Growing demand, barn restoration lead The Good Earth into its next decade

Feb. 18, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by the Lincoln County Economic Development Association.

He had just sold his picture framing company and she had spent years as a high school English teacher when they left Sioux Falls behind and set sail.

Literally, Jeff and Nancy Kirstein “just sold everything and bought a boat and sailed,” she said.

“And about a year later, we came back and wanted to do something outside.”

That was in 2011, when they were led to a property south of Lennox on Highway 17 that would become The Good Earth.

“Farms are either really big or 2 acres,” Kirstein said. “And this had been a property owned by the family that had homesteaded it. So between that and some additional land and some we’ve acquired since, we’re now at about 33 acres.”

They built their new business around community supported agriculture, or CSA, where customers commit to buying a certain amount, or share, of produce for the season.

It might sound unconventional to some, but there has been a growing interest in locally driven agriculture – and in moving just outside Sioux Falls, said Jesse Fonkert, executive director of the Lincoln County and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations.

“The Kirsteins are a great example of carving out your own niche in a smaller community that still has easy access to the amenities of Sioux Falls,” he said.

“Not only is there more interest from people like them in pursuing farming or related ventures, but there have never been more resources or more support to get you started and help you along the way. And Lennox is a great example of a community that’s positioned to draw more business activity in the years ahead.”

The Kirsteins now share the farm with a miniature cow, miniature pony, two miniature donkeys, two full-size pigs, chickens and ducks.

“All of them have kind of come to us because they had nowhere else to go,” Kirstein said.

This past year brought a lot of community support for The Good Earth, she added.

“I think people were looking to connect to things that were close to them,” she said. “We’ve always encouraged our shareholders and people in the community to come out to our space because we have a lot of land and we just acquired some by a creek, so we mowed walking paths so people could come out and enjoy the wide-open space.”

They also took on a new project during the pandemic – a 1897-era barn they set out to restore.

“We found someone who was willing to do it, and the crew worked on it much of the summer,” Kirstein said. “It turned out so much better than I was anticipating. The intention wasn’t to make it an event space, but we can, and it turned out to be a really cool structure.”

We learned more from Kirstein about life at The Good Earth and what’s ahead.

First, let’s talk more about the barn. What kind of improvements have you made?

The barn has three levels: a basement we’re still working on, and there’s lean-tos on the side of it, and then you walk into the loft area.

That has an entrance, and we’ve had weddings and other small events out there, live music, so it’s just a fun space.

It can hold 140 seated and quite a few more if you’re standing. We have a beer license and are working on a wine license, and if you hold an event, you can cater in. The ones we have hosted have brought in food trucks.

What’s been the biggest surprise about being a farmer?

When we were first starting out, everything. And Jeff and I had great support from our parents. My dad had been a farmer when he was growing up, and we lived on a farm for a while when I was a kid, and Jeff’s dad had done the same thing. At first, we were growing vegetables in a very nonmechanical way using only hand tools, but that first year wasn’t too bad. We got rain when we needed it. The next year was the year of the drought, which was pretty challenging. Every year is sort of different because of weather and market challenges. But we were really encouraged by the community support, and that’s kept us going.

What are you anticipating you’ll be growing this year?

We still do a CSA of around 75 to 100 people. That’s always been the cornerstone of what we do, and it’s a short growing season.

You start putting your tomatoes and peppers out around Mother’s Day, and then they’re done by the end of September when we get a first frost. So I’ll start my plants and seedlings in about a month, and this year I’m going to try and grow flowers too.

Will you continue to host farm stand events where people can buy your produce at the barn this year?

We hope so. It depends on the growing season.

The food will initially be through the CSA, and if there’s produce left over and if we get rain and we have extra to sell, we will, and we do some value-added products – salsa, pickled asparagus – so we have other things to sell too.

What is it about Lennox that has made the community a fit for you?

It’s a growing community. We’ve seen just on our little square mile the number of new houses being built, and it’s nice. It’s close to Sioux Falls but still has its own small-town identity. And every person in the community we have met has been really welcoming. Plus, our neighbors are great.

 You also host a large gathering of runners every year. What’s your plan for that in 2021?

We do something called the Blood Run, which is an ultramarathon event.

This coming Labor Day, we’re adding a 36-hour run. Last year, we did a 24-hour, a 12-hour, a six- and a three-hour, and people wanted something a little longer to get to the 100-mile distance. So we added a 36-hour this year, and we’re looking forward to it. It’s always a fun weekend.

What’s next for Good Earth?

I think, like any successful small farm or small business, you just keep adapting to whatever is thrown at you.

We’re getting to the point where we’re putting all the pieces together that will make us sustainable, not only in our growing practices but in our business, so it’s really exciting. It’s taken over 10 years to figure it all out, but we’re getting there, and it’s been fun.

To get connected to The Good Earth, click here.

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Growing demand, barn restoration lead The Good Earth into its next decade

Ten years ago, these Sioux Falls residents became Lennox farmers – and now they’re growing again thanks to a turn-of-the-century barn restoration.

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