Sustainable Farm Tour and Potluck Picnic
By Mary Green
Sierra Club August Program:Thursday August 26
6 p.m. Potluck Picnic (optional) - 7 p.m. Farm Tour
Rhizosphere Farm, 3650 N. 252nd St., Waterloo, NE
Join Sierra Club members and friends for a tour of a small sustainable organic farm. Rhizosphere Farm in Waterloo is a “certified naturally grown” farm, owned by Terra Sorenson and Matt Hall.
(“Certified naturally grown” is the grass-roots alternative to “certified organic”: it has the same standards as “certified organic” but without all the red tape and expense, and certification is done peer-to-peer).
Terra and Matt grow heirloom varieties of crops. Although their farm is only 1½ acres, by farming intensively, they get a lot of food out of it. In fact, the owners have a 26-member CSA, sell at the downtown Farmer’s Market and the Elkhorn Farmer’s Market, and sell to restaurants as well.
Our evening will start with an optional potluck dinner at 6 p.m. Please bring a dish to share. Also, we’ll have a ‘zero-waste’ dinner—please bring your own place settings and beverage. There will be hay bales for seating, or feel free to bring your own folding chair.
At 7 p.m. we’ll have the farm tour. We’ll see the greenhouse where the seedlings are started; the out-building, used for washing crops and preparation for market; and of course the fields where the crops are growing. And along the way we’ll be learning about sustainable farming practices, heirloom crops, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask plenty of questions.
Please join us for this fun and educational event.
We will hold this event even if there is light rain. In case of heavy rainstorms, event will be rescheduled for Thurs. Sept. 2.
Directions to Rhizosphere Farm, 3650 N. 252nd St., if coming from Omaha:
Take West Dodge Rd., (joins with State Highway 28B link) out past Elkhorn. There are two Waterloo exits. Take the second exit, Waterloo/Blondo St. At the end of the exit is a stop sign at Blondo. Take a left, turning west onto Blondo. The first intersection you will come to is 252nd St, about one mile. 252nd is a gravel road. Turn right (north) and follow 252nd almost to the stop sign (at W. Maple Rd.) Right before the stop sign, on the southwest corner, is the house and farm. Pull into the drive or park on the side of the road. We have a German shepherd who will bark, but she is a sweetheart.