On May 23, 2023, thirty Indiana urban and small-scale vegetable farmers took a bus ride to Kentucky, where farmer Jesse Frost gave a tour of his soil health-centric Rough Draft Farmstead. Organized by Kevin Allison of the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District and Elli Blaine of IASWCD’s Urban Soil Health program, the project was funded through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and a generous donation from America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM). The purpose of the tour was to see hands on the practices of a farm that integrates conservation principles and practices into diverse specialty crop production. Farmer Jesse has gained visibility via the No Till Growers Podcast and YouTube platforms, and via his book “The Living Soil Handbook: The No-Till Growers Guide to Ecological Market Gardening.”
The tour commenced with a demonstration on creating compost extract to boost the microbiology and fertility of transplants before planting them into the field. Over the course of the next four hours, the group moved through the growing beds and engaged in detailed discussions on high tunnels, crop rotations and intercropping, water management, weed control, beneficial insects, compost, soil health, cover crops, mulching, labor, and much more.
Touring another farm operation can be an invaluable opportunity for farmers to gain new ideas and see techniques that could potentially be employed on their own farms. “It’s always nice to visit other farms to see how they operate and Jesse’s farm was pretty special. I’m really glad I got the opportunity to go,” said Melissa Holloway of Holloway’s Garden, an urban flower farm in Indianapolis. The networking and sharing of ideas among Indiana farmers is also a perk of educational trips and a moral booster for hard working farmers that benefit from time spent with others doing similar work. Daniel Garcia of Garcia’s Gardens echoed that sentiment. “Lots of no till learning and seeing faces I don’t normally see mid season. Thanks to farmer Jesse, family, and crew for letting us explore the farm.”
Rough Draft Farmstead is an organically certified vegetable farm, but Jesse’s practices and philosophies go beyond any certification. “My goal is to be able to reduce inputs on this farm as much as possible. I haven’t bought compost in two years. I grow healthy transplants using soil blocks and biologically active roots drenches before the crops go in the ground. I use cover crops as a part of my fertility strategy. Healthy soil helps me reduce the need for additional fertilization,” says Jesse. It was also evident that Jesse is diligent about planting habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. “The idea is to have more and more flowers everywhere”.
Compost can be a good thing, “Mulching with compost and other organic materials can do a lot to take care of weeds if done right.” Jesse added, “Mulching goes down, and weed potential goes up.” However, Jesse’s goal to reduce inputs and to avoid potential contamination from compost sources has led him to think and act even more strategically about compost and weed management, such as learning about which weeds are going to be a problem and when. Jesse still makes and uses compost, and adding compost to a squash planting is one step he doesn’t skip. “Your winter squash is telling you something when it’s growing so well in your compost pile!”
The tour ended with a group dinner at Locals Food Hub & Pizza Hub in Frankfort, Kentucky, a restaurant dedicated to sourcing delicious ingredients from local producers. Kevin Allison of the Marion County SWCD emphasized the importance of supporting urban and small farmers. “Soil and Water Conservation Districts have a unique opportunity to provide educational and networking support, especially with backing from the USDA-NRCS and ACAM. We often hear from farmers that they want to learn from other farmers, so we try our best to help make that happen. Get connected with your local SWCD or www.urbansoilhealth.org as we’ll continue to organize workshops that hope to benefit our vegetable growers.”
