Corbin Scholz is growing 600 basil plants in this, her second year of farming. The 25-year-old farmer started the herbs from seed in a greenhouse in April. As a U.S.D.A. certified organic farmer, she applies no synthetic chemicals to the basil–only water and lots of love. Those who buy her product can trust it was grown with care for both the people who eat it and the environment in which it grew.
Before pursuing farming, Scholz was a pre-med student with no background in ag, but she wanted to help combat the twin issues of food insecurity and environmental degradation, problems she saw worsened by the mainstream agricultural system. Today she strives to regenerate the land through farming and donates her excess to local pantries.
But being a new farmer is not easy. In Iowa, about 7% of farmers are under age 35. Far fewer are as young as Scholz. Young and beginning farmers often face barriers to land access and student debt on top of the already immense challenges of starting a business and mastering their new role. Working a small, sustainable operation like Scholz comes with additional challenges. She’s working exceptionally hard to produce products she believes in and hopes to continue to do so for seasons to come.
Besides growing basil for the Field to Family food hub, Scholz raises other veggies and laying hens for her 65 CSA members on her 6-acre farm. She doesn’t do it alone, however; her two faithful rescue pigs help out by tilling up the soil as they graze and fertilizing fields as they go.
Learn more about Rainbow Roots Farm at rainbowrootsfarm.com.
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