Fisher-Merritts work with nature on their organic farm
By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 03/11/2010 9:08 AM
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WRENSHALL, Minn. -- The Fisher-Merritt family, MOSES' 2010 Organic Farmers of the Year, try to work within nature's systems on their certified organic vegetable farm in Wrenshall.
John has farmed organically since he started the operation 37 years ago and Jane joined him the next year.
Food Farm advertises their vegetables are raised without chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, but their work goes beyond that, Jane said.
"It's just a given to use that we don't use those things," she explained. "For us, it's much more about what we do."
Potatoes and cabbage used to be popular crops in their area but with less farms today, all the ancestors of pests that fed on those crops find the Fisher-Merritts' vegetables very appealing.
"We have to outsmart them rather than poison them," Jane said.
John and Jane's son, Janaki, worked with an entomologist at the University of Minnesota to learn about research on potato beetles. Findings showed the beetles' flying muscles don't gain strength until August. In response, the Fisher-Merritts started rotating where they plant their potatoes every year by a half of a mile so when the potato beetles hatch, there's no food source available and they have to walk to reach the crop.
"By that time, the potatoes are well established," Jane said.
Because of practices likes these, Food Farm has reached the point where they no longer use even organically-approved insecticides.
They are continually working to improve their soil. John does soil testing and analysis. Janaki manages the cover crop rotation and tilling of green manure.
Their northern Minnesota climate keeps them from growing in the winter, but they deliver produce to their Community Supported Agriculture members nine months out of the year. That is possible in part due to a large root cellar of their own design they installed in 2000. It uses the natural cooling and heating energy of the earth. Fans control how much outside air comes in to accommodate storage temperature of different vegetables.
"From November to March, we deliver from our root cellar," Jane said.
Hoop houses have helped them extend their growing season.
"We were some of the pioneers, Iguess, with plastic hoop houses. We started making them for our own use because of our very short growing season. We have five of those," Jane said.
Three years ago, they purchased and put up a high tunnel facility. They grow trellised tomatoes inside.
"That really gives us a jump," Jane said. "We start delivering ripe tomatoes in early to mid-July and we go right into October."
They've inter-planted herbs and lettuces in with the tomatoes.
Jane said the CSA model has helped the family pursue other interests besides farming, and has helped the family reach their shared vision: to have healthy relationships with people and the earth.
"Our life turned out to be much more amazing than we'd imagined," she said.
They received a plaque, a $500 check and a $100 certificate to the MOSES book sale at the conference.