Organic Farming Conference welcomes Nodding Thistle Farm
Leah and Jessie Smith will speak at the fourth annual Organic Farming Conference at the Event Center in Mt. Hope.
Leah and Jessie Smith will speak at the fourth annual Organic Farming Conference at the Event Center in Mt. Hope Nov. 8-9.
Living in Nashville, Michigan, Leah and Jessie Smith are part of the Smith family’s Nodding Thistle Farm. They opted to return to the family farm after college.
Organic since 1984, Nodding Thistle provides a wide range of organic vegetables throughout Michigan’s growing season. One of the favorite crops is tomatoes, which the farm grows over 20 varieties including many heirloom seeds.
Nodding Thistle is a 72-acre family farm in Nashville. It has 5 acres of organically grown vegetables, small berry production, fruit trees and a number of herbs and flowers.
It starts with asparagus and lettuce and continues to potatoes and winter squash. Included in that are over two-dozen varieties of tomatoes, some of which are heirlooms handed down through the family.
Animals on the farm include dairy and beef cattle and a flock of egg-laying chickens. Thirty-five of the remaining acres are divided into several small fields used for pasture, hay and small grains to feed livestock.
Nodding Thistle was first certified by the Organic Growers of Michigan in 1984. The organic farming landscape has changed significantly since then, giving way to increasingly expensive yearly certification by larger operations that were created to fit into the large-scale modern farming model.
Though they stopped seeking organic certification in 2009, their methods have remained unchanged for the last 33 years.
The farm uses growing methods intended to encourage the development of soil organisms by the incorporation of organic matter, creating a soil that can be sustained for years.
The farm's produce also has been grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. In accordance with organic rules, the farm does not plant treated seeds (treated with fungicides) and starts its own seedlings in organic soil without artificial fertilizers.
Hay/straw mulching, cultivation and hand weeding serve as weed control. For insect control they hand pick foster predator and parasite insects and use cultural practices to discourage pests.
To build the soil, they practice crop rotation, use cover crops, and apply manure and occasionally rock minerals. They are committed to the production of nutritious and flavorful food through a combination of soil maintenance, variety selection, numerous cultural practices, minimal irrigation, harvest timing and more.
Though the farm has been in organic production for over 30 years, there are changes that are just now occurring in response to these methods. Over the past few years, populations of predators such as praying mantises and garden spiders have increased. These changes, the overall improvement of their soil and the resulting produce confirmed their belief that organic farming on a small scale is a good way to produce healthy food and protect the natural environment.
The topics the Smith sisters will cover at the conference are “Direct-to-Consumer Sales” and "Gardening Projects Involving Children.”
Leah and Jessie Smith combine their agrarian pursuits with their enthusiasm for writing and interest in photography. As well as crafting photographic cards for sale, they freelance agricultural articles and photographs.
In addition to their numerous articles published in Farming Magazine, they penned the chapter titled “Organics — The New Industry” for the recently published book, "The Organic Movement in Michigan" (available on Amazon).