our small grains, corn and hay mostly go to other area farmers so that they can raise beef and eggs. We particularly enjoy the woods we have planted over the years and the ponds we have built in their midst.
Flying W Farms
• cabbage
• sweet
corn
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Rosie the Dog
Rose resides at Sunflower Fields Farm, but is, in every way, the “Co-op Dog!”
She says: “Watch for my column in the weekly newsletter for farm updates and many interesting quotes. And be sure to bring the family out to see me this year for a tour of the place. As we grow and add more products and programs for you, it takes someone like me to oversee the operation. You can be sure I will be on the job at all times for taste testing, operational efficiency, quality control and crew morale. Come on out to see us - and be sure to bring biscuits!”
Rose’s Operational
Management Services
• overall management of daily operations at Sunflower Fields
• communications director
• quality control/taste testing
• office manager
• public relations
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Barbara and Irving Horns
Barbara and Irving Horns live on a farm south of Decorah. Their yard is filled with beautiful flowerbeds, fish ponds, and rolling lawns, keeping them busy, but creating a wonderful home setting. Barbara and Irving are parents to seven sons and five daughters, now scattered across the country. Barbara bakes bread, pies, and cookies for GROWN Locally programs this year.
Barbara’s Country
Townline Road Bakery
• breads
• pies
• cookies
• brownies
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Michael and Susan Heier
Heier Family Organic Farm has been family operated for the last 62 years. Michael and Susan, along with their children, are currently running a small diversified farm raising beef, hogs, broilers, and laying hens. They are also looking forward to growing a variety of produce for GROWN Locally this year, this being their third year as GROWN Locally growers. They look forward to working with the other producers to provide quality food to you!
Heier Family Organic
Farm
• vegetables
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Scott Nordschow and
Marissa Knehans
Scott and Marissa are the newest members of GROWN Locally and will be producing vegetables for the Food Basket and Institutional Sales in 2005. Scott and his family own a farm near Burr Oak where he and Marissa will be growing this year. Marissa grew up on a dairy farm near Strawberry Point and now works as a field manager at Seed Savers Heritage Farm in Decorah. Scott and Marissa will be getting married this summer!
Scott and Marissa’s
Place
•vegetables
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Chuck Humphrey
Chuck Humphrey and his pest control experts shown here have a half acre garden growing a variety of veggies using organic methods in Frankville, Iowa. Along with tending his own garden space, Chuck also lends a welcome hand at Sunflower Fields, working on picking, packing and delivery of your fresh vegetables. In addition, he works in the produce department at the new Decorah Quillin’s Grocery - can’t get enough vegetables!
Once Again Garden
• onions
• other vegetables
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Steve and Jeannie Daughton
Bear Creek Honey is a small honey business run by Steve and Jeannie Daughton. They are located in the Northwest corner of Allamakee county between Highlandville and Dorchester. Steve and Jeannie both work full time in Decorah, raise beef cattle, poultry and bees. Their farm is located on Bear Creek trout stream, and they also run a bed and breakfast out of their home.
Bear Creek Honey
• honey
• creamed honey
• bees wax candles
• honey products gift baskets
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David Burns - this is not David above
David Burns operates Burns Angus Farm. The farm was established in 1950 by Edwin Burns, David’s grandfather, and is part of the Francis Burns Estate. David is helped by his family including his mother Marilyn, brothers Owen, Don and Ed and sister Mary. The cattle on the farm are raised on pasture and fed certified organic feed. The meat is processed at the Edgewood locker and carries a USDA inspection label. Burns Angus beef is available by the cut as well as by the split-side quarter. David shares the values of GROWN Locally - the building of relationships with customers, high-quality products, affordable cost, great service and the opportunity for families and institutions to get to know where and how their food is raised.