Intern House Under Construction

We have started to build on-site housing for Grain Place Foundation interns, researchers, and volunteers.  The 900 square foot housing and research facility will include two bedrooms, utility/bathrooms, and a common area that includes a kitchen. Built on a full basement that will immediately serve as a storm shelter, our longer-term plans include expanding the...

Opportunity To Become An Organic Farmer

IMMEDIATE OPENING This is a great opportunity for someone to learn organic farming and acquire a variety of skills while helping operate a well-established organic farm that continues to build on decades of experience and commitment to regenerative and organic practices. The resident farmer will live on the farm and assist with all aspects of...

New Initiatives for our Future

The Grain Place Foundation is pleased to announce two new initiatives to deepen our ability to work for the sustainable future of the Grain Place, as we live out our commitment to farming for the future of our soil and our communities: INTERN HOUSE AT GRAIN PLACE FARM We have begun laying plans to construct...

GRAIN PLACE FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT ESTABLISHED

As a part of our commitment to the long-term sustainability of our educational and scientific work in organic and regenerative farming at the Grain Place Farm, the Grain Place Foundation has established an Endowment Fund. Our goal is to raise endowed funds to match the value of the farm itself, which is currently  the primary asset...

Update – Young People in Organic Agriculture

One of the hopeful signs in the present age is the number of young people who are concerned about the health of our planet.  There seems to be a growing awareness of the relationships between healthy natural environments and healthy physical, social, and spiritual human community.  We believe that what we have learned and practiced...

We went deep about soil at Field Day 2021 !

At our annual Grain Place Foundation Field Day on July 17, guest speaker David R. Montgomery shared about his work on soils and civilization (and why he’s hopeful!) as our keynote speaker. His presentation gave a big-picture frame to the importance of our work, and underlined the importance of making farming decisions that promote the...

Job Opening: Farm Hand/Farm Trainee

The Grain Place is current seeking a Farm Hand/Farm Trainee, to assist the Resident Farmer/Farm Manager in performing all tasks associated with the design, establishment, and subsequent upkeep of the farm to ensure a certified organic, sustainable and profitable model is maintained and the health of both animals and crops are kept at the highest...

Our 2020 Interns at the Grain Place Foundation

Education in farming practices is most effective in the field, where hands-on activities provide new experiences for those without a farm background. One of the educational missions of the Foundation is to provide and opportunity for students to work side-by-side with experienced farmers on the long-term rotation and other projects under way at GPF. This...

Research Summary: ­Economic Analysis of Corn and Soybean in Nine-year Diversified Rotation

by David Vetter, Richard Little, and Charles Francis, July 2020 The nine-year diversified, irrigated organic rotation at the Grain Place was established in 2002 with two replications and average plot size of 12 acres. There are five years of organic crops, and four years of hay and pasture. We analyzed corn and soybean yields and...

2020 Research Grant from SARE

We are glad to have received a grant from the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Their Farmer Rancher Grant Program is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects. We were awarded $9,000 for the project, “Sustainable...