Urban Farm Tour

Today, we attended the Urban Farm tour sponsored by Lincoln University. It was well organized, orchestrated, and attended. I can honestly say that I have never met a nicer group of people than I met today. It was a group of people who cared about health, took time to grow their own food, and gave back to their communities. There is A LOT of time and effort involved in running a farm and we saw 6 great examples of how to do it well within the city of St. Louis. We visited the following farms:

Global Farm - located close to Vandeventer and Tower Grove - refugees and immigrants from the International Institute of St. Louis learn English, a skilled trade, and volunteer their time to grow enough for their families and for Tower Grove Farmer's Market on an acre of land.

New Roots Farm - located in Mullaphy Square close to downtown - quarter acre farm growing a bounty of vegetables. There are tilapia, chickens, and honey bee hives on this farm. They have a three person CSA and sell at two different farmer's markets.

Bee Sweet Urban Farm - located by Martin Luther King Blvd. - an orchard and vegetable farm run by prettiest woman farmer I have ever seen. They have an active education component  to this farm that teaches children and teenagers everything from plant growth, maintaining a farm, and canning foods. 

Catholic Academy - located by Kingshighway and I-70 - growing vegetables and educating youth about farming practices and healthy eating. They have a small plot but I am impressed at all of the things they are able to grow in that space.

Yours Market - located off of Broadway and I-70 - a grocery store and farm. They are growing and selling their own produce as well as other grocery store items. They were a source of inspiration and an anchor business in their community.

EarthDance Farms - located in Ferguson, MO - a 3 acre farm that has 36 interns and a 100 person CSA that is booming. The farm director combines her loves for farming with an abundance of fun community events.




I learned new information about pest control, weed suppression, and growing strategies. I met a lot of inspiring individuals and Damian and I left with new ideas for our future organic farm.