Nash Huber: True Steward of the Land and Protector of Local Farms

Nash Huber, recipient of the 2008 Steward of the Land Award, has stood out as a leader in protecting farmland and caring for the environment. Nash and his team at Nash’s Organic Produce grow more than 100 types of produce, pasture-raised pork, and seed crops on 400 sustainably managed acres in the Dungeness River Valley—a unique micro-climate that allows year round production. The farm products are sold directly to the public through Nash’s Farm Store, a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA), local restaurants and five area farmers’ markets.

Nash and his wife Patty McManus have been advocates for the preservation of farmland and actively protect agricultural land in Clallam County. “It is fantastic to be able to honor a producer like Nash as the 2008 Steward of the Land since he does so much to take care of farmland and to protect it for future generations,” said Ralph Grossi, president of AFT.

Nash and Patty have helped save hundreds of acres of local farmland and important wildlife habitat. Nash served as a founding member of the PCC Farmland Trust and the grassroots farmland protection organization, Friends of the Fields. He has also created a training ground for future farmers—his core team of women and men who are growing healthy food, supporting their local economy, protecting the environment and providing wildlife and salmon habitat. Since 1979, the farm has been certified organic and is “Salmon Safe Certified.”

In addition to his farmland protection efforts, Huber’s award nomination highlighted impressive on-farm practices that keep the land healthy:

• Protects water quality by participating in public campaigns for water protection and by creating vegetated buffers near creeks, rivers and ponds.
• Provides migratory waterfowl habitat for dozens of types of birds and certain grasses and trees have been planted to ensure wildlife habitat.
• Uses a chemical-free pest control management program to deal with insects naturally and without harm to the environment. And, the farm has an extensive composting program to nourish and restore the soil using natural byproducts from dairy farms, fish processing plants and the farm’s vegetable packing operations.

“He’s passionate about preserving the culture of agriculture, sees that much of what he does today uses his scientific and research background daily to do what’s best for farmland and the natural environment,” added Grossi. “He works actively to equip the next generations of producers with the same knowledge and values.”

More Local Farms and Food Heroes

		Alex Weiser: California Farmer To this day Alex Weiser can still remember nearly 25 years ago when customers at Los Angeles-area farmers markets started raving about, and buying up, the apples the Weisers were selling. Read more
		Larry Klco: Ohio Fruit and VegetableFarmer A simple motto guides Larry Klco’s decisions for his Lake County, Ohio pick-your-own farm: "If you want to buy it, I’ll grow it." That concept has helped Klco, a first-generation farmer, build a successful specialty operation that delivers fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables to 125 farmers’ markets in eastern Ohio each summer. Read more
		Dr. Preston Maring: Kaiser Permanente Physician Dr. Preston Maring, a physician administrator and Ob-Gyn at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, started one of the nation’s first hospital-based farmers’ markets at the Oakland Medical Center in 2003. His goal: promote healthy eating by connecting Kaiser Permanente employees and patients with farmers who sell locally grown produce. Today that movement has taken off around the nation. Read more
		Terry Jones: Connecticut Urban-Edge Farmer Terry and Jean Jones consider their Jones Family Farms near Shelton, Conn. an embassy for agriculture. After all, the farm, located only 80 miles from the heart of New York City’s Times Square, is an outpost of organic growth in an otherwise suburban landscape. Read more
		The Fishers: Virginia Innovators The Fishers sell grass-fed beef and organic eggs to local chefs, groceries and at their on-farm store. They also combine on-farm innovation with their love and respect for the land, which has resulted in a composting operation that turns municipal yard waste into a profitable organic fertilizer for Brookview Farm and neighboring farmers. Read more
		Tom Hutson: New York Dairyman Tom Hutson, the farmer who owns the fields surrounding a stretch of the Delaware River in upstate New York, has created a healthy ecosystem on his River Haven Farm, which is rich with flat, river-bottom land and verdant hills that support a wealth of wildlife and recreational opportunities. Read more