It All Started with Asparagus

Author Angela Sherman enjoys an organic peach straight from the tree at Healthy Ridge Farm.

Daniel Barnard grew up in Door County and follows several generations of fruit growers. Despite having gone to college for business and economics and then selling insurance for 14 years, Barnard wanted something different, something that brought him back to his childhood.

Barnard’s father, who still grows and sells produce at a farm stand on Highway 42 in Carlsville, gave Barnard his first taste of running his own farm by letting him grow, pick and sell asparagus when he was in 4^th grade. Decades later, Barnard continues to grow asparagus in addition to a plethora of other produce on his own farm, Healthy Ridge Farm in Sturgeon Bay.

“I’m really enjoying myself,” Barnard said, smiling. “You plant, grow and harvest. It’s rewarding to see the cycle.”

Barnard is proud of the progress he has made on his farm. He and his wife, Amy, bought the 40-acre farm eight years ago and currently rent another 10 acres for additional farmland.

Barnard wanted more from his farm and, in 2009, started the process of becoming USDA organic certified.

To become certified Barnard had to be approved by an accredited certifying agent. Certification requires a history of substances applied to land for the previous three years to ensure the land is free from prohibited substances and the submission of an organic system plan (OSP), which describes practices and substances used in production as well as record-keeping systems and preventions taken to keep from co-mingling organic and nonorganic products and contact of products with prohibited substances.

Barnard’s OSP includes 35 to 40 feet of buffer from his property line and space for turn rows to help ensure the pesticides sprayed on neighboring farms do not interfere with his organic growing.

In addition to not using pesticides and preventing them from tainting his produce, Barnard doesn’t use synthetic fertilizers or genetically modified organisms.

“I’ve got all different varieties, they are planted for taste,” Barnard noted as he held a ripe peach that was accidentally left on a tree during its harvest, “I want my customers to experience what fruit is supposed to taste like.”

In 2012 the Barnard family was able to build a house on their land and Healthy Ridge Farm officially gained USDA organic certification. “In 2014 everything on this farm will be [USDA organic] certified,” Barnard continued, “[but] I hope to always have some noncertified produce because it means [my farm] is growing.”

Growing organically in Door County’s climate is challenging, especially when not a lot of other farmers are growing organically in the area. “There is no one to call when you have a problem,” but more importantly, Barnard says, “You really have to be on top of things to prevent a problem.”

Barnard has attended numerous seminars, done extensive research and studied conventional problems and organic solutions. His only weed control is by hand and a small insect infestation can create more loss than non-organic farmers would have. USDA certified organic farmers must use preapproved plants and sprays on their land. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides a preapproved list of materials for organic use in the U.S. Barnard uses clay bug repellent to help reduce produce loss. “Everything I spray is nonlethal,” said Barnard.

“It’s fun to do something that the whole family can enjoy,” laughed Barnard, “and it’s right outside the back door.”

And his family certainly enjoys the fruits of his labor, literally. Five-year-old Katherine relishes red fingers when the strawberries and raspberries are in season.

“I get to catch bees and bugs,” Barnard’s 7-year-old son Rodger said with net in hand when asked what he loves most about living on a farm. In no time, Barnard’s whole family, including baby Rose, were on a fun and adventurous bug hunt. Barnard is already teaching his children differences between the insects and when it’s okay to catch bees and bugs so pollination is not affected.

Consideration for natural pollinators is just one of the ways that shows the farming merge of modern technology and old farming traditions. “[I] treat the land like our grandfathers and great grandfathers would have, by respecting the land,” Barnard continued, “but the tractor saves so much labor!”

When his hands aren’t driving a tractor, pulling weeds, shaking cherry trees, plucking strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pears or apples, digging garlic and potatoes, and harvesting asparagus, Barnard is busy in his commercial kitchen making jams and processing garlic into sellable powder and granules. In the future Barnard plans to use Healthy Ridge Farm certified organic produce to make a variety of products.

“I can’t change the industry but maybe we can grow more stuff right here, even if it’s not organic it’s a step in the right direction” Barnard said.

Barnard has great ambitions for Healthy Ridge Farm. Consumers are demanding better tasting fresh local products to market. With so many unhealthy options available to consumers, Barnard’s USDA certified organic produce is not only a healthy choice but also a sustainable choice. Farm to table is no longer a movement, it’s a lifestyle.

To learn more about Healthy Ridge Farm and how to order produce and other products call 920.746.8889, email [email protected], or visit healthyridgefarm.com.