Feed Iowa First opens new site at Wanatee Farm with Linn County Conservation

Local nonprofit Feed Iowa First has opened its new 17-acre site in partnership with Linn County Conservation at Wanatee Farm.

The nonprofit moved to the site at 6945 Lakeside Road near Marion, off Wanatee Creek Road, after deciding to no longer farm on a portion of the Linn County Dows Farm “agri-community” site nearby.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors previously approved ending a farm management agreement with the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, which leased land to Feed Iowa First, on June 1 instead of Oct. 31. A faulty well pushed the nonprofit off the land earlier than planned, prompting the developer, Chad Pelley of Twenty40 Concepts, to re-imagine the farm elements of the agri-community project.

Feed Iowa First had been at the Dows site since spring 2021, when it began work to transition the land from growing conventional crops to table food. This land was home to its Equitable Land Access program, which allows access to underserved farmers.

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The Gazette spoke with Feed Iowa First Executive Director Emmaly Renshaw about the new project, which was underway before the organization left the Dows site.

Q: How did this new project start with Linn County Conservation?

A: “At the time, we were looking for increased land access for underserved farmers and County Conservation had a tract of land … (where) there were no immediate plans. We worked with them to write a 20-year land lease agreement. And part of that long-term lease agreement was to be able to justify placing a well on that land.”

To irrigate 11 acres of land (6 acres of the site are woodland), Renshaw said the agricultural well cost about $50,000 to install.

“It's really difficult for us to justify putting in that type of infrastructure without longevity on that land, and so that 20-year lease, that was able to help us say, 'OK, we're going to have this land long enough to be able to justify the cost of that well.’ And that well is critical for vegetable production.”

Q: What are the different elements of the site?

A: “Each side of the farm is really for Feed Iowa First’s ‘Grow Don't Mow’ expansion. Our ‘Grow Don't Mow’ program is for our community production, and so we grow typically around 30,000 pounds of fresh produce for Linn County food pantries. We have a vegetable box outside of apartment complexes, we have free health clinics. And so that's our goal, is to look at health equity across the city and ensure that underserved communities have access to fresh and nutrient-dense foods. … As we see the food insecurity and needs rise in Linn County, this is an opportunity for us to continue to expand our operations for that community distribution.

“The other part of the farm and the main part of the farm is really equitable land access, and so we can host up to six farmers out there. Typically the farmers have anywhere from a third of an acre to an acre, depending on the size of their operations. For vegetable production, this is a fairly standard entry-level size. A standard vegetable production farm in Iowa is anywhere from 1 acre to really large is around 10 acres. So these farms, unlike traditional farms, are a lot smaller and they're also a lot more manual-labor intensive.”

Q: What work has gone into getting this site off the ground? How long does that process take and what did Feed Iowa First have to do?

A: “With the closure of Dows, we had displaced farmers that we had nowhere to place, and so we decided instead of keeping this land in cover crops for another few years — which from an environmental standpoint would have been appropriate to do — we decided to essentially open the farm in 45 days instead of three years.

“That process included 2,600 linear feet of 8-foot deer fence. There's an incredibly high deer presence in this area. It included opening up about one-and-a-half-acres into production the first year. Because we didn't have that three-year runway … we did bring in 50 tons of Cedar Rapids city compost to augment that soil to bring it up to the specs that we needed to grow.

“And then just infrastructure. We put up a small machine shed to store equipment in and then on our side we're putting up that first hoop house.”

A hoop house is a covered growing space that protects plants from weather extremes and extends the growing season.

“That hoop house will be both for Feed Iowa First production but also for equitable land access farmers to trial growing in hoops. Typically, they will expand the growing season about four weeks on both sides of season. That means you can start earlier in the spring — and especially for culturally relevant produce that is very susceptible to cold temperatures or to frost, it's an opportunity for farmers to get in there and see if the cost of that type of infrastructure is worth it to their crops.”

Q: To the farmers working through the Equitable Land Access program, what did this move look like for them? Were you able to move all the farmers over from the Dows site?

A: “It was kind of a breath of relief that there's longevity, that they know … there will be a place that will be secured for them to return the next year. … The downside with Dows, we were in year three, and so when you're switching from conventional to sustainable farming, the first three years have very high weed pressures. You're taking land out of the system that had traditionally been treated with Roundup year after year. Most of our weeds are mechanically removed … so farmers just need a lot more manual labor for that first year or two because of weed pressure.”

Q: For any members of the community who are interested in engaging with the new site or interested in buying anything from the Equitable Land Access program, what's the best way for them to do so?

A: “In the morning, if the gate is open, community members are always welcome to stop by and talk to farmers directly. Otherwise, we have a website called equitablelandaccess.com. On there, we have all of our farmers with their contact information. Many times, especially through the African communities, it's direct sales to consumers.

“The easiest way to get in contact with the farmers is to go through the website. They either have their email or their phone number listed and (people can) contact them directly. They're really great to work with because they will sell anywhere from 5 pounds of tomatoes or eggplant or hot peppers upward of 5,000 pounds, so they work on a multitude of scales with their buyers and it's fresh. You can put in an order and you know it is harvested that morning when you go to pick it up.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com