Meet Modern Farmer’s Guest Instagrammers: 26th Street Farm

It was a desire for community that drew Hannah Keen and Will Boal to farming. The two met while working on a certified organic vegetable farm in eastern Washington, outside of Olympia. The pair headed to Nebraska in 2012 where they began farming on the family land where Keen grew up. Both Keen and Boal had been in college – Keen studying art and biology and Boal chemistry – but the draw of working the land pulled them away from school and onto the farm.

“I found myself in my spare time reading about small farms across the country and about communities with thriving farmers markets and great support for local food,”says Keen in an email to Modern Farmer. “I desperately wanted to experience being a part of a community like that, and I knew that working for a farm would give me that. We continue to farm today because we have the opportunity to create a positive influence in our small Nebraskan town.”

Courtesy of 26th Street Farm

These first-generation farmers grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers and raise chickens for eggs and bees for honey on 1.5 acres. Though primarily a Community Supported Agriculture farm, the couple participates in a local farmers market and a statewide food cooperative.

Courtesy of 26th Street Farm

Now in its fourth year, 26th Street Farm uses intensive farming methods, including hand-tending the produce, crop rotation, and cover cropping.

Although not certified organic due to associated costs, Keen and Boal have a sustainable farm and follow the regulations of the National Organic Program. They use GM-free seeds, don’t use artificial fertilizers, and in the rare case of an insect problem, rely on plant, mineral, or natural bacteria-based products.

“Even though small farming is incredibly difficult at times, the rewards are endless. I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do,” says Keen.

Courtesy of 26th Street Farm