April 24, 2013
EarthDance: A Farm in Our Backyard
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Sweet Tips for Sweet Treats
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Ground-Breaking
Farmer Chris Bowman from the class of 2012
Photo by April Shelhon
Growing Food, Farmers, and Community in Ferguson A unique harvest is the goal of a small farm in Ferguson. Since 2009, the nonprofit organization EarthDance has grown food and farmers at the Mueller Organic Farm. EarthDance operates a part-time apprenticeship program designed to provide urban dwellers the opportunity to learn organic farming close to home. EarthDance’s Director, Molly Rockamann, founded the organization in hopes of preserving a unique parcel of farmland nestled in the quiet Old Ferguson West neighborhood. The farm is considered a historic landmark, since it has been continuously farmed since 1883, when it spanned 200 acres. Three generations of the Mueller family grew food, as the city of Ferguson grew around it. Al and Caroline Mueller, who farmed at the site until Al’s death in 1999 were considered pioneers of the organic farming movement in the area. Their careful stewardship of the land resulted in rich, fertile soil. Their vegetables were sought-after by early adopters of the natural foods lifestyle: in the
1970s, they shipped their sweet potatoes around the country. After Al passed away, Caroline rented parcels of the land to other farmers, who appreciated the value of an organic farm so close to the city and their customers. Rockamann, who first visited the farm as a teenager, helped one of the renters, farmer John Wilkerson cultivate a oneacre plot in 2008. She grew friendly with Caroline and admired the the Muellers’ lifetime of hard work. Rockamann perceived that the future of the property was uncertain. She didn’t want to see this agricultural treasure paved-over for development, or lost to neglect. She envisioned a community farm, where area residents could learn growing skills, spend time in nature, and reconnect to the source of their food. In order to found EarthDance, she partnered with the land trust organization The Open Space Council and in 2009 began growing with twelve apprentice farmers. The apprentices engaged in all aspects of small farm operation, from
By Rachel Levi
seed starting through marketing their produce at the farmers market. Since its first growing season, the organization has expanded significantly. See EARTHDANCE page 2
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