Innovating Generational Farming Practices with Ecological Approaches and System Efficiencies

Foxfire Farm, Liberty KY -- June 18, 2024 -- 9 am - 12 pm ET

Developing farm systems for production and crop planning is part of most new vegetable farmers' journeys, and learning from experienced farmers - adopting or adapting their tried and true methods - can speed up the early years of new production and farm business operations. When Aaron Lange assumed a portion of his family farm in Casey County in 2021, he brought years of learning from his parents’ decades of organic farming. He combined his family farming experience with ecological farming methods from Susana Lein and innovative production systems from farmer-authors Jesse Frost, Ben Hartman and Daniel Mays. Join this OAK Field Day with Aaron Lange as he shares Foxfire Farm’s 2.5-acre certified organic vegetable fields, covered production, and greenhouse highlighting: Three-year crop rotations integrated with cover crops and grazing sheep; High tunnel and field production for year-round harvest; Reduced tillage using standardized beds, mulching, and soil-building techniques; and Harvest and packing efficiencies for reduced time and labor. Aaron will provide demonstrations and specific crop examples for harvest techniques, wash-pack systems, crop transitions and bed-flipping. He’ll also share his experience building and balancing multiple market channels, including community-supported agriculture (CSA), farmers' markets, retail outlets and deliveries. This Field Day is open to any interested farmer, aspiring farmer or agriculture professional. Registration is required. Grow Appalachia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided support for this Field Day.

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