I had to switch up my schedule this week and visit a farm on Wednesday. I was in Columbia, Missouri for a meeting so decided to visit DanJo Farms while I was there. The drive to Columbia was not very relaxing; the rain was really coming down for at least half of the trip. At one point the rain was so heavy I decided to pull off at a gas station till it let up. Things dried out once I got east of Higginsville, thank goodness.

DanJo Farms is located in Moberly, Missouri, just north of Columbia. Dan and Joanne Nelson have been contracted vendors at the City Market since 2012 and drive over to Kansas City every Saturday year round. The Nelsons do a little bit of everything at their farm. They have a licensed kitchen and bake sourdough, sweet and artisan breads, rolls and cookies, which Joanne and her son were working on when I arrived. They also grow a variety of produce to add to their stalls including fresh herds. Their vegetable plants were still producing a little but like most farms this time of year summer crops are slowing down and the fall crops are getting rotated in. They had a terrible beetle infestation in their kale and since they opt not to use pesticides, the rows of kale were totally destroyed. Tucked away behind their vegetable rows are a few honey hives, I usually keep a large distance between the bees and myself, you never know when they are having a bad day. Dan also brings meat and eggs to the market. They raise beef, turkeys, pigs, sheep, ducks and chickens, a real menagerie. All of their animals are fenced but have plenty of room to roam, the chickens, turkeys, ducks and a pig greeted me when I arrived. I was afraid I would back over them when I left but they all stayed clear of the truck. Joanne told me they have about 30 turkeys which will be ready in time for Thanksgiving, once they put on a little more weight. They do take orders.

DanJo Farms is in the supplement category at the Market so they are allowed to purchase no more than 50% of the items they bring from another local farmer or from one of the local produce auctions. The Nelson’s supplement jams and jellies, pickles, salsa, mustards, fruits and some vegetables. You will find DanJo Farms at the City Market every Saturday year round in the middle farmers shed in stalls 78-80. For additional information visit their web site at www.danjofarms.com

 

Next week my schedule is a little crazy so I will not be able to do any farm visits but plan to get back on the road the following week. I visited with most of our vendors last Saturday and some of them plan to keep selling at the Market till at least mid to late October, the date of the first heavy frost will affect this. Many of the vendors plan to stay through Thanksgiving and others will stay till Christmas. The City Market is open year round so please continue to support our vendors and small family farms.