Our Story
The Mad Farmers Collective story began in 2011 when 2 entrepreneurs began separate but similar farm businesses in downtown Indianapolis, just 2 miles apart, Amy on the near-southside at South Circle Farm and Matthew on the near-eastside at Big City Farm. As we progressed from scrappy start-ups to established farms, we each developed a reputation with local consumers and restaurants for top-quality veggies. After 5 years of (mostly) friendly competition, we finally decided to join forces and farm together. When we were joined in 2017 by a third farmer, Leslie, the Mad Farmers Collective was born. In fall 2018, we lost our lease at our Big City Farms site on the near-eastside. Since then, we've been focusing on our 1.5 acre farm on South Meridian Street, making it more healthy and productive each year. We are glad to call these urban fields our office, learning and growing every day.
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How we grow
Mad Farmers Collective strictly adheres to growing practices that are good for the soil, the people, the crops, and the bees on the farm. For us this means avoiding all synthetic or chemical inputs. We use only compost, cover crops, crop rotation, and organically approved fertilizers to achieve healthy plants and soils.
We use small-scale intensive gardening techniques such as the human-powered broad fork for tilling. We use row covers and clay sprays to avoid the pests. In the spring and fall, unheated low tunnels to extend our growing season and unheated high tunnels in the winter. Our most important organic practice is to create an incredibly diverse farm. We choose a wide range of crops and a wide range of varieties of those crops so as to naturally prevent disease, minimize pests, and insure against crop losses.
These careful, labor-intensive practices create healthy and nutrient-dense crops that truly nourish people. We know you'll taste a difference.
We use small-scale intensive gardening techniques such as the human-powered broad fork for tilling. We use row covers and clay sprays to avoid the pests. In the spring and fall, unheated low tunnels to extend our growing season and unheated high tunnels in the winter. Our most important organic practice is to create an incredibly diverse farm. We choose a wide range of crops and a wide range of varieties of those crops so as to naturally prevent disease, minimize pests, and insure against crop losses.
These careful, labor-intensive practices create healthy and nutrient-dense crops that truly nourish people. We know you'll taste a difference.
MEet The Mad Farmers
Amy Matthews
Amy grew up on the southside of Indy, picking strawberries at Waterman’s and enjoying apples from Adrian’s. After college, Amy’s work in social services and food banks lead her to a path mingling social work and urban farming in Cleveland and Chicago. Ready to start her own farm, Amy headed back to Indy, with agriculture-related interludes in Alaska, Montana, Nepal, and Thailand as well. Amy loves hiking up the trail, jumping in the lake, and exploring new places.
Amy grew up on the southside of Indy, picking strawberries at Waterman’s and enjoying apples from Adrian’s. After college, Amy’s work in social services and food banks lead her to a path mingling social work and urban farming in Cleveland and Chicago. Ready to start her own farm, Amy headed back to Indy, with agriculture-related interludes in Alaska, Montana, Nepal, and Thailand as well. Amy loves hiking up the trail, jumping in the lake, and exploring new places.
Matthew Jose
Matthew grew up in the Broad Ripple neighborhood, first a St. Richards dragon, then a North Central Panther. Matthew migrated east to Massachusetts and then west to Oregon (and back east again), pursuing skills and experiences in farming and professional baking. Since 2009 he has been building Big City Farm and witnessing, sometimes prodding, Indy's urban ag renaissance. Matthew loves biking around town with his son Ian, listening to the latest podcasts, and--in winter-- playing piano and baking bread.
Matthew grew up in the Broad Ripple neighborhood, first a St. Richards dragon, then a North Central Panther. Matthew migrated east to Massachusetts and then west to Oregon (and back east again), pursuing skills and experiences in farming and professional baking. Since 2009 he has been building Big City Farm and witnessing, sometimes prodding, Indy's urban ag renaissance. Matthew loves biking around town with his son Ian, listening to the latest podcasts, and--in winter-- playing piano and baking bread.
Leslie Gottschalk
Leslie, native of Rochester, Indiana, has over 10 years farming experience. Before beginning her farming career, Leslie taught middle school biology, through-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, built hiking trails in Yellowstone, and earned a Master's Degree in Environmental Science. She loves wild place and plants, her nieces and nephews, cookies from Amelia's, good beer, and her wife, Heather.
Molly Bergen
Molly joined the Mad Farmers in 2018, via upstate New York and Columbus, Ohio. Molly likes growing corn for tortillas, trying to read too many books at once, and exploring her new home, Indianapolis.
Jonah Tabb
Jonah joined the Mad Farmers in 2018, via California, Virginia, Chicago, and Noblesville, where he most recently helped develop Teter Organic Farm.
Jonah joined the Mad Farmers in 2018, via California, Virginia, Chicago, and Noblesville, where he most recently helped develop Teter Organic Farm.
Why so mad? |
The Mad in Mad Farmers Collective isn't an acronym and it isn't really that angry. Mad can be a little crazy, or rather referring to doing something "that won't compute".
The Mad in Mad Farmers Collective is a nod to some of the best-loved works of the great farmer-poet Wendell Berry. Check out all his Mad Farmer poems, and especially his "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front". |