Spring Grove Acre Farm; organic farming; products, include:
Fresh fruits
Fresh vegetables
Cut flowers
Eggs
Fresh/dried herbs
We steward 40 acres of rolling land just north of Mount Vernon, Iowa. 2023 will be our second season farming on this property. We grow over 150 varieties medicinal and culinary herbs, flowers, and perennial shrubs on our Certified Naturally Grown herb farm. For a full list of the plants we grow, click here.
Our farm is registered as Certified Naturally Grown, and we are in the transitional years to become Certified Organic. We utilize organic practices and low-till systems that encourage robust soil biology, sequester carbon, and protect our soils from erosion all while producing beautiful and resilient crops.
In addition to growing botanicals, we raise 100% pasture-raised Katahdin sheep. Raising ruminant animals on pasture is a beautiful pairing – the sheep eat nutritionally-dense forage while offering fertility directly back to the land. When plants and grasses are grazed, it stimulates deeper root growth which leads to increased levels of organic matter in the soil, less soil compaction, and more resilience to the effects of drought as the roots can access water deeper in the earth. Protecting & restoring our soil is the main goal for this operation. Raising sheep on pasture offers the opportunity for mutual flourishing of both land and animal, while also producing a high-quality, nutrient-dense, & sustainable source of meat. Our pasture-raised lamb will be available for sale in the fall of 2023.
Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about our current and upcoming offerings, including new product releases, when our pastured lamb is available, where to find us and our products & special discounts given only to subscribers.
Our Farm: At First Light Farm & Learning Center, we celebrate both plant and human diversity as we to strive to educate ourselves and our customers (whether CSA, u-pick, mini farmers, or the public in general) about our interdependence with the natural world and our ever increasing need to care for, protect and live in gratitude for this vital relationship between healthy soils and the well-being of our own bodies and the communities we live in.
Herbalist-formulated tinctures and elixirs, therapeutic salves and balms, functional and delightful tea blends, & other small-batch seasonally-inspired creations. These vibrant herbal remedies are crafted from the plants we tend and harvest on our medicinal herb farm.
Our farm is located near Mount Vernon in east central Iowa. We cultivate over 80 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs and more than 60 varieties of flowers on just over one acre using sustainable and regenerative practices. Our farm is Certified Naturally Grown and will soon be Certified Organic.
Visit our Online Shop
Sprouts, Where Goodness Grows ®: Sprouts is everything you love about a farmer’s market, open seven days a week, rain or shine. Our specialty markets offer a fresh, friendly take on grocery shopping, where exploration and discovery happen naturally. We’re known for the season’s freshest, most delicious produce around, and take extra care in curating uniquely healthy products to fit any lifestyle.
Our Neighborhood Grants support organizations working at the community level, providing nutrition education and healthy food access to kids. With grants ranging in size from $5,000 to $10,000, we support organizations that help children develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.
We know that food grown on healthy soils and healthy farming is healthy food. This is why we started our urban microgreens farm. We wanted to give our community nutrient dense foods that not only offer great flavor to their dishes but also add a vast amount of nutrients that many of us do not get through our daily diets. By using microgreens in your every day meals you can add anywhere from 5 to 40 times more nutritional value to your meals.
Who are we you may ask. We are two Merced county Veterans that decided to start up a business to provide accessible food to our community without the financial burden. It is also a project that has allowed us to focus our attention to farming as a way to cope with mental health.