Next 7

Cadiz Township, Ohio

“We like to think that the decisions our ancestors made seven generations ago are affecting us, as clearly they are. We hope the decisions we make will benefit our descendants seven generations from now.”

—Holly E. Wiegmann

The name of the farm: Next 7
Farm Location: Cadiz Township, Ohio
Miles from the Public Market: 30 miles
Size of the farm: 198 acres

Why did you become a farmer?
My family has farmed this land for generations, I lived here until I was 8 and came back often. My parents were back-to-landers and lived on this land. I really love being here and 10 years ago I retired from teaching and said this is my opportunity to move back to the land and give farming a try. It has a special place in my heart—it’s my favorite place in the world.

What do you produce?
 

  • Cows

  • Hogs

  • Chickens

  • Goats

  • Peppers

  • Basil

  • Squash

  • Lima Beans

  • Soybeans

  • Eggplants

  • Onions

  • Leeks

  • Sunflowers

  • Collards

  • Celery

  • Radicchio

  • Cabbages

  • Swiss Chard

  • 19 Varieties of Garlic

  • Sweet Corn

What product from your farm are you most proud of?

Our brown and blue free-range eggs are full of a rich and diverse chicken diet.  Not only do our hens hunt for their favorite insects and worms, they also enjoy a leisurely jaunt over acres of pasture to sample new growth.  Every day their natural diet is supplemented with oyster shells to keep their bones and eggshells hard, sea kelp to give your eggs trace minerals and that Golden Sunset hue, and any organic vegetables that aren’t suitable for sale.  Once turned into compost—their eggshells and manure become fuel for the next round of vegetable crops. We love our eggs because they are a perfect example of the healthy cycle of our most organic production farms.

How would you describe your farming philosophy?

I believe in the power of community. We all work together to live and we pay our employees a living wage. We tell our son that everything we do here feeds the hungry people in the city. We’re doing integrated, diverse, small-scale production—keeping things moving and fresh. Our big thing is that what we sell is fresh. We put our hearts and souls into what we do. This is our full-time job—our life.

 

What do you love most about farm life?

Multiple times per year we are surrounded by the magic of babies! In February we marvel at the fragility of each new vegetable sprout as life appears from rich soil. Each March we are blessed with our Spring calves and 300 chicken peeps. More germination ensue as the months trickle by. Piglets arrive a couple times a year—sometimes 9 in a drove! They’re like little puppy dogs on short legs. Come late Summer our Fall calves drop and soon high tail it across the pastures. There is a certain magic about all new life on our farm. With our own family growing we are constantly reminded of the next generations to come and we smile wide.

What do you love the least?

Sometimes it seems impossible to reach the ever-broadening community of supporters. It can frustrate a seemingly perfect day when you feel there is more that could be done to feed all the hungry people that deserve our diverse bounty. But the owls and bats fly every dusk and the roosters crow each dawn—so we, too, step onto our path as this generation’s caretakers. Not of sky, but of our family farm.

 

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