Farming Practices

Fresh. Real. Local.

Here at Abma's Farm, we fully commit to growing healthy, nutritious, and sustainable produce for you and your family as well as ours. Simultaneously, we protect our land and environment for future generations to carry on our family traditions.
Farming isn't just our career - it's our livelihood.

We Grow Sustainably.

We believe in sustainable agriculture and sustainable practices that protect the environment, expand the Earth’s natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility. We implement this through:

Composting and Soil Conservation

We run a composting site here at Abma's Farm! Composting is a natural process where organic materials decompose and are recycled into a dark, crumbly, earthy smelling soil known as "compost" or humus. ⁠We add this organic matter back into the soil to improve soil structure, increase aeration, increase water drainage and moisture retention, and stimulate healthy root development. Carbon, nitrogen, and other essential minerals for plant growth are broken down and released; this creates a natural fertilizer that a new plant can soak up and benefit from.⁠

We believe in the benefits of organic composting to protect and sustain our land and the environment!

Crop Diversity

We grow more than 75 types of crops on the farm, including heirloom! Not only is a large variety beneficial to our customers, it’s also beneficial to the soil. Crop diversity allows  for longer, more complex crop rotations, naturally increasing nutrients and crop yield.

Crop Rotation

Each season, we rotate our crops; what was once a kale field is now full of peppers. Last year's garlic field is this year's strawberries. Crop rotation helps to naturally regulate the health, integrity, and fertility of the soil.

Weed Control

To keep weeds under control in our fields, we use biodegradable plastic on raised beds. This discourages any unwanted growth. To manage new weed growth on the walk rows, we weed and hoe by hand, use motorized tools like a weed whacker, and utilize tractor implements to cut back growth. We do not use herbicides.

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM

IPM is the control of pests and disease. As we start our seedlings in our greenhouse, we use beneficial insects like lady bugs and beetles to keep pesty bugs at bay. If need be, we utilize naturally occurring fungus spores to ward off disease. We continually monitor our crops as they grow in our fields.

Cover Crops

During the off season, cover crops are used to help reduce soil erosion. We plant Winter Rye in the fall so that nitrogen-filled dark green grass pops up in the spring. We then plow the field, reintroducing nitrogen to the soil. Another cover crop we use is Yellow Mustard, a natural bio-fumigant that protects and nurtures the soil from weeds, insects, and fungal pathogens.

Water Management

Water is an essential natural resource for farming so we aim to conserve it. We use a reduced-volume irrigation system called drip irrigation to water our crops. The central water supply used at the farm is our spring-fed pond that replenishes with every rainfall.

Smaller Carbon Foot Print

We sell our produce directly to you, rather than through a distribution center / grocery store. This cuts back immensely on packaging waste, fuel consumption, and transportation pollution. We pick our produce at the peak of its maturity to ensure the best taste and highest nutritional content.

Do We Grow GMO?

We do not use GMO seed.

GMO seed is used by some farms when biotechnology is needed for greater food security. We believe there is a time and a place for GMO seed, but it is not here at Abma's. We are able to successfully farm with regular and heirloom seed using sustainable growing practices.

Do We Spray?

A herbicide is a spray used for weeds. We use biodegradable plastic, hand weed and use implements like mowers, so herbicides are not used on our crops.

An insecticide is a spray used for unwanted insects; it is not our common practice to use this. We monitor our crops very closely using the aforementioned methods to manually combat unwanted pests. Only if a crop is in danger of complete failure would we use a topical spray for insects, topical meaning it dissipates within 24 hours and does not absorb into the plant, leaves, or soil.

Stand With Your Local Farmer.

We Have an Unwavering Commitment to the Harvest.
Farming is not a career, it's a way of life. We are deeply rooted to the generations of farmers before us and devote our lives to their traditions. Ultimately, each season's harvest is our main goal. Every decision we make throughout the year is made over thorough research, contemplation, and reflection. We stay current with our industry, learning the newest agricultural studies, trends, products, and equipment to continue growing produce sustainably and responsibly.

We Live and Work By Faith.
In the world of farming, there are many risks and almost no guarantees. From volatile weather patterns to production issues and personal crises, nothing is certain. Through thick and thin, we persevere because we believe the harvest belongs to the Lord. We faithfully lay the groundwork for the harvest, but only the Lord can provide the fruits of our labor. Our family is fully committed to being stewards of the land in His name.

Hard Work and Selfless Service to the Community Brings Us Joy.
We are absolutely blessed to do what we love every single day. We find contentment in the hard work, sweat, and tears put into keeping our family farm alive and thriving. We find joy in trusting in God. We find joy in serving our community.

We farm to feed our families, our community, and our world. And dang, it feels good.

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