Many of the fruits we eat every day—bananas, avocados, mangoes, and pineapples—travel thousands of miles before they reach our grocery stores. In places like Iowa, winter produce aisles are filled almost entirely with imported foods harvested early to survive shipping,...
When we moved to our old Iowa farm, the neighboring farmer was still growing corn and soybeans on the acres we were leasing to him. One afternoon, after spraying herbicide, the tractor crossed our lawn. Within hours, its tire tracks...
At Janesky Farmstead, we believe growing food and caring for the earth go hand in hand. Through regenerative practices like no-till gardening, crop rotation, interplanting, and supporting beneficial insects, we treat our farm as a living ecosystem — not an...
Iowa is one of the most altered landscapes in the United States, with over 99% of its native prairie removed. As native habitat disappears, so do the ecological systems that once supported healthy soil, clean water, pollinators, and resilient food...
In 2018, I was a brand-new gardener with absolutely no idea what I was doing—so naturally, I spent $50 on a single giant pumpkin seed. Convinced I was destined to grow a 2,000-pound monster, I registered for the Iowa State...
When we set out to raise pigs, we knew we didn’t want to contribute to Iowa’s ongoing water quality issues tied to liquid manure from confinement hogs. Instead, we turned to our 25 acres of woodland, savanna, and prairie—using pasture-based...
