Bountiful Harvest Farms by Kieran

 

Good day everyone and welcome back,

This is day 4 of the 2022 Riverview High School FFA Agriculture Tour of the southern states of North Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Today, we went to a very unique produce farm in Starkville, Mississippi. The company is BountifulHarvest Farms. There was a kind gentleman named Hal who was able to give us a tour on their farm and what they do. The owner, Mr. Sam McLemore wasn't able to be with us.

 

There are various things that make this farm stand out compared to others. The first thing I want to mention is that they’re considered a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The CSA is a small organization that allows members in a certain community to get locally grown food to people living in the area. CSA is considered to be a paid membership and varies per place. In this community for example, anyone in the area can buy a 13 week membership from Bountiful Harvest Farms for $360.00 and receive a fresh bag of produce twice a week for that season. The bag of produce can include any vegetables, fruits, and flowers they’re harvesting for that week. Such as lettuce, marigold flowers, strawberries, onions, microgreens, garlic, turmeric, or whatever else is in season. The CSA also gives the consumer the opportunity to know where their food comes from and how it’s grown.

The next thing that stood out to me is that this farm is all about regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is the efficient process of using all natural sources to produce your crop. I can state a lot of examples of this concept that is represented in this farm.

First, I want to make something clear before I explain this concept. There is a difference between dirt and soil. Dirt alone does not support organic matter or life. Soil on the other hand does this and has way more nutrients.

In Mississippi, there is a lot of clay soil. Clay soil has been scientifically proven to have very little organic matter. This farm uses a variety of wood (some common types of wood are pine, pecan, oak, and hickory) cut into wood chips. These wood chips are used for ground cover and compost for the plants. As it decomposes, it provides the soil and the plants various nutrients (ex: Nitrogen[N]).

Another example from this farm is that they plant some flowers such as Marigolds. Marigolds are planted next to certain crops as an insect repellent and a pollinator (honey bees are pollinators) resource. The sunflowers are also nutrient accumulators for the soil. Some crops can be used as a nutrient resource too. The sugar pea, for example, is used as a Nitrogen [N] fixer for the soil. Even dried leaves fallen from the crop onto the grown is a source of fertilizer for the soil.

They also use a broad fork rather than a tiller to even out the soil. The broad fork is gentle on the soil and doesn’t kill living organisms that are considered as a natural fertilizer (ex. Earthworms).

A unique process that they use for planting seeds is using these transplant trays. The reason why you want to plant seeds in these small pots then in the ground is because you have more control of the plant. Some factors are predators, excessive sunlight, etc. When the plant has the roots sticking out of the bottom of the seedling pot, that’s when you want to plant it into the ground.  What you don’t want is a root bound plant. Root bound is when you leave a plant for too long and the roots expand around the soil.

Overall, I’m thoroughly impressed by what this farm does not only for the consumer, but also the environment. They’re truly passionate about regenerative agriculture and they achieve this through consistency and hard work!

Before I check out of here, I want to state some fun facts.

 1. Did you know that covering a field of soil with black tarp can suppress weeds?

2. Did you know that after these weeds are suppressed, the worms eat them? Ever watched lion king, sounds like the circle of life to me. :)

3. A trellis is a tool that is used to keep the plant stable. Whether if it’s a metal stick, a wood stick, or a string.

This is Kieran checking out from the Ag Tour 2022 blog and I’ll see you in the next one.

 

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1. These are red onions growing.

2. This is an example of a root bound transplant.

3. Microgreens have become very popular.

4. Tomato plants are tied with a string. This is an example of trellising.

5. Marigolds are planted to help with insect control, instead of using pesticides.

6. Mint is grown in containers to help control its growth.

7. Mr. Hall demonstrated how to the broad fork.

8. Fennel is an interesting plant, it smells like licorice.

9. Plants are started by seed in these trays.

10. Many different types of plants are planted in rows together. Mulch is added to walkways for weed control and moisture retention.