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Etzel Sugar Grove Farm achieves organic certification
Rural Marion farm was donated to Indian Creek Nature Center in 2016
Indian Creek Nature Center's Etzel Sugar Grove Farm in Marion. The Midwest Organic Services Association has certified that the eggs and produce from the farm, available at the center’s Creekside Shop, are organic. (Indian Creek Nature Center)
Indian Creek Nature Center’s Etzel Sugar Grove Farm has achieved a significant milestone toward a more sustainable future. The Midwest Organic Services Association has certified that the eggs and produce from the farm, available at the center’s Creekside Shop, are organic.
“Three years of transition compliance and documentation with the National Organic Standards Board is a long row to hoe, but the benefits, both ecologically and agriculturally, make the journey rewarding. Soil health is the foundation of sustainability. Advancing biodiversity in every farming decision is what drives my passion for passing the baton to the next generation of grower.”- Scott Koepke, Etzel Sugar Grove Farm Manager (Indian Creek Nature Center photo)
For years, the 190-acre farm in rural Marion was a conventional corn and soybean operation. Since 2016, the center has worked to transition the Frontier Co-op Permaculture Field and chicken operation to organic, with the goal of modeling sustainable agriculture practices, as well as improving biodiversity, water quality and overall environmental sustainability in Iowa. Organic certification — a rigorous and often challenging process — was a critical piece of implementing the center’s overall mission to promote a sustainable future.
