Fresh, Local, Sustainable Food for NE Iowa Sunflower Fields - Michael Nash and Solveig Hanson
776 Old Stage Rd., Postville
Sunflower Fields lies just north of the Yellow River in Allamakee County near Postville and Waukon. The farm is made up of 210 acres of fairly hilly land - enough so that we plant on contours and use grass waterways and buffers to make sure we don't lose soil down the slopes. Consequently, you will see as much grass and sod at Sunflower Fields as you find vegetable fields. Besides our growing land, we have 40 acres of 10 year old forest and we just finished planting another 18 acres of tree seedlings and nuts. Additionally, we also planted a 20 acre section of prairie. Our 110 year old barn houses a washroom and large packing area for our vegetable production.
We grow a wide variety of vegetables on our land, many of which are for GROWN Locally's vegetable shares. Most of those crops are standard vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers and other familiar crops. We also grow some less-common vegetables, like fennel, collard greens, and dragon's tongue beans, for variety and fun.
We know that the health of our crops depends on the health of our soil and the surrounding ecosystem, and we farm in accordance with that principle. We use a 7 year rotation that includes vegetables, small grains, and hay in order to give our land time to build organic matter and a diverse community of microorganisms. Our only inputs are finished compost, which we make ourselves, and occasional OMRI-approved insect deterrents. We use mechanical cultivation and strategic planting techniques to control weeds.
Sunflower Fields is co-owned and managed by Michael Nash and Solveig Hanson, with the help of a truly spectacular staff. Our core staff this season consists of apprentices Laura Forsman and Liz Levy, who join staff members Terisa Steiber and Jen Monroe. Intern Jenny O'Neill will join us this summer, along with a crew of enthusiastic harvesters.
We invite you to join us and all the GROWN Locally farms for a season of great tastes!
