By Scout Nelson
Cedar Creek Gardens is a 14-acre farm in Midland, South Dakota, operated by Bud Manke and Peggy Martin. The farm grows a variety of produce and farm fresh eggs while working to provide nutritious food to the local community.
The operation also supplies fruits and vegetables to restaurants, chefs, caterers, food trucks, small grocery stores, and institutional buyers looking for South Dakota-grown products.
Shala Larson with NRCS, South Dakota, highlighted farms work as an example of how conservation practices and new ideas can support local agriculture. Cedar Creek Gardens also takes part in farm-to-school lunch programs, helping bring fresh, locally grown produce to students, and introducing young people to food grown in their own state.
Expanding Growing Capabilities
Cedar Creek Gardens uses several growing systems to help crops handle changing weather and extend the growing season. The farm has high tunnels, low tunnels, and caterpillar tunnels. These structures help protect plants from heat, frost, and other extreme weather conditions.
The farm’s connection with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plays an important role in its development. In 2010, Cedar Creek Gardens became the first operation in South Dakota to install a high tunnel through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The high tunnel continues to support vegetable production today.
Since its first installation, Bud and Peggy have expanded their protected growing systems. Their 200-foot caterpillar tunnels can hold 600 pepper plants or 300 tomato plants each. The farm plants a large number of tomatoes during the growing season, with 1,300 pounds of tomatoes planted this year.
Early planting is important because weather can affect crop production. Tomatoes that are planted too late may grow into large, healthy plants but produce little or no fruit when temperatures become too high.
The farm also uses low tunnels covered with frost cloth inside the caterpillar tunnel system. These tunnels help protect tomato plants from late frosts that could damage or destroy the crop.
Finding New Ways to Save Energy
Cedar Creek Gardens also looks for ways to improve energy use on the farm. Bud and Peggy applied for financial assistance through an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant to help address their energy needs.
Following an energy audit, the farm made LED lighting upgrades in its greenhouses and sheds. The changes provide more efficient lighting while helping the operation manage its energy use.
Three automatic controllers are also used in the greenhouses. These systems monitor air temperatures and automatically raise or lower the sides of greenhouse curtains. This helps control conditions inside the greenhouses and reduces the amount of time fans need to operate.
By using these systems, the farm can manage growing conditions more efficiently while lowering energy use linked to greenhouse fans.
Building Healthy Soil
Soil health is another important part of Cedar Creek Gardens’ approach to farming. Healthy soil can support crop growth and help farmers improve production over time.
Peggy encourages other producers and growers to understand the condition of their soil before making decisions about production.
Cedar Creek Gardens shows how local farms can combine conservation, protected growing systems, energy improvements and careful soil management. These practices help producers respond to weather challenges while continuing to grow food for nearby communities.
Photo Credit: usda-nrcs
Categories: South Dakota, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables