Written by Clare Boland and OFRF workers
Three Springs Farm is an authorized natural farm situated in japanese Oklahoma within the Ozark Hills. Farmers Mike Appel and Emily Oakley domesticate over forty completely different crops and greater than 150 particular person varieties on three acres of land. Their aim is to keep up a household operation that demonstrates the financial viability of small-scale farming.
Initially, Three Springs bought the vast majority of their produce at farmers’ markets, however because the pandemic, they’ve transitioned into being majority Neighborhood Supported Agriculture (CSA). As an alternative of giving clients a pre-packed field like a standard CSA, they provide a free selection mannequin, permitting clients to choose what veggies they need to obtain at their weekly pick-up in Tulsa. CSA members additionally obtain a publication containing recipes, pictures, and tales from the farm. “It’s non-traditional, however we nonetheless have that group assist,” says Mike. Along with their CSA, in addition they promote wholesale to a restaurant and a Meals is Medication Program.
For Mike and Emily, farming organically was their intention from the beginning. Each studied agriculture in faculty, and afterward gained expertise working at natural farms like Full Stomach Farm in California. After Emily completed her graduate diploma on the College of California-Davis, they relocated to Oklahoma, the place Emily was raised, to begin a farm of their very own.
However discovering a everlasting dwelling for his or her farm took a bit longer than they’d hoped. They checked out greater than 100 properties over the course of three years. Throughout this time, they farmed on leased land, however have been unable to turn into licensed due to soil amendments used on the land previous to their lease. Finally, they discovered land in Japanese Oklahoma, about an hour east of Tulsa, the place they’ve been farming for the previous 22 years.
“Oklahoma is admittedly troublesome as a result of there’s not a number of good soil,” Mike explains. “The most effective land tends to be river valleys, however they’re vulnerable to flooding. Or, there is likely to be actually nice land however no water. The most effective land we noticed was south of Tulsa, however it was too costly for us. We have been on the eleventh hour once we simply sort of stumbled upon our place.”
The land they bought hadn’t been farmed earlier than, in order that they didn’t must undergo the three-year natural transition interval to acquire natural certification. “It’s why we do what we do,” Michael stated when requested in regards to the resolution to be licensed natural. “There was by no means a query of doing something apart from that… We really don’t want it for advertising functions.”
Regardless of that, Mike says their CSA clients are nonetheless within the natural label – what it means and the integrity behind it. He additionally thinks the bashing of huge organics doesn’t do lots to assist the label total. “Once you’re doing that persistently, the patron doesn’t perceive and goes to equate organics as one thing that’s fraudulent. That’s a fear. It needs to be much more delicate and balanced. There are a number of us on the market doing it proper. There’s a number of concern, and I believe we’re driving a really high-quality line of shedding shopper assist if we don’t make integrity and strict requirements the precedence.”
Along with being USDA-certified natural, Three Springs Farm can also be licensed by means of the Actual Natural Mission. Emily served on the Nationwide Natural Requirements Board from 2016-2021 and advocated towards the inclusion of hydroponic greens beneath the USDA label. The USDA’s resolution to incorporate hydroponics was what led to the founding of the Actual Natural Mission, the place Emily at the moment serves on the requirements board. The Actual Natural Mission label goes past the USDA natural label, differentiating natural meals produced in live performance with wholesome soils and pasture, and providing clients better transparency.
Mike’s prime the explanation why individuals ought to select natural at any time when doable begin with the plain. “You don’t need poisons in your meals. That to me is prime. We don’t need to eat meals grown with chemical substances and we don’t need different individuals to both.
“Additionally, farmworkers shouldn’t be working in fields which have nasty chemical substances. We now have an extended method to go to make sure individuals have good working circumstances, however a minimum of we will guarantee individuals aren’t being uncovered to dangerous chemical substances once they’re rising our meals.”
Then there are the bigger environmental impacts. “Residing close to a creek and seeing the life that’s there may be unimaginable. Whereas it’s resilient, it’s additionally very weak to our influences. It’s essential to verify your meals decisions don’t impair that. After we purchase natural, we expect past ourselves. Our decisions have large impacts in different components of the world. Simply attempt to make the perfect decisions you’ll be able to with what you’ve in entrance of you.”
Though Mike and Emily personal round 100 acres, they solely hold three to 4 acres in manufacturing because it’s simply the 2 of them and their daughter. Nearly all of their land is in conservation for wildlife habitat and native ecosystem restoration. Figuring out the appropriate schedule for his or her cowl cropping has helped not solely to construct biomass, but additionally to handle their farm with minimal workers.
”Something that was spring crops will get was a summer time cowl crop. After which any land that isn’t gonna be utilized in any respect that yr can also be in summer time cowl crop. We finish our season on Labor Day to get our winter cowl crop planted. So we spend most of September, and just a little little bit of October, cleansing up fields and simply promoting to the restaurant and the Meals is Medication program.” The aim, Mike says, is to get the whole farm into cowl crop by mid-fall. “Over time, we’ve discovered the way to maintain the farm as two individuals; not rising year-round is a method to do this.”
Although, local weather irregularities have brought on them to adapt their plans season to season. “ Our falls have been lots drier, so we’re not capable of plant till we get a rain, and people rains haven’t been coming till October. So we’ve modified our winter cowl crop just a little bit due to that, including extra winter-hardy [varieties].”
Along with fall droughts, they’ve additionally been experiencing heavy rains within the spring. This previous yr was “the wettest spring we’ve ever had, which is saying lots for this area as a result of we’ve fairly moist springs. We get fairly extreme storms. It’s normally a deluge. And this spring was the worst in our 20 years of farming. We simply couldn’t get again into the sphere. And there have been a number of illness issues in our potatoes and onions due to it.”
Together with the modifications they’ve made to their cowl crop combine, Mike and Emily are additionally experimenting with lowered tillage to fight local weather extremes. This yr, as a substitute of rototilling their summer time crop previous to winter planting, they tried discing it in as a substitute. “We’re actually blissful the best way that turned out. The soil is lots much less abused once we don’t rototill.” Within the coming yr, they’re hoping to experiment with interseeding, planting cowl crops alongside money crops, to fight soil erosion and construct resilience for rain occasions.
Mike and Emily have additionally developed a superb relationship with Oklahoma State College. “We’ve achieved some varietal trials with them, which helped us determine what works,” says Mike. “What’s been attention-grabbing is to see the extension brokers turn into extra considering cowl cropping. They’re nonetheless very standard, however they’ve turn into extra after seeing what cowl crops have achieved for us—the truth that we’re natural, our crops are wholesome, and our yields are good—with out having to place down chemical fertilizers.”
“We’re a bit far-off from the college, so it makes it tougher to collaborate, however we’ve advised them to name us at any time when they do selection trials. We now have numerous concepts and have trialed a bunch of various crops.”
His finest recommendation for brand new farmers? Perseverance.
“There are occasions I’ve positively needed to only throw within the towel. However in the long run, issues work out. You speak to individuals, determine the issues. Every year it will get higher, however you’ll nonetheless have setbacks, just like the climate for us this yr. Know that whereas nothing is static, every year you’ll have the ability to construct in your expertise.”
