OUR HISTORY
Started in 2015, Grow: Johnson County was created by founders John Boller (Executive Director, Coralville Community Food Pantry), Scott Koepke (Founder and Instructor of Garden Bridge Outreach), and Bob Andrik (Retired, former Executive Director of Table to Table) to fill the need for access to fresh fruits and vegetables in Johnson County.
Grow started as a 1 acre farm at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm with a mission to produce and freely distribute fruits and vegetables to food access sites in Johnson County and to provide hands-on farming educational experiences for community members of all ages and backgrounds.
“There’s an assumption that most people can afford to go to the grocery store and just buy fruits and vegetables and we have to push back on some of those assumptions. Many people struggle to afford fruits and vegetables… good food IS a human right.
Food pantries, Table to Table, and Grow: Johnson County are all working together to ensure that our neighbors have access to the food that they need and deserve.”
— John Boller, Coralville Community Food Pantry
By our five year anniversary, Grow expanded to six acres of farmland.
During and after the pandemic, our partner agencies have saw a 70-90% increase in the number of people who were turning to food pantries for support. We focused on expanding our acreage and increasing the number of food access partners.
Over the past 9 years, we distributed 240,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to community partners, including food pantries, free lunch programs, early care, and elder care sites throughout Johnson County.
Each year, we grow 50,000 transplants from seed and provide, on average, 40,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to our partners.
Our social service partners have said that most of the food donated to their organizations comes in the form of prepared meals or dry goods and that our program is one of the only ways that they are able to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to the people that turn to their services for support.
As we enter our tenth year in production, we’re making a bigger effort to train the next generation of vegetable farmers. Since the start of our program, we have trained 24 apprentices, they are actively working to better our food system in Iowa, and beyond.
The reality is that Iowa’s farm population is rapidly aging. The most recent United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture showed it’s getting increasingly harder to access land and that the average age of farmers in the United States continues to increase. The average age of farmers in the US is now 58 years old.
Over 70% of new farmers are entering the field without prior farm experience or the resources to begin farming. As the aging farmer workforce retires, we must provide the necessary support structures for the next generation of skilled and qualified farmers.
We’re laying the groundwork for this exciting new program called the New Century Farm and plan to welcome new fellows to the team in late 2025.
The fellowship program will be a paid, two-year fellowship, designed to bridge Grow: Johnson County with Global Food Project, and the Land Access programs.
Fellows will have the unique opportunity to manage their own plots at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm while receiving comprehensive, hands-on farming education. The fellowship aims to equip participants with the essential skills, land and market access, capital resources, and community support needed to build a thriving farm business.
We’re also excited about some upcoming expansions that will enhance the farm’s facilities and provide additional resources for our fellows. To support our program as we enter this exciting new chapter, visit our donation page here.
