Sustainability is life’s work for Adrian White and Will Lorentzen of Garber, Iowa
Will Lorentzen and Adrian White of Jupiter Ridge Farm
Oftentimes, seemingly random events in life prove to be catalysts for change. So
it was for Adrian White during a trip to Ecuador when she was a student at the University of
Minnesota-Morris. While there, she burned her foot and there were no conventional medications
available to treat the wound or help prevent infection.
As Adrian explains, the particularly hot and humid Ecuadorean climate also provides an
environment where wounds can potentially become worse than they might be in a more temperate
area. The local people she had met there had plants from which they made a “tea” to soak her
foot.
“And,” she says, “it got better.”
She had already developed an interest in sustainable agriculture through her formal studies.
Upon returning to the United States, she decided to drop out of college and pursue her interest in a
nontraditional way by working at farms around the country. Herbalism became part of that journey
from her experience in Ecuador.
Herbalism: the study and practice of using herbs for therapeutic and
medicinal purposes
She explains, “Plants used as medicine and food have a closer connection to our ancestors and
indigenous peoples.” Contrasting conventional thinking of today, she explains that it is often
acknowledged that people need to eat better to be healthier, but natural plant-based methods of
healing aren’t often given the same credence as traditional Western-based medicine therapies.
The edible garlic scapes are the tops of the garlic plants which are trimmed off in late spring/early summer to help bulb development. Garlic has extensive uses in cooking, and has been studied for its potential health benefits.
Her work took her to various states, where among other things, she worked farm jobs,
renaissance fairs, and with an herbalist on a farm in Oregon obtaining more experience in
herbalism. She eventually met her future husband, William Lorentzen, and about ten years ago,
she landed in Iowa City, Iowa. They both helped to manage Echollective Farm, an organic farm
about 20 miles northeast of Iowa City.
Adrian apprenticed with an herbalist in Iowa City, trained with California herbalist Charles Garcia
and took distance classes over a two-year period. “I was studying and researching all the time,”
she says.
Through their trips to northeast Iowa to trout fish, Adrian and Will discovered the Driftless Area
– a term used to describe distinct geographical areas in parts of northeast Iowa, southwest
Wisconsin, northwest Illinois and southeast Minnesota. It was “missed” by a glacier during the
last ice age, and resulted in a unique landscape with forested areas, steep hills and deep river
valleys.
“Will would fish and I would wander around and take pictures,” she shares.
Neither Adrian nor Will had close family members who farmed, and like many in their situation, it
was difficult to find a way to get started.
As they searched for a place to call their own, they were introduced to Steve Beaumont, the
former owner of their property who had donated his land to the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust
(SILT). With the benefit of the SILT model, in 2016 they were able to buy equity
while the land remained in the trust. Adrian explains that the improvements they’ve made are owned
by them. Because the ownership structure takes the form of a trust, it lowers the barrier of entry
for a new farmer to be able to work the land.
From SILT’s website:
Our Mission: To permanently protect Iowa land to grow nature-friendly table food.
Our Vision: An Iowa sustained by wholesome food grown on community-based farms.
Our model takes land speculation and mortgage interest out of the equation for future
healthy food farmers. The results of our work include providing affordable land access to
farms near markets for our fruit and vegetable farmers. Through donations, land grants,
buying land for sale, and more, we are actively protecting Iowa farmland and the families who
care for it. This takes us closer and closer to a secure, healthy food production system for the
future, more fresh food in our communities, clean water, fresh air, and healthy soils.
Through their arrangement with SILT, Adrian and Will established their home and
business Jupiter Ridge Farm near Garber, Iowa. They specialize in sustainably grown
mushrooms, vegetables and herbs that they sell to restaurants and also via direct shipments.
Aerial view of Jupiter Ridge Farm near Garber, Iowa. Photo credit: Kevin Grubb
With SILT’s emphasis on sustainable farming, the process is the reverse of what most people
are used to when considering land values.
Adrian explains, “The process actually decreases the [monetary] value of the land. It’s not a
high-cash asset, but it is made affordable for the farmer.” She says, however, that it is
challenging to convince people that it is for the greater good.
“It’s a big relinquishing of equity,” she explains. But, she says, when asking how to make the
most difference in improving water quality and soil quality, while still promoting agriculture, “the
way to kill all those birds with one stone is to invest in local food.”
It was challenging for them to transfer chunks of prairie land to ag land and in getting their
infrastructure set up. The house had been built by Steve Beaumont, but Adrian and Will also
needed to build their pack shed, make tractor payments, get necessary implements, obtain a
walk-in cooler and build a deer fence.
“We’re carving it out here,” she states, and through the practices they use, “it will be ready for
the next person to make a living.”
“If you do anything with extra intention, it does better.” – Adrian White
“The broccoli that you used to just pluck out of a building,” she relates, is now a crop that is planted, tended, and worried over. They feel an interconnection between themselves and the food they grow that comes from being so intimately involved in the process and recognize that the care provided to their plants results in a superior product.
“If there’s more focus and order to it – if you do anything with extra intention, it does better,” she
says.
Referring to their crops, Adrian states, “This is what they’re supposed to taste like – if you take
care of the soil – you taste the difference.” Other people have attested to it as well. They gave
some beets to an acquaintance – a self-described ‘beet hater’ – who later came back raving
about how they tasted and told Adrian and Will: ‘‘I can’t believe I’m saying this about beets!’
Their experience with mushrooms began at Echollectic Farm, where they first started learning
how to inoculate logs. The process involves drilling holes in log with special tools, putting
mushroom spawn over the hole and covering it with wax. The wax topcoat helps protect the
spawn and decreases the potential for contamination.
Through their learning process they have found what works and sells best, so in addition to
mushrooms, they grow sweet potatoes, hot peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions. Will is into
orcharding, and has been planting apricot, pear and apple trees. There are also future plans for
cabbage, beans and potatoes. Adrian grows many classic medicinal herbs and sells the value-
added products she makes.
Her enthusiasm for their life’s work is clear. “It’s like a lifestyle that we’ve lost – it’s not mainstream anymore.
I’m really passionate about it and I feel the pull. I want to get outside and get my hands dirty.”
Adrian White does consulting work, freelance writing and has a book due for release
in October 2022 – Herbalism: Plants and Potions that Heal
Her website is: iowaherbalist.com
Learn more about Jupiter Ridge Farm here.
For more information on the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT), click here.