2008 Farm Tours
September 6th, 2008
Purple Frog Gardens is a family market farm on the outskirts of Whitefish. Pam Gerwe and Mike Jopek have slowly coaxed this farm out of rocky clay soil with the help of countless volunteers, community members, and young people.
Hoop houses, row covers and use of micro-climates all help to extend our short Montana growing season. Our 350 laying hens, compost, crop rotation, thick mulch and worm bins help fertilize, control pests and increase the soil vitality. This soil vitality feeds the salad greens, herbs, hops, vegetables, raspberries, currants, apples, pie cherries and pears which are mostly marketed within 3 miles of the farm. Our family, our volunteers, farmer's market customers, local grocers and restaurants easily devour all the grub we grow.
We await production from our young plantings of old-fashioned and northern acclimated fruits such as quince, gooseberries, seaberries, aronia, honeyberries, persimmons, pawpaws, and artic beauty kiwis.
As first generation farmers, we have made countless silly mistakes, failed expensive attempts and a few very successful decisions in designing and creating our farm. The practical production models of our farm have been shaped by a patchwork of permaculture, biodynamic, organic and conventional techniques, as well as the experience offered by agricultural leaders like John Jeavons, Ruth Stout, Elliot Colman. Mostly though, our guidance has come from a few older generation Montanans who inspired and encouraged us to believe in ourselves and the capacity of the land.
Our long-term vision includes more economic stability from our farm, as well as facilitating the connection between the soil and food for people. Our hope is to inspire others to grow some food to feed themselves.
Recent AERO Farm Tours
May, June, 2008
Three Montana Farm/Ranch Tours to Feature Biodiesel Processing
and Oilseeds Production and Crushing More Info »
AERO, Montana's Alternative Energy Resources Organization, is co-sponsoring three Farm Tours this June in Central Montana. Two of the tours near Moccasin and Stanford on June 19 are for farmers wishing to learn more about the new research MSU is conducting on "ley" farming techniques for improving soil health by using rotations of legumes with wheat and grains. The third tour, on June 20 in Big Sandy, will be an update in the on-going story of growing and pressing camelina seed for biofuel use on a highly diversified organic dry land farm, which includes dry land vegetable production.
The tours are open to the public, and will be of particular interest to farmers, farm service providers, extension agents, Natural Resource Conservation Service staff and any others wishing to learn more about new sustainable and organic farming practices applicable on Montana farms and ranches.
June 19th
Time: 9:30AM Registration begins at 9:00AM
Location: MSU Central Ag Research Center
2.5 miles west of Moccasin, MT on HWY 87
[MAP]
The Montana State University Central Agricultural Research Center (CARC) Field Day at Moccasin will feature research comparisons of several "ley" farming experiments designed by Dr. Chengci Chen of the CARC and his cooperators. The ley farming demonstration uses forage legumes including black medic, pea, lentil and birdsfoot trefoil with grazing livestock as well as green manure crops, all in rotation with grain crops, to increase soil health.
The tour will include presentations by Dr. Clain Jones (MSU Soil Fertility Specialist), Dr. Dave Buschena (MSU Ag Economist), Dr. James Krall (University of Wyoming), and Dr. Roy Latta (Australia). Field research will feature Buff Oats and Kamut, as well as winter wheat crops.
The tour at CARC starts at 9:30am. Lunch will be served for attendees. For more information contact Chengci Chen at (406) 423-5421
Co-sponsored by AERO and MSU Central Ag Research Center.
To see "ley" farming practices in a field setting, CARC tour participants will then travel twenty-eight miles up the road to Stanford for the second tour on June 19.
June 19th
Jess Alger Farm, 4 PM, Stanford, MT
The tour at the Jess Alger farm north of Stanford continues to look at the long term advantages of the “ley” farming techniques researched at CARC and seen in the morning tour. Jess Alger is cooperating with the Central Ag Research Center to do field size organically certified ley farming plots.
Alger began experimenting with ley farming when he seeded black medic in 1994. He grows fall-seeded lentils that might be adapted to use in ley farming.
Organic winter wheat, Kamut, hull-less oats, hard white wheat, flax, peas and lentils are Alger's principal cash crops. Alfalfa grown on the farm is fed to his cattle, and both the alfalfa and livestock are rotated for weed suppression.
The sustainable agriculture practices Alger has adopted give him flexibility; depending on the conditions, his crops may be used for cash sales, green manure plow-down or for livestock pasture and feed.
Alger will also showcase his 10 KW wind generator that provides his entire home and farming operation with electrical power.
Tour participants are invited to stay for dinner and enjoy Jess's famous burgers. Cost for the BBQ with trimmings is $12 and an RSVP is required. There is no cost for the tour and no RSVP required for those attending the tour only. Please RSVP to Jim Barngrover at AERO (406) 443-7272.
Directions to Jess Alger's Farm: Enter Stanford from Hwy 87, turn north at the railroad tracks and go 8 miles. If coming from Fort Benton heading south, turn west at mile marker 57 and proceed 3 miles. [MAP]
Friday, June 20 - Bob Quinn Farm, 9:30 AM
12 miles SE of Big Sandy, off MT Secondary 236 [MAP]
The tour at the Bob Quinn Farm near Big Sandy will update the progress Quinn is making on growing and using his own biofuels. The tour will focus on new camelina research applied to agronomic production and processing for biofuels, and for cattle feed and table use.
Quinn purchased a German-manufactured farm scale oil press and is working with MSU researcher Dr. Dave Sands to select for naturally occurring mutant variants of camelina, which have shorter chain fatty acids, to burn directly in his diesel farm equipment and for enhanced omega 3's for nutritional supplements.
Jacob Cowgill, Quinn's research associate, has expanded the organic certified dry land production of potatoes, squash, onions, corn and other vegetables for local markets. This dry land vegetable growing component is in its third year of testing. Cowgill also is experimenting with the development of value added pasture raised heritage turkey pilot project this year.
Tour participants will also join in discussions about the practicality of using nitrogen producing pea and clover plow down crops. Other crops Quinn is growing include organic food grade legumes, Kamut, barley, camelina, sunflowers and safflower.
The farm energy workshop is in the morning, beginning at 9:30am, and a tour of the farm and test plots is in the afternoon following a catered local organic foods lunch.
RSVP is required for the tour and lunch. The cost is $15. Please contact Jim Barngrover at AERO for reservations. (406) 443-7272.