oeffa farm tour

This 113-acre, women-owned farm was certified organic by OEFFA in 1996. Their old, slow way of making hay has fostered habitat for threatened ground nesting birds, particularly eastern meadowlark and bobolink. Funding from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was used to fence cattle out of the creek, drill a water well, and bury water lines reaching all pastures for the rotationally grazed beef cattle. Part of Marshy Meadows’ conserved acreage will soon be for sale, so attendees are invited to see a working farm, vibrant wildlife habitat, and explore land access possibilities.

The Tranquility Ranch is a woman-owned farm raising grass-fed sheep. They use rotational grazing practices and multi-species grazing for parasite control. This is a two-part tour that starts with a tour exploring the systems and practices of Tranquility Ranch, then is followed by a forage ID pasture walk led by Megan Burgess, state grazing specialist with the Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) has two large urban farms located within city limits in Mansfield. The NECIC offers a popular farmers’ market, hosts middle and high school school field trips, helps with grant research, and provides hands-on apprenticeship and community engagement. They are a part of the Mansfield Microfarm Project, a community-university collaborative to create economic development through sustainable microfarming (small-plot, high-intensity organic agriculture) in post-industrial urban spaces. Their main objective is to establish a sustainable community-based training program for aspiring beginning farmers.