Who we Are
Harvest Rising is located on Woodhaven Farm in Highland County, Ohio and is operated by Doug and Jane, who own and live on the property, their daughter Kim, and their grandson Andrew.
Doug and Jane, with their children Kim and Kevin, operated a full-time family farm in the 1970s through the early 1980s and raised corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, sheep, cows, and chickens. The transition of small, diverse family farms like theirs to the large-scale, mono-crop/livestock agriculture industry that dominates the landscape today impacted them directly. They did not make the transition. In 1984, the family joined the exodus of so many small family farms and went to work in nearby cities.
Today, Woodhaven Farm is 40 acres of mostly woodland and pasture with about 5 acres where Kim and Andrew are growing small crops of heritage grains such as Banatka Wheat and Bloody Butcher Corn. They've also experimented with sorghum, black beans and sunflowers and are learning to use cover crops with a goal to produce organic foods in no-till soil. Doug and Jane keep a few Belted Galloway cows (and a little bull), a variety of layer hens and sometimes raise a batch of meat chickens. Together, they are joining thousands of other like-minded, hard-working, passionate farmers in rising up against the commodity-based, agricultural industry that continues to threaten small family farms.
Mission and Aspirations
We have a passion for healthy soil and healthy food. Although once a common practice among most of the population, we believe that in the context of modern industrialization, saving our own seeds and growing our own food is one of the most radically democratic things we can do.
Our mission is to demonstrate freedom from corporate agriculture through soil stewardship, crop diversity and local partnerships.
What's Next?
We're still building, but we have goals:
We want to operate with no-till, organic practices. Weed management is the great trick (it always has been). We aren't there yet. We are 100% organic, but we still have to do minimal tilling to manage weed pressure.
We want to join the growing network of farmers, millers, bakers, brewers, cooks and eaters who share our passions. Someday we hope to host individuals, families and groups to visit the farm.
We want to inspire other growers to adopt their own practices of healthier food production.