Writing and Marketing Portfolio

How did you get started farming?

"I guess it was about six or seven years ago. I always wanted to farm, but I never had a place where I could do it. I eventually moved into a rent house in the middle of town with about a third of an acre. The landlord said I could plant some vegetables and that was pretty much it. I figured if I wanted to start a garden, I better get started"

- Morgan, Middle Fork Farm

Local tomato season is in full swing! Be sure to grab some of these delicious farm tomatoes while they last! We've got a great selection of organic heirlooms, slicers, green tomatoes, and more, all from our farmers within 100 miles of the store.

CLOSED!!//CONGRATS @allisonlaurenarnold

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!

In honor of the cold weather, we are partnering with @Fayettechill to warm you up with this amazingly soft and plush beanie! We're also throwing in the cactus mug everybody has been talking about, giant marshmallows and hot cocoa from Loblolly, local chocolate from KYYA, some tasty treats from rawmio, almonds by SunBiotics, Ruby Chocolate by Chocolove, a blue Hydro Flask, Zum Bar goat's milk soap, a cool geode keychain from GeoCentral, a beautiful succulent, Larabars, an avocado (because why not?) and Roomano Pradera cheese from Holland!

To win, you must:
-FOLLOW @ozarknaturalfoods
-LIKE this photo
-TAG at least 3 friends in separate comments

One comment = One entry (You can enter as many times as you'd like)

For extra entries, repost this photo in your story and tag us

The winner will be randomly selected and announced tomorrow in our story. Prizes must be picked up in store as we can't ship them out.

Good luck!

We just want to say THANK YOU! Because of your support and donations, we were able to raise $13,060 in 2018 to support projects on our local farms through our New Leaf program. These projects help out our farmers, and they help us have a better supply of local produce for you to enjoy. Your donations will help the co-op for years to come.

Here's what we accomplished:

$2,500 for 500 blueberry plants at Ozark Alternatives

Once in production this perennial crop will provide us food for 30 years. This is a family run farm that has been working with us for more than ten years.

$2,000 for a Walk In Cooler at New South Coop

This is one of the only two producer cooperatives in Arkansas. Across the entire US there are less than 50 producer owned cooperatives. Because of New South Coop and Ozark Natural Foods there are more certified naturally grown farmers in Arkansas than almost any state in the US, we are ranked third highest behind New York and Georgia.

$600 for a used tractor - Roots in Bloom

Roots in Bloom is a wellness and personal care provider for our store. The farm owned and operated by a certified herbalists and veteran farmers, Amiee and Keith McGill.

$3,000 for 10" high deer fencing around the entire perimeter of the farm - Lightner Farm

This is our longest running food producer, now entering their 30th year of farming for our store. Despite Bob Lightner's passing away in 2017, his daughter Sheryl is continuing to run the family farm where four generations of family members help to grow us organically raised vegetables.

$4,960 for a greenhouse - Middle Fork Farm

NRCS did not award any grants for greenhouses in Washington County during 2018, so we stepped up to the plate to get Morgan this infrastructure for his new farm. This will be his first full year farming on his own property after running an urban garden.

Blood Oranges are now in season! This natural mutation of the orange was first cultivated in the 18th century and requires low nighttime temperatures to develop properly. They're so good! A distinctive sweet raspberry taste sets them apart from any other citrus fruit.

Recently we sat down to talk to one of our long-time farmers, Paul Chapracki from Ozark Alternatives:

When did you decide to start your own farm?

"While I was in college, I volunteered with an organic farm. I'd ride my bike seven miles one way with an empty backpack to work on the farm. I'd work all day, the farmer would load my backpack down with produce, and I'd ride home. When you're in school and you're struggling, that's a great way to get what you need. It would keep me fed for a week.

It really sparked a deep-seated interest in creating the kind of lifestyle she created for herself. She was growing all this magical food, flowers, and fruit for the community. It started off as a way for me to get food and connect...now I've been doing this for ten years."

"My main job right now is tying up tomatoes. I've got 750 tomatoes out here, and that's what I do every night until I can't see. If I don't tie them up, I'll lose them. All of these are heirloom. I have Brandywine, Yellow Brandywine, Red Delicious, Cherokee Purple and Beefsteak this year! I'm one of those people who will plant as many as I can and overwhelm myself with the work later. I'm really excited and I've got lots to do!"

- Troy Coleman, Clear Water Farm

We're now carrying these great local mugs! They're handmade and fired locally in Fayetteville by Wild Goose Pottery. While no two pieces are the same, all of them are enchanting

"One hundred years ago, everyone was a farmer. At some point around the great depression, most of our ancestors moved away from the farm and moved to the city. It was a hard life, and they just couldn't survive on farming anymore. Now, with local co-ops, and people who are more interested in unadulterated food, there's an opportunity to be a small farmer again and make a living."

- Bob, Hazel Valley Farms

"We'd probably have a lot more vegetables if it weren't for the kids. A few years ago when they were really little, we had a row of beautiful bell peppers. They were just perfect, but each one of them had a tiny bite out of it because the kids had helped harvest!

Now they're limited to two a day so they don't try to harvest them all."

- Kara, Hazel Valley Farms

We recently asked one of our local farmers, Guy Ames from Ames Orchard & Nursery, about his fruit cultivars! Here's what he had to say:

"This is a very old variety of pear -- it's actually the oldest named American pear. They're called the Seckel Pear or Sugar Pear. For them to be at their highest quality you need to chill them and then put them out on a countertop to let them get soft. Oh my god, they're just like butter. Sugary butter."

"This Magnus pear I sell every year to Ozark Natural Foods is a eat-over-the-sink spiritual experience. It's just so good. Crazy good"

"We have Muscadine. This is a Native American grape. The last time I brought these to ONF, Pauline told me that they never made it out of the back. The workers bought and ate them all!"

Happy National Dog Day! We love watching pups shop for treats!

The next time you're in our seating area, be sure to check out photographer Art Meripol's pictures of the Fayetteville Farmers Market! These images are a fantastic look at life at the market in the 1970s and you might even recognize some familiar faces. Art took these photos as a journalism student at the UofA before starting his career as a photographer for Southern Living and Travel Magazine, among others.