Three area farmers find success the natural way

Between the federal government and international bodes, the organic farmer faces a unique set of regulations. South of Sidney along the Colorado border, however, three families are navigating the challenges with success.

Fresh Wind Farms on County Road 8 has found a market for organic eggs, selling them to a small but growing number of people in the Sidney community. To meet the requirements, their chickens must receive organic feed—an often expensive prospect.

Fortunately, a neighboring farm specializes in the necessary product, bringing costs down.

Bernard and Sharon Fehringer have been growing organic grains since 1995, when Bernard decided not to spray for weeds. That year he began employing a more traditional method of weed control: tilling the land. He then opted to go organic because of the potentially greater profit margin.

Bernard's son, John, and his wife, Sara, joined the market in 2009, when the balance between supply, demand and price tipped against them. Left with an supply of grain ready to spoil, John and Sara began feeding and raising turkeys. "We made our own feed for the turkeys and had both the turkey's and feed certified organic,” Sara Fehringer said. “We then sold them at Thanksgiving to a CSA, a community support group. They loved the turkeys so much they demanded they switch to our feed for their poultry. We started developing feed for that CSA and that's where it started."

The Fehringer's main business involves transporting organic grains from the elder's farm, their own farm and other local producers for organic livestock feed. "It's a niche market we are at a point where we need to expand,” Sara said. “There is definitely a market it's definitly expanding and growing."

Today the Fehringer's grow organic wheat, millet, flaxes and sunflowers, along with some specialty crops, such as pumpkins and radishes. The organic grains are used for livestock feed, flour and barley pellets that can to be used to control algae in ponds. John and Sara also raise certified organic pork.

Some of the pork they raise can be found in Whole Foods.

When John and Sara first started they, used only the grain from their farms. They now buy material from other organic growers to use in their feed mixture. All the grain must be tracked to its source to be certified.

"It's not hard it's just keeping track of things,” Sara pointed out. “You need to be organized and do the paperwork. Marketing it's the big thing, you can grow organic crops and take them to the COOP but they're not give you the organic prices, so you really need to get out network and market. It's not as simple as taking it to town any more."

For Teresa and Matt Smith of Fresh Wind Farms, using Fehringer's poultry feed has help them to produce a high quality product. They are still in the process of achieving certification. The Food and Drug Administration sets a threshold and once reached, the farmers must begin filling out paperwork.

"We're at the limit of being a small producer versus a large producer," Matt Smith said.

Starting with a few chickens, they now list 80 clients and a growing number of people asking for their eggs.

Both Teresa Smith and Sara Fehringer said that organic farming is heavy in paperwork, but the end result is worth it all.