Local family meets needs, works to change countryside
Salesville, OH organic farmers Jeff and Shelley Mott work to provide fresh fruits and vegetables and live off the land
Angela Weimer
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Special Section
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Instead of locusts, grasshoppers and other bugs swarmed various crops on the 111-acre Mott family farm when they first purchased the land in 2005, and during their first growing season in 2006.
The Motts believe a chemical imbalance in the soil caused the infestation of their land in Salesville, Ohio. Jeff and Shelley were able to correct the imbalance using a farm method called permaculture and will soon conclude their second season growing fruits and vegetables.
The Motts use the permaculture technique because it protects the soil life, mimics the way crops grow in nature and promotes an appropriate arrangement of buildings on the farm. The farm holds the official label of "Certified Naturally Grown" which means they do not use synthetic or chemical insecticide, herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers on the crops or in the fields and follow other strict standards of caring for the soil and treating livestock humanly.
"You are putting the more permanent plants in and not digging up the soil every year," Jeff said.
Jeff and Shelley's sons, Joel, 10, and Jeremiah, 7, work on the farm daily along with two paid workers and other volunteers who come at various times throughout the week. The Motts also have a newborn baby named Simeon.
About 30 local families purchase shares of the fruits and vegetables during early spring and pick up their desired quantity of produce each week throughout the season in a program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Specialty restaurants purchase quantities of the produce for their seasonal menus. The Motts also travel to markets in Cambridge and Marietta to sell their fresh fruits and vegetables.
As they meet people's felt needs, the Motts joy in providing spiritual food to their neighbors and customers alike.
A heart for farming
After serving as missionaries overseas for several years, Jeff and Shelley settled in southern California near her parents. They expected to continue to work in full-time ministry. During this same time, Jeff began to plant flowers and landscaping.
Jeff reminisced about growing up on his parent's small three-acre farm and reading Organic Gardening magazine.
After a friend proposed the idea of farming full time to Jeff, he obtained work at two nurseries and attended ecology conferences.
"That kind of gave me the freedom to explore it a little bit," Jeff said.
Jeff was studying a lot about plant communities and the combinations of plants grow well together. The fact that growing the same type of plants in a segregated area often caused disease amongst the all of the crops intrigued him. A lot of times we get such a monoculture that if there is any disease that comes than it wipes out everything because the land lacks diversity.
"I just kept thinking, where is this going to lead because we had a pretty comfortable life," Shelley said.
Jeff grew crops on their small piece of land in California, but he developed a deep desire to have a bigger piece of land to farm.
The Motts also considered health issues before starting their farm. Jeff learned about the value of grass-fed animals over animals raised in factory farms and treated with various medicines. He learned of the value of raw milk and raw milk products as well.
Another factor in Jeff and Shelley starting the farm was Jeff's desire to honor his father. He wanted to move back to southern Ohio to make a living doing what he loved.
"I was really fed up with the freeways and the fast-pace of southern California and I really wanted to come back to southern Ohio where I grew up," Jeff said.
Shelley said Jeff's desire that the family stay home together and live off the land instead of doing their own jobs propelled them to move across the country.
Jeff said Shelley struggled with the idea of moving because she grew up in California and was accustomed to West Coast life. She relied on faith during the transition time.
"God gave her the grace to die to what she wanted inside and just trust me and God to fulfill what she needed to do," Jeff said. "Once she did that there was such a freedom and joy to accept it and even embrace it."
Meeting the felt needs
The Motts grow their produce on one and a half acres of land. They have 24 crop beds spanning 12 ft. by 15 ft. They purchased the farm from an Amish family. In addition to the family home, the farm also includes a chicken coop, a pull barn to store equipment, a large barn to house livestock, a pig barn to store equipment, a small wash house, greenhouse and a small corn crib.
Jeff uses the greenhouse to start crops during the late winter and early spring months. He then transplants them to the crop beds outdoors.Other crops such as lettuce begin in the greenhouse throughout the summer months.
In an effort to decrease their dependence on fossil fuels, they accomplish the work using four Belgian draft horses to haul hay.
The farm runs with the help of an Amish woman named Lydia who weeds, transports and picks plants. Mike Williams interns on the farm three or four days per week. Former Muskingum College student Wade Coffey volunteers on the farm to complete various needed tasks.
"It's fun to be a worker and I especially like the time I get to spend with Jeff because I have gotten to learn so much from him about the Lord and I think working together for a common vision and a common goal is something that more people should experience and devote themselves to," Coffey said.
He also said he enjoys doing hard work and learning about nutrition.
The Motts grow a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, some of which include lettuces, sweet peas, snow peas, berries, strawberries, asparagus, broccoli, blackberries, melons, tomatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips and winter squash.
The Motts implemented the CSA program this past year, during their second season of growing.
Local families purchase a full share of food to feed three to four people and a half share of food to feed one to two people. For the 2007 season, shares cost $480 while half shares cost $295.
The program runs from the beginning of June until the beginning of October for an 18-week season.
"I want to deliver high quality produce every week to the people appropriate to what they are looking for," Jeff said.
The CSA families pick up their shares at the residence of John Glenn High School teacher Frederick Frank in New Concord or at a health food store in Zanesville.
"I think that they are giving people in the community a chance to get at the heart of something that's really wholesome and really healthy," Frank said. "I think this is the very food that we eat and it's food that has not been contaminated with chemicals."
Frank said growing crops naturally is not only the environmentally responsible thing to do; it is the spiritually responsible thing to do.
"I'm a Christian and I believe that God made the world and he told people to take care of it," he said. "Not only are they avoiding harm, they are enriching."
CSA participant and wife to Wade, Susan Coffey said it is worth the money to purchase the crops because they are the freshest fruits and vegetables.
"They are much more nutritious and I don't think you can put a price on our health," said Susan.
She also enjoys trying new recipes Shelley provides in the crates of food.
The Motts sell produce at farmer's markets late in the week.
Fridays and Saturdays are devoted to the Guernsey County Farmer's Market in Cambridge and River City Farmer's Market in Marietta.
"I love going to the markets," Jeff said. "I love sharing vision for the farm and the type of communities we want to see raised up all around."
In addition to the CSA program and farmer's markets, the Motts sell their crops to high-end restaurants in Columbus and Grandville Heights.
Jeff predicted the family's business plans for the next two to three years.
"We feel like 70 percent of our business could be CSA and 30 percent could be a combination of farmer's markets and the restaurants," he said.
He said the chefs are wonderful and it's very rewarding.
"They are very enthusiastic about what we're doing and I think the city people are really going to need those good healthy vegetables as well," he said.
The Motts simply have a heart for local people and want to lessen their dependency on fossil fuels.
Transforming the land
Shelley said her oldest sons love working on the farm and that they contribute significantly to productivity.
"I think they are really going to be the ones that are zealous for the business and know what needs to happen," Jeff said.
Jeff often dreams about growing old with his grandchildren around doing meaningful work together.
Pests caused many problems during the first year of farming, but the Mott Family Farm has experienced very few imbalances this year.
"It's amazing to see how it works," Shelley said. "It's really God's hand in how he created the earth to balance itself out without us messing with it."
Shelley said conventional farming techniques claim that pests need to be sprayed with chemicals and that the soil requires fertilizers to make it fertile.
"Once you stop messing with the balance of the soil and it gets healthy, it will actually produce more," Shelley said.
Jeff said the conventional methods teach to apply chemicals, plow, till and flip the soil. However, these methods kill the microscopic bacteria and expose by exposing it the sun and wind. When left alone, the microbes will repair the soil structures naturally.
Jeff said he sees many small farms when driving through towns in America.
"You can see that they are dead and that something has gone dreadfully wrong and I think it has been intentional with the big agribusiness and the government has kind of worked together to make laws that have driven out farmers," Jeff said.
He said huge global agribusiness conglomerates are raising a large percentage of America's food in an unhealthy way.
"My interest is not that we can make a living farming, it's that we can see transformation of the countryside," Jeff said.
Those interested in purchasing shares can call the Motts at (740) 758-5488.
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