Big Muddy Urban Farm is a small-scale farm located within the city limits of Omaha, Nebraska. In Winter 2011 we met, formed our collective, wrote and signed our Partnership Agreement and started Big Muddy Urban Farm. For our first season we are offering a 25-member CSA program, selling at three local farmer’s markets, hosting free workshops at our growing sites, experimenting with value added products, and building relationships with a few local restaurants.
We are a collectively run farm providing naturally grown vegetables and herbs to our community. Our collective is comprised of seven young urbanites, passionate about cultivating food, working collectively and collaboratively, and sharing our skills with others. As important as growing delicious produce in the city is to us, working with others on this project in a horizontal method is also equally important. Decisions at and about Big Muddy Urban Farm are decided cooperatively and in good faith by all members of the collective. Members are defined by those that demonstrate a willingness to participate in collective meetings, volunteer on the farm, and engage in events hosted by Big Muddy Urban Farm.
Our main goal is to create a new source of naturally-grown produce and herbs in Omaha, and encourage others to grow their own food by offering a lot of opportunities for skill building and volunteers. By sharing knowledge we strengthen our communities and give each other a sense of our own collective power. We highly value creative people and creative ideas. Growing food in an urban setting requires a lot of creativity and flexibility. We are constantly adapting our methods and harvesting input from others.
While we are not a “certified organic” operation everything we grow is done by using organic methods. We begin with non-GMO and organic seed, care for our crops without the use of pesticides or other chemicals, and implement soil and land-nurturing methods.
Moreover, food security is very important issue to address, especially in urban settings where many people are food insecure or struggling with their health and well-being due to foods that are detrimental to their health. We think small-scale urban farming operations are a very important piece of the food security puzzle. As things continue to change (climate, economies, etc.) we will need to rely more on food grown closer to home, or even at home. We are trying to help by growing intensively in small spaces, taking good care of our soil and land, and selling our produce to our surrounding community. We also want to encourage and inspire others to grow and produce their own!
Farming in an urban area allows us to interact a lot with our community, and relationships are very important to us. We want people to feel empowered while being a part of our CSA, volunteering with us, learning new skills at a workshop, and then potentially starting their own projects (maybe a backyard garden, maybe building a chicken coop… keeping bees…). Food is a great way to bring people together. Even more, we think it is really important to collaborate with and partner with groups in our community. This season we’re partnering with the Gifford Park Teen Market Garden, the Gifford Park Community Garden, No More Empty Pots, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, Big Garden Project and many, many more groups and individuals. Thank you for your continued support!