The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) recently awarded $30,000 in micro-grants to help new farmers across the state recover from the pandemic.
Two of the eight farms selected are local to the Mount Vernon area, including Jesse Rickard and Chelsea Gandy of Fox Hollow Farm Naturally of Knox County, and Taylor Wiggins of From Scratch Farm of Licking County. A release by OEFFA said that the funds are for offsetting the costs of operating a farm, such as things like buying a manure spreader or paying for electrical system upgrades. Funds were made possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program. Nearly $550,000 was requested by 127 applicants, showing the high demand from beginning farmers that have been impacted by the pandemic.
"Having worked with beginning farmers across the state, it's become apparent that new farm operations were especially susceptible to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, and that direct financial assistance could help them to address some of those obstacles," Robin Hackett, OEFFA Begin Farming Program Coordinator, said in a release.
From Scratch Farm
From Scratch Farm LLC is a 20-acre family farm in Johnstown, and Wiggins told the Mount Vernon News they have a passion for providing the freshest of vegetables to the community through farmers markets, direct farm sales and wholesale accounts. Wiggins said when he was growing up, he was drawn to the outdoors and as time went on, he became interested in self-sufficiency. This included carpentry, blacksmithing, food preservation, beer- and winemaking, and gardening. Wiggins and his wife, Kim, married in 2018, sold their home, bought farmland and never looked back. Wiggins started the Heartland Farm Beginnings program with OEFFA in the winter of 2019, and spring 2020 was the first growing season.
“Starting our farm business during the pandemic was an experience full of absolute highs and lows,” Wiggins said. “Before COVID was declared a pandemic we had spent the winter procuring supplies and seeds for that first growing season. Then in March, when everything shut down and COVID was declared a pandemic, the challenges really started.”
Wiggins said that the grant money for his farm will be used to finish the new wash and pack building. Funds will be used for adding electricity, plumbing, a roofing addition for a walk-in cooler, and storage for packaging supplies. He said these improvements will assist the farm’s growth.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected to receive the grant,” Wiggins said. “Throughout the pandemic, OEFFA has remained a huge resource for our farm. They have provided networking, development opportunities, hiring resources, organic practice information, grants and even keep us advised of any government initiatives. While starting a farm during the pandemic was difficult, we never felt like we were in it alone and we are very thankful to OEFFA for the grant and their continued support of farmers and local food.”
Fox Hollow Farm
Jesse Rickard and Chelsea Gandy own Fox Hollow Farm Naturally in Knox County, raising grass-fed and finished lamb, beef and pasture-raised pork. The farm has been in business for six years and is in Fredericktown at 20060 Gilmore Road. Gandy and Rickard said they got started in the regenerative agriculture business because it is meaningful work that helps to save the planet. They can be found at the Clintonville and Bexley farmers markets.
They said that the pandemic mainly affected the farm due to market volatility. In the first two months of the pandemic, sales were through the roof and the supply chain couldn’t keep up with the demand. However, the farmers market sales went up and down unpredictably but stayed on the lower side.
“We've found that more people are buying hanging weight instead of buying the cut,” Gandy and Rickard said in an email. “Throughout it all OEFFA has provided relevant access resources to help us navigate these changing times.”
The awarded grant money will go toward buying a feed bin. They said this will allow them to buy organic feed for the pigs and chicken in bulk, cutting costs and ensuring that they can store more feed so they can have more reliable access.
“We are excited,” Gandy and Rickard wrote. “This will help us adapt our operations to be more robust for the future. We're so grateful that OEFFA provided us with this opportunity.”
More information about the farms can be found at their websites: foxhollowfarmnaturally.com and Fromscratch.farm.
