In 10th year, Feed Iowa First marks progress in mission to grow food, farmers
The tenth-anniversary feature — the year of 53,310 pounds, told program by program. Sole named source.
Food Systems
Executive director of Feed Iowa First, 2019 → 2022 — a food-security nonprofit that grows food and farmers in Linn County. Built the staff to six, raised $1.7M+, and chaired the Linn County Food Systems Council alongside; added a Harvard Extension graduate certificate in sustainable food systems mid-tenure, because the fields kept raising questions.
Equal access to fresh, healthy produce is a basic human right. — the line the whole tenure argued for
53,310
lbs of produce, one year
$1.7M+
raised across grants
75+
crop varieties grown
6,724
volunteer hours
The programs
Equitable Land Access
A program I created at Feed Iowa First. Land, equipment, and zero start-up cost for landless farmers growing culturally relevant crops — roselle, amaranth, white eggplant — many arriving from DR Congo, Togo, Burundi, and Liberia. Two tracks: a three-year farm business incubator (LLC formation, market development, food-safety certification) and flexible community plots on church and business land. Anchored by a 20-year county land lease at Wanatee Farm with Linn County Conservation; lead sponsor Frontier Co-op.
20-year lease· Wanatee Farm
Fresh Choice
ConvertedData-sited
A retired bookmobile — bought "with really no intention" — converted into a mobile food pantry with students from Iowa BIG and Kirkwood, its stops chosen by census and transit data rather than guesswork.
Free produce, routed by data
Grow Don't Mow
Scaled
Donated urban lots turned into micro-farms — lawns into food, across the city — feeding the distribution network alongside community refrigerators that kept produce within walking distance.
28 urban plots· 75+ varieties
Brucemore Cutting Garden
Partnership
A produce partnership at the historic Brucemore estate — heritage grounds pulling weight for food security.
2020· heritage acres, working
The first annual report
The organization's first-ever annual report — a public ledger of the year's giving and growth.
Transparency, systematized
In print
The Gazette2022
KCRG-TV92022
Broadcast coverage of the signature land deal — the 20-year lease with Linn County Conservation.
The Gazette2021
Linn County program connects aspiring farmers with patch of fertile land
The Equitable Land Access front-pager. "We help them get started… we don't tell them what tools to use."
The Equitable Land Access front-pager. "We help them get started… we don't tell them what tools to use."
Iowa Hunger Summit2020
Homegrown Iowan2020
Links point to the Internet Archive where the originals have moved — news links rot; the record shouldn't.
Everything on this page ran on spreadsheets and paper logs. That bottleneck became software: Urban Harvest — the farm-operations platform born from these years →