When COVID-19 first had people panic shopping and stockpiling meat earlier this year, farmer T.D. Hollub started getting emails. His farm’s current CSA customers were glad they had a secure source of food coming their way, and others wanted in, too.
“It’s so nice to know where your food comes from, and it’s really nice if you have those connections,” Holub said. “We’re starting to see what can happen when something starts to happen to our food supply.”
With farmers markets closed or modified, Holub and his wife, Sarah, were able to expand their CSA at Garden Oasis Farm LLC a bit to accommodate more members. The customers were grateful to be part of a resilient local system rather than a more vulnerable global one, feeling a sense of connection to their food that Holub has always known.
Holub grew up on a traditional farm in Coggan, Iowa. His parents raised row crops and cattle, and he loved everything to do with farming and being outside. Since childhood he dreamed of becoming a farmer, too.
“The lifestyle I think is just in your blood,” he said. “If it’s something you enjoy doing, it never goes away. The thing you’re always told is, you don’t want to be a farmer. There’s no money in it.”
So Holub left Coggan for the University of Iowa, where he majored in health and human physiology. He said Dr. Kathy Mellen, Field to Family Board President and a professor his major, taught him a lot. Mellen specializes in nutrition and focuses many of her lessons on food.
Dr. Mellen explained that several leading causes of death are related to poor diet. While personal choice plays a role, community and policy factors have an influence, too.
“Small-scale vegetable farmers are an important part of the food system,” she said. “Policies that support their work can help provide access to all consumers in the community. In addition the foods they grow have clear health benefits so it’s vital to ensure their vegetables make it into the diets of all in a community.”
Inspired by Dr. Mellen, Holub had a new plan for his future.
“It’s not just that you’re alive, it’s that you’re getting quality time out of your life,” he said. “(I realized I could) directly contribute to that wellness by growing food.”
Photos by Adam Ryan Morris.
