Like the old camp song, ‘moon on the meadow, bugs in our ears’, one of our local USDA organic farms is chemical free and welcomes the notion of ‘biological control’. Moon On The Meadow is a Certified Organic farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture, located just inside Lawrence city limits. They grow a wide variety of herbs, fruits, vegetables and fresh-ground flour made from heirloom wheat, as well as a stock of beautiful florals for bouquets. On our visit to see firsthand how some of our Certified Organic produce is grown and harvested, we were able catch a glimpse of what most organic farms encounter on a daily basis: insects.
Although not always willfully adopted, biological control is an effective, non-toxic approach to maintain a healthy garden. These insects act as a natural predator towards bad bugs that ruin crops and could ultimately destroy plants; a lack of natural predators means a world of insects gone wild. The use of natural predator insects, parasites and pathogens to control insect and weed pests is an environmentally-friendly alternative to expensive and potentially harmful pesticides.
Moon on the Meadow is owned and operated by Jill Elmers and is part of the Common Harvest CSA and Farm Fresh HQ. Common Harvest CSA is a collaboration of five certified organic growers, offering healthy, organic food straight from local farms to Lawrence and Kansas City residents. Woodside Kitchen currently sources our tomatoes and micro greens from Moon on the Meadow and is looking to bring in fresh florals on a weekly basis for Woodside members to enjoy in our dining space. Check out our pictures from the farm visit below.
