Northern Iowa Food & Farm Partnership

Supporting the develoment of a local & regional food economy

 

Farm Crawl 2012

Sunday, Sept. 9, 1-5 p.m.

Spend your Sunday afternoon touring local farms! Learn how local farmers grow your food and manage their farms on this self-guided tour. You'll even find fun kids' activities and local food to buy and cook up for dinner! The event is free and for all ages. Scroll down for directions and details about each participating farm.

 

Participating Farms

Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch         

 

Join us in a self-guided tour of Cedar Valley farms.  Please click here for an interactive map of this year's participating farms.  Zoom in on selected farms to view specific locations.  We hope this map will be helpful in planning your afternoon, whether you visit one farm or all of them! 

 

Participating Farm Details:

 

Friedrich’s Fresh Foods
Shannon and Brynn Friedrich
6031 Leversee Rd.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: (319) 266-3938

 

All of our produce is grown free from pesticides and herbicides and we also have free-range chickens. Tours are half-an-hour in length. We will hand out a list of vegetables that we grow and highlight the ones which are ready presently. We will walk around the south garden (larger garden), talk about what we have grown, what is ready now, and answer questions about our growing techniques. We will head to the north garden (smaller garden) and probably have some vegetables to sample or take home. Again, any questions are welcome. (back to top)



Genuine Faux Farm

Rob and Tammy Faux
2345 150th St
Tripoli, IA 50676
Phone: (319) 610-9201
Facebook Page: Genuine Faux Farm

 


The Genuine Faux Farm raises food sustainably and our produce is certified organic.  Our farm is small (14 acres) and focuses on local sales, primarily through our farm share CSA program. Our methods are an open book; we feel that any purchaser of our produce has the right to know how their food was grown. Our family-run farm is active in educating others about local and sustainable products; both Tammy and Rob are willing to speak to interested groups on a number of topics. We grow heirloom vegetable varieties and maintain flocks of egg-laying hens, meat chickens, bronze turkeys, and Muscovey ducks.(back to top)

 


 

Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch
Dan McFarland
3034 Pembroke Ave.
Fredericksburg, IA 50630
Phone: (563) 237-5318

 

Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch is a heritage farm established by the family’s great-great grandfather in 1856. Like many farm families, the McFarlands have adapted to the changes in agriculture over the years.  In the 1990s, after several years of declining beef prices, the family made the decision to raise buffalo, allowing the family to maintain a small, family-run farm. Customers who are interested in healthy, locally-grown buffalo meat can buy meat directly from the McFarlands at their farm store, and visitors also have the opportunity to experience life on the farm. Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch has buffalo burgers, steaks, bacon &jerky available for sale, as well as buffalo collectibles, skulls, hides, and jewelry. During the farm crawl, Dan and his daughter Martha will be there to show you around the farm place, including the buffalo sorting facilities & the century old barn. Regular tours of the buffalo herd, which last about an hour and include a wagon ride deep into the woods to hand-feed the buffalo, are available by reservation before or after the farm crawl.  Farm crawl visitors will receive a 10% off coupon for the tour.   (we accept cash or checks only, back to top).

 


                                                                      Engelbrecht Family Winery

Loren and Dianna Engelbrecht
2866 270th Street
Fredericksburg, IA 50630
Phone: (563) 237-5969
E-mail: lecows@windstream.net
Website: http://www.thefarmhousebb.com/winery.htm
Facebook Page: Engelbrecht Family Winery

 

Our family’s dream to create a winery is coming true. We harvested our first grapes in September 2006. We have started to make several wines from our grapes, raspberries, and rhubarb. We now have three white wines, five red wines, and a blush wine for sale. Our vineyard is now ten acres with berry bushes and many fruit trees. The farm features dairy cattle, goats, chickens, peacocks, llamas, Jacob sheep, cats, and a dog named HJ. Visitors who stay in the Farmhouse B&B love to walk, run, or bike on the nature trail, feed baby calves, gather chicken eggs, fish in the farm pond, view the vineyard, and shop in the wine and antique shop in a remodeled machine shed on the property. (back to top)



 


Rainbow Ridge Farm
Jason, Jordan, and Olivia Gomes
214 Rainbow Drive
Waverly, IA 50677
Phone: (319) 230-5495
E-mail: jagomes@netins.net

 

Learn how melon and squash are grown on this family farm which is transitioning to organic production. Also, sample some of Angry Cedar's finest and locally handcrafted brews while you enjoy the view of our prairie (back to top).


 





 

     Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy
Jay & Jeanne Hansen
8617 Lincoln Road
Hudson, IA 50643
Phone: (319) 939-2187

 

 

In February 2004, the first gallon of whole milk was produced. The product line has since grown to include skim, 1%, and chocolate milk, 30 different flavors of hard ice cream, a soft-serve mix, cheese curds, butter, heavy cream, egg nog, and ice cream pies and cakes. Hansen’s products are available at Moo Roo, Hansen's Farm Fresh Dairy Outlet, and several stores and restaurants within a 25-mile radius of the farm. During the Farm Crawl, visitors will receive a free 4-ounce cup of our premium ice cream to enjoy during their tour. Participants can also register for door prizes. Tours will begin by trolley every 15 minutes. Visitors will see cows, calves, the creamery, the wallabies and the milking parlor. Hansen family members and employees will be stationed at each portion of the tour to answer questions. Milking time begins at 4 p.m. Children can pet a calf, ride a pedal tractor, get a dairy tattoo, milk a wooden cow and guess how much a hay bale weighs for a prize. Participants can also register for door prizes. All Hansen products will be available for sale. We look forward to seeing you here! (back to top)

 

 

Jefferson Greenhouse and Orchard
Bruce & Jan Jefferson
9529 E Dunkerton Road
Dunkerton, IA 50626
Phone: (319) 822-4239

 

We own and operate a small, seasonal greenhouse and grow flowers and vegetables. We also have an orchard and sell fresh produce as it is available. Apples and raspberries are available in the fall and Jan paints unique barn quilts and gourds (back to top).




 

Timeless Prairie Orchard
Susan and David Differding
3049 280th Street
Winthrop, Iowa 50682
Hwy. D47 & W45 Troy Mills Blvd.
Phone: (319) 934-3846

E-mail: timelessprairie@att.net

 

Our unique orchard has 4000 trees on 7 acres planted in a high density-dwarf apple tree growing system. The 2011 Iowa State Fair awarded us the Best Fruit of the Show, Overall Winner of Top Five Plates of Apples and blue ribbons for Honeycrisp (our premium apple), Golden Delicious, Ambrosia, Kumeo Crimson, and Crimson Crisp. Additional varieties include Cortland, Ruby Jon, Cameo, Fuji, Gala, and Sweet Sixteen. During the farm crawl our guided orchard tour will observe the dwarf tree growing system and our integrated pest management (IPM) program. The farm market tour includes viewing the apple processor, cold storage techniques, apple sampling and apple cider tasting. Our apples, local cider, honey, and more are available in our farm market. Our apples are available at the Independence, Cedar Falls, downtown Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and downtown Des Moines farmers markets. The Frank Lloyd Wright home of Cedar Rock is only six miles west of the orchard. We love growing great apples and invite you to experience wonderful apples with your family and friends at Timeless Prairie Orchard. (back to top)

 

     Hillcrest Farm
Robin and Jack Darland, Jr.
33952 150th Street
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: (319) 231-2206
Facebook Page: Hillcrest Farm

 

Love Flowers? You won't want to miss our farm. Hillcrest Farm is located just 5 miles west of Cedar Falls.  We have over a hundred rows of flowers including both perennials and annuals on our 3 acre farm. We love to grow things! We get a lot of satisfaction from making people's lives better one bouquet at a time. Our ground is fertile and enables us to grow just about any type of flower, vegetable, or herb. We also have a barnyard menagerie which includes: chickens, a pot belly pig,  bunnies, manx cats, and a collie puppy. We are friendly and so our our pets.
All potted perennials will be on sale for the farm crawl. Pick your bouquet for $10.00.  Also- Register for prizes. Robin will teach visitors how to create herbal swags at 2:30 and 3:30. Hope you will come visit us soon. We love company.  (back to top)
 

                                                         Fitkin Popcorn

Jim Fitkin
3701 Ford Road
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
website:http://fit-pop.com/

A fourth generation family farm that grows, processes, and markets FIT-POP Popcorn around Iowa to places like grocery stores, theaters, farmers markets, and beyond through the internet.  See the recently built high tunnel system.  Learn about the benefits and challenges to growing and marketing organic produce and generating bio-gas to heat the high tunnel.


C'Mon Back Acres
5831 Big Woods Road
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
website:http://www.cmonbackacres.com/

A humble little operation based on 20 acres.  Learn about the emu industry, emu ranching, and explore a full line of value-added emu products including cosmetics, meat products and leather products.