Producer

Lisle and Ann have been farming chemical free for 30 plus years at different locations. Currently they have two sites, their home at the corner of 16th and Penrose in Grinnell and their farm acerage in rural Malcom. We serve the local Grinnell area and have maintained that practice of small, person to person connections. We try to protect our soils with cover crops, mulches and add only the compost made from our livestock manures to the gardens.

We grow all types of vegetables in a succession planting system that focuses on companion planting, mulching and mechanical weed suppression. We hate to spray anything, but will use organic approved methods for pest control when necessary. Our livestock receive all the weeds, spent plants and leftovers from the gardens, along with grass that we mow daily. Because of predators, we do keep our animals in outside pens with indoors housing for sun and weather protection. Outside of the growing season, we feed mixed alfalfa/grass hay and local non-GMO oats and whole corn in the coldest months to give supplemental nutrition and energy for the environmental conditions. The poultry that we raise are in protective pens that are moved around our properties daily. They eat the grasses, forbs, bugs and soilborne crittes happily. To provide adequate nutrition, all poultry are limit fed an antibotic free, non-medicated commercial feed mix in the evenings.