Jennifer Horner (she/her) | Spring Lake Organic Farm | Red Oak, Iowa
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What do you grow?
Garden and goats.
Tell us a little about the land you farm. What does the landscape look like? How did you end up there?
I moved to the farm nearly five years ago to try to help revive the farm with animals, like my grandparents had until the 80s/90s. My dad has maintained organic certification (no small feat!) for the last 25 years. I am so proud of him and grateful. It’s not easy in many ways, but is the best option for the land, water, and future of our family farm. Currently, my dad is farming 110 acres of hay. I am carving out about four acres of rotational grazing/foraging for the goats with an EQIP grant (we are building a perimeter fence). My boyfriend Emilio and I are restoring the barn to live in and building all the animal infrastructure, as well as all the husbandry. We have some friends who are vets and agronomists whom we are able to work with. That has been an amazing and essential partnership that I would really like to see grow. You can’t run a farm alone. We are hopeful for the future. We all want the farm to stay organic and in our family. We want to care for the land and water in the healthiest ways possible.
Share about a time when you felt blessed to be farming.
When I am out pasturing the goats, it feels biblical at times. It is a very meditative and relaxing experience and it feels like the right thing to be doing for the land.
How does your faith call you to farming? Where do you see a higher power in your work as a farmer?
Even if God did give us “dominion” over nature (which I don’t personally believe), we are to be stewards of the land and water. I am trying to do that in this tiny little part of the world.
How does farming call you to climate action? What future would you like to see for Iowa and agriculture?
Iowa needs to be a leader in climate action, but unfortunately, I don’t see that happening right now with the makeup of our legislature: Wind is vilified, pipelines are encouraged, solar is way too expensive to break into, and we have about the worst water in the nation. This is why we are focused on doing our tiny little part. You have to follow what your heart says is right.
Anything else you would like to share?
It is a long, uphill climb to be financially sustainable here with the practices we are employing, coupled with the small scale. I remain hopeful that we will make it!
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