Seed Crops (PDF) – Seed Internships
Purchase organic seed at our seed store — www.meadowlarkhearth.org
Meadowlark Hearth Farm is the home of the Living Environment Foundation. As a not-for-profit partner of Meadowlark Hearth, LEF supports social and educational programs based on the farm, as well as the Biodynamic seed work so crucial to the future of agriculture on the North American continent.
Sitting at nearly 4,000 feet altitude, Meadowlark Hearth spreads out over 492 acres in western Nebraska. The site is good for seed production, offering a warm, dry climate and a high water table on the Ogallala aquifer with 140 acres of irrigated crop ground and 16 inches average annual rainfall. Vegetable seed grown includes cabbage, onion, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, parsnips, annual herbs, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melon, cucumber and squash. The farm also produces bedding plants, a vegetable CSA (Community Agriculture project), grass fed cows, and Berkshire pigs.
Beth and Nathan Corymb farm land Beth’s grandparents homesteaded, and where Beth grew up. She left as a young person, but “always held the dream and long-term goal of returning to bring organic and biodynamic agriculture to this special piece of Mother Earth.” After farming together in internships in Camphill Villages in the early 1980’s, they knew agriculture was their chosen path. They committed themselves to sustainable farming early on. “We both trained biodynamically, which is a whole farm approach with the garden integrated in the farm. We love nature and wanted to see Nature supported in the farming practices,” says Beth. Their inspiration to grow seed, and their training, began with a life time membership in the Seed Savers Exchange, followed by Nathan’s internships at Sativa (Switzerland) and Bingenheim (Germany) biodynamic seed production initiatives in the early 1990’s. A reduction in the availability of favorite varieties strengthened their motivations to grow seed. These aspirations have been realized, as the Corymbs began farming the site in 2010 and the land is now certified organic and Demeter certified for seed growing. They are working to develop a demonstration Biodynamic(R) farm combining seed growing, community supported agriculture (CSA), biodynamic training, and education and social initiatives. They produce seed, vegetables and heirloom livestock.
A current effort that LEF is developing in partnership with Meadowlark Hearth Farm is a cost share that will help families who could not otherwise afford the cost of the farm’s CSA, to provide membership so that they can have access to the Biodynamically grown food that otherwise would be beyond their food budget. If you would like to contribute to this initiative, contact us using our “Contacting LEF” page.
For information about LEF’s home base and partner in regenerative agriculture, visit http://www.meadowlarkhearth.org/.