Johnson County gardening program vying for $20,000 grant

JOHNSON COUNTY - The local organization behind the future organic farm on the historic Johnson County Poor Farm property is in the running for up to $20,000 in national grant dollars for community-based gardens.

Officials with Grow: Johnson County, the hunger-relief farm project in the process of signing a lease for two acres of farmland near the county poor farm, have applied for grant money from the Seeds of Change Grant Program.

John Boller, executive director of the Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry and member of Grow: Johnson County, said the grant money would help the group immensely.

'That could really help us out in maximizing food production out there,” Boller said. 'The plan is to take all of the food that we grow out there and put it back into the local hunger-relief programs.”

The first round of grant applicants are decided by the public, with the ability to cast one vote per day at the Seeds of Change website until voting closes April 27.

Judges will take the top 50 applicants and choose 34 grant recipients, with grants ranging from $20,000 to $1,000.

While momentum is building for Grow: Johnson County, official produce will not be planted this year, but rather a cover crop to help transition the land away from its former use as conventional farmland to be more suitable for organic produce.

'You have to grow soil before you can grow plants,” said Scott Koepke, founder of New Pioneer Cooperative's Soilmates organic gardening education service. 'We're spending this first year lining up partners and conditioning the soil.”

Koepke added that Grow: Johnson County also will be an educational tool for residents interested in learning more about gardening, produce and compost.

After the soil is replenished, official planting of crops will take place in 2016, Boller said.

The extra year will give officials more time to build community support and collect volunteers for work and partners for harvested produce, he added.

Boller said the group hopes to also hire a three-quarter time farm manager this summer or fall to maintain the crop production plan as well as a one-quarter time director position to help seek additional funding or partnerships.

All produce - officials aim to grow between 20,000 and 30,000 pounds of organic produce a year - will be picked up by local food rescue organization Table to Table and donated to area food pantries, homeless shelters and meal programs serving Johnson County residents.

'The plan is to take all of the food that we grow out there and put it back into the local hunger relief programs,” Boller said, noting that volunteers will be necessary. 'It will definitely take a lot of helping hands out there.”