When Liz Hiemstra’s mother, Theresa Kulevich, was diagnosed with breast cancer, the family all started to eat organically.
Kulevich lived a healthy lifestyle and was always outdoors. She eventually passed away due to the cancer, and left her five-acre farming property to Heimstra, who has turned it into Libra Farms, an organic produce and flower business near Oregon.
“She bought conventional produce and never washed it,” Hiemstra said. “I don’t know if that’s what happened, but I’ve been passionate about it since. I don’t use pesticides or chemicals. I have a four and 14-year-old and I want them to see that you can do right by everyone else, not just what’s cheap for you.”
Libra Farms is in its third year of operation. Hiemstra started two years ago with flowers after picking up a magazine at Farm and Fleet and reading about imported flowers. Many are grown in South America with pesticides.
Hiemstra thought with five acres, she could try to grow some herself. She later sold some to Hazel’s Cafe. She then found that she lost focus on growing food. Hiemstra’s family eats a lot from their own garden. Currently, Libra Farms grows about half food and half flowers.
“With COVID-19 I figured people would want food and I wanted to make sure I had it for them,” Hiemstra said.
Hiemstra also bartends at Hairy Cow. Being on unemployment during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order gave her a chance to work more on her plants during the spring. She takes online orders for Libra Farms throughout the week and delivers on Mondays.
Reports of food shortages in the country were “alarming” to Hiemstra. She feels a more localized food system would be a benefit to the population, with smaller operations, healthier working conditions and more available food.
“I hope it’s my full-time job at some point and I want to grow more interest in it and educate people on where their food comes from,” Hiemstra said. “What the grocery stores have comes from places like Mexico and it’s not grown in the best way.”
Hiemstra uses wood chips and other organic materials in her soil. Those keep the weeds down and make the soil rich. None of Libra Farms packaging is plastic.
One of Hiemstra’s goals is to turn her property into a “food forest.” That’s a farm without rows. Her property is sloping and hilly with trees. It would utilize every area with a different food crop to maximize the whole five acres in an integrated ecology.
“I want to expand,” Hiemstra said. “I’d like to get to where people can come and learn and buy stuff.”
Libra Farms is a family business. Hiemstra’s children, Skyler and Wesley, spend time with her in the fields and her husband, Brad, helps out after work with the heavy lifting.
“I like having the kids in the garden,” Hiemstra said. “It’s important to get them involved whether they do it right, wrong, slow or if they step on plants.”
Among the produce Hiemstra grows are lettuce, herbs, cilantro, basil, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, tomatillos, broccoli and kale along with flowers. Some of it, she never sees because her kids eat it all.
Hiemstra called her customers “super loyal.” They order every week and ask what she’ll be growing next. She’s happy with not only what she’s grown, but how she’s grown in the past few years.
“I built a house and a garden and it led to a business that shares local food with local people,” Hiemstra said.
Orders can be made online at librafarms.us/
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July 11, 2020 at 07:17AM
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Libra Farms: local produce for local residents - Ogle County News
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