Vegetable Tour

The Missouri Vegetable Growers Association and University of Missouri Extension are sponsoring a vegetable farm tour to be held on Tuesday, April 16.  The tour leaves from Osceola Cheese (north of Osceola at 3700 NE Hwy. 13) promptly at 8:15 a.m. If carpooling, park NE of store.  Osceola is halfway between Kansas City and Springfield on Highway 13.

8:30 to 10:30 a.m.—Bear Creek Farms, Jim & Robbins Hail

Bear Creek Farms near Osceola, MO grows 15 acres of certified organic produce. Our markets include the Whole Foods Markets in Kansas City, Door to Door Organics, and The Root Cellar in Columbia. This year we are also planning at being at the Farmers' Market of the Ozarks in Springfield. We sell garden transplants, fruit plants and vegetables.

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.—Evening Shade Farms, Cindy Parker

Our family has lived on this farm, located just south of where the Ozarks meet the plains, for more than 30 years. Our sole purpose is to provide skin care products that truly nourish your skin. Our products literally start from the ground up — handmade, hand cleaned, hand packaged — all right here on the farm.

Bring your own lunch, drinks provided.

1:15 to 2:15 p.m.—Wild Goose Gardens, Ethan Jones

Wild Goose Gardens is a small flower farm outside Osceola, MO on the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. We grow a wide variety of flowering plants-both annuals and perennials, shrubs, flowering trees and some bog plants for florists in the Kansas City and Springfield markets. We cultivate approximately 1.5 acres of open fields as well six hoop houses and in many permanent beds.

2:30 to 4:30 p.m.—Green Gate Farm, Ken & Katie Barber

We started farming in 2010, and in July 2013 we will be certified organic, which is part of the way we look after the land we farm and live on. The farm is balanced between intensive vegetable and fruit production, woodland, pasture for livestock and poultry, and protected steam. 2013 will be the first year farming in our newly constructed 2800 sq ft high tunnel. We produce heritage turkeys, chicken, duck, and goose eggs, and sustainably produced vegetables and fruit.

Call Robbins Hail at 417–282-5894 or Pat Miller at 417-448-2560 for more information.