Rooted in community

JAMESTOWN, Mo. – Almost 20 years ago, Liz Graznak started with little more than a vision. Today, Happy Hollow Farm near Jamestown is a thriving, 20-acre organic vegetable and cut flower farm.

“When I bought the farm, there was nothing here,” she said. Now there’s a large barn and vegetable processing pack shed, flower and tool barns, walk-in coolers and a number of high and low tunnels that allow the farm to grow produce 365 days a year. A large solar array partially funded through a USDA Rural Energy for American Program grant, sits on the top of one of the barns and supplies almost half the farm’s energy needs.

Perhaps just as important as the physical infrastructure of the farm are the relationships Graznak has developed – with customers, with other farmers and with the many employees and interns who share her passion for the work. Partnerships with school districts, fellow farmers, nonprofits and educational organizations like University of Missouri Extension have enabled her to expand her product offerings, extend her customer reach and share what she has learned.

From graduate student to farmer

Graznak, a mid-Missouri native, studied plant breeding as a graduate student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. But it was her experiences outside the classroom that led her to envision a career as a farmer—or “farm-HER,” as she describes herself.

While at Cornell, she joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. In the CSA model, customers receive regular shares of seasonal produce each week throughout the growing season. Members support the farm directly and, in return, gain a closer connection to the people growing their food. “That was my first introduction into seasonal eating, knowing the farmers that were growing the food I was eating and just being more aware of and caring about the food I was eating,” Graznak said.

Then she attended a presentation by Liz Henderson, who was a pioneer in the CSA movement, opening Peacework Organic CSA in upstate New York in the late 1980s. Graznak subsequently visited the farm and met Henderson. “I was super-inspired,” she said. “That sort of consolidated my belief that I could pursue farming as a career.”

After grad school, Graznak interned on a farm, worked in agriculture for several years and eventually returned to mid-Missouri to start a farm of her own outside of Jamestown, a small town in Moniteau County about 25 miles upriver from Jefferson City. Happy Hollow Farm is certified organic by USDA and the Real Organic Project.

As she built the business, Graznak sought knowledge wherever she could find it. She participated in workshops, trainings and educational programs through University of Missouri Extension, USDA and other farming organizations.

“When I was first getting started, the Missouri Beginning Farmer organization through MU Extension provided tons of help, and I attended many classes and workshops,” Graznak said. The Missouri Beginning Farmer and Rancher program combines workshops, educational classes, internships and one-on-one technical assistance to help new and aspiring farmers.

Debi Kelly, University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist, calls Graznak “my favorite producer. She does it all, and she does it right.”

Others agree: In 2021, Graznak was named Organic Farmer of the Year by Marbleseed, a farmer-led nonprofit serving organic agriculture throughout the Midwest.

Kelly noted that Graznak was among the first producers in Missouri to bring her operation into compliance with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, which established standards designed to prevent foodborne illness during the growing, harvesting, packing and handling of produce. Soon after implementing those practices on her own farm, Graznak began working with MU Extension to host FSMA workshops and other educational events.

“I try to give back as much as I can and to host workshops on the farm and to try to help other new beginning farmers learn especially from the mistakes I have made along the way.”

Graznak notes that she’s still learning new things. “I have a network of fellow farmer friends that are my go-to,” Graznak said. “If I have a question or if I need help with something, or if there’s a pest or disease that I’ve never seen before, I need input from other people to help me solve a problem.”

Creating new markets for local food

In addition to a running a popular CSA program, Happy Hollow Farm sells, either directly or through partners, to restaurants and grocery stores as well as to institutional customers like schools and hospitals. The farm also sells directly to customers at several farmers markets in Columbia and the Kansas City area. Through local partnerships, Happy Hollow Farm provides CSA members with eggs, seasonal flower bouquets, grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork and chicken.

The farm has also partnered with the Kansas City Food Hub, a farmer-owned cooperative that helps producers sell to area schools, hospitals, food pantries and other institutional customers.

“She’s dropping off a lot of great food that will go to the schools and the food pantries every week,” said Thomas Smith, chief business officer of the Kansas City Food Hub.

In recent years, Happy Hollow Farm has worked with the farm-to-school program at the Blair Oaks school district in Jefferson City, helping bring local produce onto students’ lunch trays.

“Before doing farm-to-school, I was seeing a lot of processed food being cooked and served to the students,” said Amanda Boessen, food service director for Blair Oaks. “That’s not always a terrible thing, but I wanted to add healthier more local options.”

Students have sampled locally grown greens, tomatoes, squash and green beans while learning about seasonal food production. “One thing I’m very passionate about is teaching our students not only where their food comes from, but also teaching them how to eat local, in-season produce,” Boessen said.

Harvesting community connections

Graznak recalls hearing about children trying vegetables they had never seen before — from purple radishes to delicata squash — and bringing those experiences home to their families. For someone who entered farming because she cared about where food comes from, those moments matter.

“The relationships that I have developed with my customers and with my employees is by far the most meaningful thing that has come out of the entire farming adventure,” she said. “When I think back on what’s the most meaningful thing out of this whole entire journey, it is the people and the community that I have built around the farm.”