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How One Farm Achieved Vertical Integration

Date: 09/26/2012
Time: 1-5 p.m.

Join us for a community supper featuring local foods at a local bakery and café.

 

Host:                                             

Harn Soper

New Shoots Farm

310th and 440th Ave

Emmetsburg, IA 50536

712.852.3363

harnsoper@gmail.com

 

Description:

Tour a vertically integrated, organic, medium-scale farm enterprise with grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and vegetables in production. Learn how Harn is investing in new infrastructure to produce and process differentiated farm products, in ways that recycle energy through the whole farm system. Learn about specialized machinery, and explore the wholesale and retail marketplaces for fresh produce and pasture-based meat.

 

Topics:

·         Naturally raised grass-fed beef

·         Pastured poultry

·         Organic vegetables

·         Compost energy system for year round vegetable production

 

Speakers:

·         Harn Soper, CEO

·         Jarret Herke, Livestock Manager

·         Dennis McDonald, Marketing Manager

·         Rich Schuler, Energy Consultant

 

The Farm:

New Shoots Farm is 100 acres of certified organic vegetables; 400 acres of organic corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa and popcorn; 314 acres of conventional corn and soybeans; and 160 acres of certified organic pasture with black angus (natural, grass-fed), and field-raised poultry. The pasture has its own on-farm poultry processing facility. The vegetable farm has a state-of-the art, year-round aerobic/anaerobic compost energy system for greenhouse heating (includes hot water boiler and biogas heat generator).

 

Field Day sponsors: Soper Farms

 

Directions:

From the intersection of Hwy 18 (Main Street) and Hwy 4 (Broadway stoplight) in Emmetsburg: Go west on Hwy 18 for three blocks. Turn right on Lawler (Co Rd N40). Drive through town, past the golf course, jogging right then turn left onto 460th Ave. Drive 5.6 miles north to 300th St. Turn left on 300th St. and go 2.2 miles. At the old corn crib, turn left and follow the signs.

 

RSVP to: Patrick at the PFI office; 515.232-5661 or patrick@practicalfarmers.org