For Salt Fork Farms’ Eric Menzel, studying small-scale food production in graduate school wasn’t enough; he wanted in on the action. So in addition to getting his master’s in sustainable agriculture, he got himself some hens.
“Chickens are kind of the easiest thing to start doing,” he said. “You don’t really need to know a lot to get started.”
What was then a backyard hobby– six layers in the yard– eventually grew into a full-blown business. After a few years living and learning on a more established farm, he started his own egg and vegetable operation in Solon in 2007.
After a few years growing a wide variety of crops and poultry for numerous markets, Menzel began to burn out. He and a friend partnered to create Salt Fork Kitchen, a breakfast and lunch joint with an egg-heavy menu featuring lots of products from Salt Fork Farms. Focusing on growing for the restaurant helped Menzel streamline and specialize his operation.
Unfortunately, however, the restaurant closed in summer of 2020 after 7.5 years in operation. The farm itself has again become Menzel’s full-time focus.
As they were in his student days, hens are still at the heart of Menzel’s operation. Salt Fork Farms’ pasture-raised layers have access to the outdoors 365 days a year, with plenty of space to roam and forage. He buys the highest-quality feed he can, which he says results in a more nutritious, darker-yolked egg.
Menzel said that the environmental impact of animal ag gets a lot of attention, but the impact of growing vegetables is less understood by the general public.
“They don’t talk about how intensive it is to grow vegetables on soil,” he said. “You really have to do your due diligence to keep your soil healthy.”
While he doesn’t seek organic certification through the government, Menzel uses organic methods. For him that means no chemicals, rotating and cover cropping in the fields, using “green manure” and more. It’s a holistic approach that keeps the interconnectedness of land, water and air in mind.
In addition to tending to his own crops and animals, Menzel loves collaborate and show others what he knows. He grew up in urban Waterloo and offers help to other young farmers, often “city kids” like he once was, who are just getting into farming. He’s helped new farmers learn to butcher their chickens and shares land and resources with a neighbor.
“I’ve always believed in the relationship building that I guess is still a part of the rural experience,” Menzel said. “I do see a lot of value in the practices, the knowledge and the relationships that come from this lifestyle that don’t come from a 9 to 5 job or city existence.”
Learn about other egg producers in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area by visiting our Local Foods Explorer!