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Stake your claim: South
Carolina farmer offers his farm as top prize in
essay contest. Right: rows of tomato plants.
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Farm
at a Glance: Owl's
Nest Plantation
Location:
Cross, SC. Rural south-central
South Carolina about 45 minutes north of Charleston.
Farm
Type: Organic, not certified
Size:
30-acres, 12-acres under cultivation
What
is grown: Tomatoes, cucumbers,
squash (both summer and winter), lettuce, green
beans, spinach, melon and cut flowers, also, plums,
pecans, figs, peaches and grapes
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A little creativity, a lot
of passion and $350 could make you the proud owner of your
very own organic farm. David Howe, organic farmer, is giving
away his 30-acre farm including: farm house, all equipment,
vehicles, office supplies, membership to his farmers markets
and everything else necessary to run a successful farm operation
to the winner of his essay contest (for a complete list of
included amenities go to www.organicfarmgiveaway.com).
Sound too good to be true? Well, I think that is exactly
what Howe is counting on. After running the Owl’s Nest
Plantation, an organic farm in rural south-central South Carolina,
for 12-years Howe is looking for someone with heart and a
commitment to organic farming and if this makes it possible
for someone to pursue a farm dream that would otherwise be
impossible, even better. “We are providing an opportunity
that for many people would otherwise be impossible,”
Howe said quoting a recent visitor at the farm’s open-house.
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| Open
House : Get a sneak peak of the grand prize
at the July 13 open-house. The farm will be open
to the public from 12-5 p.m. |
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To find a suitable owner for his beloved property Howe has
asked interested parties to answer the question “What
does organic farming mean to you?” Creativity is encouraged
and essays can take any form from personal stories to poems,
one interested party submitted an archetype for the official
Owl’s Nest Plantation website. One strict rule, all
essays must be 250 words or less. Of the essays received,
Howe spoke of a moving life-profile that spanned 10 pages.
“I had to send it back to him high-lighting the 250
word limit, I hope he sends it back,” he said. As Howe
puts it you have to have passion to sum up what organic farming
means to you in 250 words or less.
The other strict rule, the winner must agree to farm the
land organically for six months. To ease the apprehension
of the novice farmer or even provide advice to the expert,
Howe is offering to spend those six months at the new owner’s
disposal training, explaining nuances of the farm and market
operation and answering any questions about the farm.
Howe took over the Owl’s Nest in 1992 and, after determining
that the previous owners who used the property to run a horse
farm were not using chemicals, he quickly turned it over to
organic. Howe uses all the common organic management practices
including: a hearty crop-rotation cycle, composted manures,
cover crops and OMRI approved fertilizers when needed. The
farm is also equipped with a new energy-efficient 4000+ gallon
stainless steel gravity fed drip or impact sprinkler system
to help even out temperamental South Carolina weather and
allow a greater variety of crops. The farm was certified organic
but certification has since lapsed. Howe runs the farm basically
on his own employing from a temporary labor service when the
work load becomes especially heavy. He finds this method of
employment “the most economical way to run a farm.”
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| High
market activity : The Howe's sell their
produce at 4-different farmers markets in central
South Carolina. |
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Howe, who decided at 13 when he took over the family garden
that organic was the only way to grow, believes organic methods
produce a better quality, better texture and most importantly
a better tasting product. On the farm he grows tomatoes, cucumbers,
squash (both summer and winter), lettuce, green beans, spinach,
melon and cut flowers. There are also plums, pecans, figs, peaches
and grapes. Howe participates in four area farmers markets and
a co-op. This combination allows him to bring in a steady income
year round.
News and interest in the contest are starting to spread as
frequent visits from local news media add to the air of excitement
on the farm. So far Howe has received 965 essays from all
over the United States, there has even been an essay received
from Europe and this morning he fielded a call from an interested
Australian party. The official deadline for the contest is
July 30, 2003 but Howe will only be accepting a maximum of
2500 essays so interested parties should enter quickly. When
asked what would be the minimum of essays accepted. He said
he hadn’t thought about it but he is hoping for 2500,
no more, no less.
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| Contest
Information |
What:
essay contest
Question: What does organic gardening
mean to me?
Length: 250 words or less
Format: any literary form
Deadline: July 30, 2003
Maximum number of entries accepted: 2500
Application fee: $349.00
For a complete list of contest rules visit: www.organicfarmgiveaway.com
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Howe will narrow down the entrees to the top 100 essays himself
then a panel of 3 judges will select a winner, first and second
runner-up. Howe said he could not release the names of the
judges but assured all were recognized and active in the organic
industry. He agreed that they could even be called experts.
Howe will retain copyright to all essays and is planning to
distribute the winning essay to local and industry media outlets.
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