7 Things I Learned Working on Local Farms

Richard Ross, Board Member and Community Partner Coordinator

When I first started working on local farms, I thought I was signing up to help with a few chores, spend time outdoors, learn how local food is made, and where it comes from. What I didn’t expect was how much the farms would teach me about life. Here are seven lessons I took away from my time working on local farms:

1. Things Change

When I first arrived, there was a lush orchard, bordering on overgrown. Fruit trees stretched into one another, brambles crowded the edges, and everything seemed full of possibility. By winter, the same landscape appeared empty and dormant. Leaves fall. Branches break. Working there taught me that change isn’t an interruption to the process. Change is the process.

2. Old Growth Must Be Shed Before New Growth Can Happen

Pruning always felt wrong at first. Why cut back healthy branches? But trees need light, airflow, and space to thrive. The healthiest thing for future growth is often removing what no longer serves a purpose. Renewal almost always begins with removal.

3. Death Is Part of Life

The first time I found a diseased chicken in a hen house, I panicked. After hours of Googling and phone calls, the owners got in touch and said, “Leave it be. It will either get better or it won’t.” Two days later, it hadn’t. 

More Googling. How do you ethically dispose of a dead chicken?

The owners called again and said, “Pick it up with a shovel and throw it in the field.” They said nature would take care of the rest. And it did. It felt harsh, but it was honest. Growth, decay, and renewal are all part of the same cycle.

4. Hard Work Pays Off

There is no substitute for hard work. A good harvest starts months before the crop is picked. The work done in spring and summer shows up in the fall, if you’re lucky. Sometimes frost, drought, or hungry deer undo your efforts.

What I learned is that hard work must become an end in itself. If you only work when success is guaranteed, you’ll never begin. The value comes from showing up consistently, even when the outcome is uncertain.  Continue reading→

National Farmers Market Week 2026 takes place from August 2 to August 8, 2026, celebrating local food producers, community connections, and agricultural vendors across the United States.

Help us celebrate our Cedar Valley local farmers, producers, and artisans!

From our friends at Hansen’s Dairy

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
• 1/2 tablespoon butter*
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 ounces cream cheese*
• 3 cups boneless chicken breast, chopped and cooked*
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin, divided
• 2 garlic cloves**
• 2 4.5-ounce cans green chiles, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional if spicy isn’t your thing)
• 1 1/4 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• 1 onion, diced**
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 soft tortillas, 6-inch
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt*

*Available at Hansen’s Dairy stores
**Available seasonally at Hansen’s Dairy stores

Remember to Shop Local!

Link to Full Recipe: https://www.usdairy.com/recipes/easy-cheesy-chicken-enchiladas-with-yogurt-sauce

Check out all of the events in Downtown Waterloo this August!

Link: https://www.mainstreetwaterloo.org/calendar

Marian Kuper, Board Treasurer

When you think about a start-up food co-operative that doesn’t yet have a storefront, the Rooted Carrot Co-operative Market certainly comes to mind. We’ve been working toward our vision for many years – fourteen, if you count from the moment the idea was hatched. Twelve, if you count from our incorporation year (2014). Lots of hiccups along the way, too.

Think that’s a long time to work and strive toward a fabulous idea before it bears fruit?

Ever hear of Wasatch Food Co-operative in Utah?

Seventeen years ago, the Wasatch Food Co-op’s initial, tiny group of members got together in a neighborhood in Salt Lake City and started to dream. Optimism and a can-do spirit helped drive them forward, but hard work, grit, know-how and determination proved especially essential. It shepherded them through COVID, money woes and more than one plan that ran aground against unanticipated roadblocks. Discouragement often reigned.

But the group kept its nose to the grindstone and its eyes on the future. Sound familiar?Continue reading→

We will be at the Cedar Falls Farmers Market on Saturday, July 25 from 8:30 am to noon.

Stop by the booth to say hello and pick up a yard sign!

We will be at the Waverly Farmers Market on Saturday, July 11 from 8:30 am to noon.

Stop by the booth to say hello and pick up a yard sign!

Iowa loves ranch dipping sauce! You’ll love it even more when it is made with fresh, local dill!

Ingredients

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ tsp dill* adjust according to taste, dried or fresh
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl.
2. Combine the yogurt, milk, and Worcestershire sauce in a separate bowl.
3. Whisk together all the ingredients.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight before serving for the flavors to fuse.
5. Serve chilled and enjoy!

From our friends at Healthy Harvest of Northern Iowa. Be sure to check out all the recipes!  Shop local.

Recipe Link: https://www.healthyharvestni.com/homemade-ranch-dressing/

Building community, connections and understanding is vital to the co-op moving forward.

Brews and FAQs is the perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and ask any questions about the co-op.

Member-owners and friends are invited to Urban Pie TOMORROW, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. for some brews (or any beverage of your choice, of course). Board members look forward to connecting with you and answering any questions (FAQs) you may have!

Thank you to everyone who committed to supporting our local growers through this amazing opportunity!

• The first pickup date will be Wednesday, June 17. (Please note this date has been updated)
• Pickup location is again at ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries at 2422 College Street in Cedar Falls. 
• Pickup time is from 4:00 to 6:00 pm

This partnership and your support of it is another example of the impact we all have when we work together to fulfill the shared vision of the Rooted Carrot Co-op!