-Farm News photo by David Borer
Those on the Farm Crawl were unable to go onto the grounds of Knob Hill Farm due to biosecurity measures to prevent disease among their organically raised pigs and chickens. However, the tour bus did pull up beside this picturesque farm.

It’s not every day that you come across a farming operation that uses draft horses to pull plows and planters, but that is what a busload of people attending the Iowa Organic Association’s Hamilton County Farm Crawl learned Sunday from Mike and Janine Robertson, owners of Knob Hill Farm located in rural Webster City.

When much-needed rain fell on the fields of Hamilton County, 60 people rode through the countryside in the comfort of an air-conditioned motor coach to learn more about organic farming at five operations that have embraced this method of producing products from wine and beer to meat, vegetables, feed, hemp and cheeses.

And that’s just some of the items produced without the use of chemicals.

The Farm Crawl converged on Backcountry Winery and Brewery, owned by Preston and Amber Gable. It is located east of Stratford at 3533 Fenton Ave.

Amber Gable told the attendees about the operation and then led the group to where the grapes are processed into wine. The varietals of grapes they grow are Frontenac gris, Frontenac blanc and Brianna, she said.

-Farm News photo by David Borer
Amber Gable, co-owner of Backcountry Winery and Brewery of rural Stratford along with her husband Preston Gable, tells participants of the Hamilton County Farm Crawl about their wine-making process on Aug. 6.

In addition to making wine, Backcountry hosts a wide range of activities, from live music to trivia nights and class reunions. And, of course, weddings.

Back on the bus, the Farm Crawl headed to Blue Stem Organic Feed Mill, 1565 280th St., rural Webster City. Cindy McCollough is the owner of this operation.

Blue Stem’s organic feed is produced with certified organic ingredients, meaning no antibiotics, hormones or animal byproducts. For a product to be considered a certified organic product, it must be inspected by a third-party agency that ensures that no harmful chemicals or prohibited substances have been applied to a field for at least three years, she explained. In addition, the operation must document that it follows strict standards to qualify for certification. Detailed records of their practice are required.

Ecologically friendly methods and substances have been used to improve the soil and to control pests, she said.

Blue Stem is United States Department of Agriculture approved through the National Organic Program.

While at Blue Stem, Mike and Janine Robertson, of Knob Hill Farm, spoke about their organic farm. The Robertsons use draft horses to pull their farm equipment.

Mike Robertson explained what goes into producing organic products and what needs to be taken into account. For instance, the Robertsons are required to have a buffer from surrounding farms so that chemicals don’t drift over to their fields.

Lin Sorenson, of Webster City, said, “As a conservation farmer, I really admire the tremendous work these organic farmers are doing. It takes a lot more energy to do this type of farming, but it’s so good for the environment and it truly is sustainable.”

Knob Hill Farm is 10 acres, with four of them reserved for growing hay to feed the pigs and horses. The pigs are organic, however the pork cannot be labeled as organic due to the meat locker they use not being certified organic, the Robertsons explained. They also offer certified organic eggs and vegetables, as well as a handful of other products.

“I have purchased meat from Knob Hill Farm and I’ve met Mike and Janine, but it was really interesting for me to hear what all they had, because I wasn’t aware of how many different things they had, and I was not aware that they used draft horses,” Bridget Chambers, of Webster City, said. “That was so cool to see.”

From Blue Stem Organic Feed, the Farm Crawl proceeded to Bluestem Prairie Farm where Chambers and Bryan Gilbert, its owners, grow organic, non-GMO hemp.

Located at 2522 Tunnel Mill Road in rural Webster City, Bluestem Prairie’s hemp is USDA-certified organic.

According to Chambers, they get their hemp seeds from Oregon and, after the harvest, they take the hemp back to Oregon by U-Haul to be processed. No pesticides or herbicides are used on their hemp. They use organic fertilizers that are applied to their fields via an underground irrigation system, she said.

From the hemp, Bluestem Prairie Farm produces six products: Certified Organic Full Spectrum CBDa + CBD Oil in two strengths; a 1500 mg orange-flavored drops and a 2300 mg natural-flavored option; Certified Organic Full-Spectrum Sports Balm; Certified Organic Full-Spectrum Scented Body Oil; Soft Gels; and CBD Gummies.

At Lost Lake Farm, the last stop before heading back to Backcountry Winery, owners Kevin and Ranae Dietzel take care of 20 grass-fed cows that they milk. From that milk, they produce 12 types of cheeses.

At Lost Lake, which is just north of Jewell, samples of three of their cheeses were available for tasting.

The cows that produce the milk range from Brown Swiss, Jersey-Holstein crosses, and Normande crosses to New Zealand Frisians.

Due to the steady rain, the Dietzels gave their presentation on the motor coach. They said that 200 pounds of cheese are made per week. Sales are mostly made at farmers markets and online.

The meal that awaited the group’s return to Backcountry was farm to table, largely consisting of the products from the farms they visited.

“Every place we went had something interesting, but probably my favorite was learning about the cheeses and all of the products of Lost Lake Farm,” said Sue Doolittle, of Webster City.

One of the participants, Mikaela Seely, came because she has worked on organic farms, which followed her college years when she focused on sustainability and ecology.

“I really enjoyed just the experience to see all the different types of farms that are in this area. I’m from Cedar Rapids, so we don’t have a hemp farm near us, or such a variety in such a close vicinity.”

This was the first Hamilton County Farm Crawl and it left the host farms proud.

Amber Gable, of Backcountry, said, “I think it was a really unique experience. We don’t often open our backroom for visitors on the average weekend. So showing the behind the scenes and the production was really neat to be able to share. One of my passions is connecting people to their food, showing where this comes from and seeing the whole experience start to finish. So that was exciting to be able to offer that.”

Rosalyn Lehman, who works with the Iowa Organic Association that helped organize the Farm Crawl, said, “I think it was a smashing success. We had a sold-out bus. That is a true testament of how interested people were to connect with the local products. I feel like a lot of the people on the bus were from the community, so it was a great chance for them to meet the farmers of the products they might have been enjoying over the past few years.”

Erika Otto, the education and outreach coordinator for Iowa Organic Association, said that it is looking to do more Farm Crawl events to spread the word about organic farming.

“Another part of my job is outreach, so going to various field days and meeting the farmers and just connecting that community and seeing how we can work with different partners, different events that we might be able to do, I’m really excited about the plethora of opportunities that could present themselves,” she said.

Iowa is a major player in organic farming, being the No. 1 producer of organic corn, organic soybeans, organic oats and organic hogs, she said.

Iowa is the sixth largest organic producer in the U.S. with nearly 800 organic operations on 170,000 acres.