Yokna Bottoms: Healthy Food Done Right

           Staying healthy is important to longevity and quality of life. This starts with what you decide to eat and what you pass up. In Oxford there isn’t a Whole Foods Market, and for the most part college students couldn’t afford to shop there anyway. So what are the options? Welcome to Yokna Bottoms Farm, Oxford’s only 100 percent organic farm.

            Yokna Bottoms is just outside of Oxford, down Highway 7and off of Highways 420 and 469. Once there you will see the sea of pine trees a lays a picture perfect farm.

            The farm sits on 19 acres of land with approximately two acres in production. The major difference between Yokna Bottoms and other commercial farms is the method of work.

            Typically farming is synonymous with diesel tractors, pesticides and a myriad of other time saving techniques. This is not the case here. All the work is done by hand; they even use a hand tractor.

            “We utilize minimal off-farm inputs, and work hard to keep our petroleum use minimal. We opt for more sustainable, environmentally friendly alternatives to common organically grown operations such as black plastic mulch and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) approved fertilizers,” Taylor Murchison, co-manager of Yokna Bottoms says.

            Yokna Bottoms opened in January 2010 and was Oxford’s only community supported agricultural (CSA) farm, a method that is quickly gaining popularity nationwide.

            A CSA farm sells local and seasonal vegetables, fruits and even livestock directly from the farmer, eliminating the need for a grocery store. The farmers sell “shares” of the farm to the general public. Then those that own shares will receive their portion of the weekly or bi-weekly yield.

            Montana Stovall is the farm manager at Yokna Bottoms. “We serve around 80 members with each customer receiving between $25-$30 worth of produce weekly for the 26 week growing season, which is from May 1 to October 31,” he said.

            There are many benefits to the CSA system. The farmer is paid for shares before the growing season begins which allows them to cover the costs of growing. The customers receive food that is fresher than anything that can be found in a grocery store, they will get to try food they haven’t heard of and finally they get to meet and interact with the people who work hard so they can eat healthy.

            Yokna Bottoms is still very young as a farm, but they are doing very well and have been registered under the Certified Naturally Grown guidelines, which are very strict and were supposed to be impossible to satisfy in Mississippi. The farm continues expand and when asked about long term goals Murchison said, “Our long term goals include further expansion of our vegetable, herb and small fruit production, the introduction of hens for eggs, pastured broilers (chickens raised for meat), as well as other small livestock to the farm. We also want to incorporate more season extending tools such as high-and-low-tunnels.”

            They are currently growing around 33 different vegetables and fruits, so if you want to eat as well as anyone can look into a full or half share from Yokna Bottoms. Try new food and stay healthy this summer.