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Friday, January 22, 2021 CapitalPress.com 9 Home-delivered organic produce By DIANNA TROYER For the Capital Press Courtesy of Kristin’s Farm Stand Kristin Varela-Schild expanded her family business to south- eastern Idaho, providing home delivery of fresh vegetables and hormone-free meat. KRISTIN VARELA-SCHILD Kristin Varela-Schild never planned to become an organic greenhouse farmer in southeastern Idaho. Last year, however, investors convinced her to expand her family business, Kristin’s Farm Stand, to a 490-acre farm south of Malta. “Investors who owned geother- mal property there found us because we’re skilled at running greenhouses and raising livestock for consumers who crave organic produce and hor- mone-free meat delivered to their doorsteps,” Varela-Schild said. Eight employees tend to toma- toes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, lettuce, spinach, kale, aru- gula, eggplant, microgreens, eggs, cattle and pork. The farm stand differs from other Occupation: Founder of Kristin’s Farm Stand Education: Bachelor’s of science degree in biology/zoology with a Spanish minor from Colorado State University, 1997. Also completed master gardener certification. Family: Husband and three daughters, ages 16 to 20. Motto: Food is Medicine Online: More information about the farm’s weekly food delivery can be found at www.kristins-boise. com or kristins-saltlake.com. food-delivery services, she said, because consumers shop for food as if they were at a grocery store. “We don’t offer a subscription service,” Varela-Schild said. “All of our products are sold individually. You can cherry pick exactly what you want, in the quantities you want, including meat by the individual cut. We like to make it easy on people without the fear of a commitment. There’s no minimum to order, either.” She said the motto “Food is Med- icine” motivates her. “I can’t claim the motto as my own,” she said, “but our family has lived this and seen its truth with our very own eyes.” She established the farm stand after their daughter became criti- cally ill. In 2016, her daughter lost 32 pounds in three months and was diagnosed with severe celiac disease. “She was intensely intoler- ant of gluten and certain preserva- tives and chemicals in food, so we started raising our own food,” Vare- la-Schild said. “The only change we made was eating the food we grew, and she regained her health and weight. It made such an impact on me, seeing the connection between what food you eat and your health.” Their friends and neighbors began asking to buy their home- grown food. “Our vegetables are flavorful and nutrient dense because they’re grown as soil-based vine crops and are delivered shortly after they’re picked,” Varela-Schild said. Due to high demand for the veg- etables, she began the farm stand near their home at Brighton, Colo., in 2018 as a customized fresh food service with home deliveries. This story was first published Oct. 9, 2020. Ag engineer battles ‘legacy of erosion’ University of Idaho University of Idaho ag- ricultural engineer and associate professor Erin Brooks looks for patterns in water and soil quality using satellite imagery and crop-yield monitors. “more resistant to disaster,” Brooks said. Farmers are also consid- ering more fall-seeded crops, such as winter peas, to reduce erosion risks. Brooks grew up in North Bend, Wash., but his parents’ families both farmed in East- fertilizer coming back into their crop.” Many farmers are will- ing to accept losses in their cash crop for cover crops if it will help restore soil health and get more nutrients from organic sources, he said. Brooks worked with Gen- esee, Idaho, farmer Eric Odberg on site-specific, cli- mate-friendly farming as part of the Regional Approaches to Climate Change research project, or REACCH. This story was first pub- lished Sept. 4, 2020. ERIN BROOKS Title: Associate professor, agricultural engineer at University of Idaho Age: 49 Hometown: North Bend, Wash. Current location: Moscow, Idaho. Education: Bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering, Washington State University; master’s degree in agricultural and biological engineering, University of Minnesota; research at Cornell University; Ph.D. in agricultural and bioengineering, University of Idaho Family: Wife Andrea; children Matilda, 20; Caleb, 18; Emmett, 15; Cody, 10 METAL BUILDINGS! 51 Years of Manufacturing Excellence Buy Factory Direct! Equipment Storage • Shop • Barn Hay Shed • Dairy Shade • Arena Roofing, Siding, & Trim Call Today! R&M Steel Co. 208-454-1800 www.rmsteel.com sales.rmsteel@gmail.com S220599-1 Heavy rain keeps Erin Brooks up at night. The University of Idaho associate professor and agri- cultural engineer monitors extreme weather that can flood cropland and increase erosion. If climate change model predictions of more intense rain prove true, Brooks said, some farmers could see more erosion, even those who have reduced tillage. Brooks looks for water quality patterns using satel- lite imagery and crop-yield monitors. He wants to man- age landscapes with a “leg- acy of erosion” to allow farmers to maximize profit- ability, minimize the loss of soil and improve long-term sustainability. No-till practices and more organic matter from the use of cover cropping are ways farmers can make their fields ern Washington, where he would visit every summer. As a college student, Brooks decided to pur- sue agricultural engineer- ing, wanting to help main- tain agriculture’s economic vitality and improve the environment. Brooks recently received a one-year, $20,000 inter- nal university research grant to explore better manage- ment of water and farm sus- tainability. His research team will examine soils that were degraded by water stress such as erosion. They will use soil-mois- ture and crop sensors on center irrigation pivots and examine various crops’ responses. “I think we’re in a new era where a lot of farmers are looking at regenerative ag,” he said. “They’re tired of applying more and more fertilizers every year because their soils are degraded and at best getting 50% of that D & S TIRES INC. 26884 Pearl Rd • Parma, Idaho 83660 New Track Shop that brings BIG Savings to the Western U.S! 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