Mid-Mo Harvest Collective

10/09/2026

IN THE NEWS: MMHC FEATURED IN THE COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN!

🚜🌾We are honored to be featured in today’s Columbia Missourian highlighting our milestone of delivering over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to The Food Bank Market this season!

📰✨What started as a vision to bridge the gap between rural acreage and urban food pantries has grown into an active, three-site supply chain. By coordinating production across DCP1 (Harrisburg), DCP2 (Ashland), and LGN1 (Pierpont Farms), our decentralized model is proving that high-density, small-scale agriculture can deliver consistent, retail-grade nutrition to local families week after week.
Thank you to reporter [Reporter's Name if known / the Columbia Missourian team] for shining a light on our work, and a huge thank you to our volunteer crew, partner growers, and field supporters who make every harvest delivery possible.

Read the full story below to see how our multi-site pipeline is building a more resilient, direct-to-pantry food system for Boone County:

👇 Read the full article here:
https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/boone-county-farming-collective-reaches-donation-milestone/article_f07efef2-e259-4437-987e-9cf90f2c6e10.html

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active crop rows, harvest logs, and site updates at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

The collective supports the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri through donations of fresh produce.

10/04/2026

🫛 FRESH GREEN BEAN HARVEST & FIELD UPDATE! 🧺✨
​Our late-season bush bean successions are still producing in the rows! We harvested nearly 10 pounds of crisp Contender and Jade green beans between DCP2 in Ashland and our partner site LGN1 at Pierpont Farms, alongside some of our final late-season passes of San Marzano Roma tomatoes.
​Here is what’s happening across our network plots this week:
​🫛 Dual Green Bean Varieties: Pulling fresh Contender and Jade green beans off the bushes at DCP2 and LGN1.
​🍅 Late San Marzano Romas: Gathering the last ripening passes off our high-density trellises before turning beds for cool-weather crops.
​🚚 Delivery Schedule Note: We are pausing our weekly delivery drop to The Food Bank Market for this coming week to batch and consolidate our fall harvests.
​🎃 Up Next: Cured Butternut Squash! Holding this upcoming drop sets us up for a large autumn delivery featuring our fully cured butternut squash haul alongside our next fresh field picks!
​Strategic scheduling allows us to maximize batch volumes and deliver dense, high-yield loads straight to the loading docks. Thank you for following along as we shift gears into fall! 🍂🌾
​🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active crop rows, seasonal transitions, and live map updates at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!
​

09/30/2026

🌱 WE PASSED 1,000 LBS DONATED. HERE IS HOW WE GROW THE NEXT 1,000. 🚜

This season, our decentralized "Direct-to-Pantry" pipeline proved that rural-to-urban food security works. Delivering over half a ton of fresh produce directly to The Food Bank Market loading docks was just Phase 1.

To expand our footprint, extend our growing season into winter, and keep our field operations efficient, we need to outfit our network with key equipment.

We are raising funds to secure three essential assets for our 501(c)(3) operation:

🚜 BCS Flail Mower Attachment: A critical tractor attachment that shreds cover crops into organic green manure, builds soil health, and preps planting rows in minutes without synthetic chemicals.

❄️ Winterized High Tunnel (Rocheport): Unlocks year-round production, allowing us to deliver fresh greens like spinach and kale to local pantries through the dead of winter.

🌾 Core Operating & Field Supplies: Funds seed stock, drip-irrigation lines, and trailer transport fuel across our Harrisburg, Ashland, and Pierpont sites.

Whether you can sponsor a row cover for $50, fund tractor equipment parts for $250, or help us build the high tunnel structure, 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes straight into the soil to feed our community.

👇 Help us build the winter pipeline: Click the link in the first comment to make a tax-deductible contribution today!

09/29/2026

🧺🌿 55 POUNDS DELIVERED & TRANSITIONING INTO FALL! 🚚🍂

As our late-summer heat fades, our network delivered 55 pounds of fresh produce to The Food Bank Market for today’s Tuesday drop! While summer row yields are naturally winding down, our sites continue to pull a vibrant, high-quality mix for local families.

Here is what went out across our network today:

🧺 LGN1 (Pierpont Farms): Brought a wonderfully diverse haul to the crate—featuring a giant bundle of fresh sweet basil, crisp green beans, a sweet watermelon, pints of colorful cherry tomatoes, and San Marzanos!

🫛 DCP2 (Ashland): Harvested another round of Contender green beans and San Marzano Roma tomatoes.

🫑 DCP1 (Harrisburg): Delivered freshly picked San Marzano Romas, bell peppers, and jalapeños.

What’s Next on the Horizon? 🎃🍠

Smaller late-summer totals mean one thing: our heavy fall crops are taking center stage! Over the next several weeks, our cured butternut squash and bulk sweet potato harvests will be rolling straight to The Food Bank Market loading docks to keep pantry shelves stocked with hearty autumn staples.

Continuous seasonal rotations are what keep our "Direct-to-Pantry" pipeline resilient all year long. Thank you to everyone out in the field helping us wrap up summer and prep for fall! ☀️🌾

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Follow active row transformations, fall crop progress, and live map updates at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

09/26/2026

🍠 SWEET POTATO TEST DIG AT DCP1! 🍠🌱
We took a peek underground at our flagship site in Harrisburg (DCP1) today! Doing a quick "test dig" allows us to gauge root progress, check tuber size, and set an accurate harvest timeline across all our network plots.
Here is what we found under the vines:
* 🥔 Progress Check: The tubers are shaping up beautifully with deep, rich color and great skin quality.
* ⏱️ Gaining Ground: While today’s trial run yielded a fantastic crate, the vines still have plenty of energy left! Letting them soak up the sun for another 2–3 weeks will allow the crop to bulk up significantly before our main harvest.
* 🚜 Field Prep Ahead: Gauging root development helps us sequence row turnarounds as we clear summer crops and transition beds for late-fall greens.

Sweet potatoes are a staple for our "Direct-to-Pantry" pipeline—offering incredible nutritional value and outstanding shelf life for families visiting The Food Bank Market.

Stay tuned as we get ready for the big dig in a couple of weeks! 🍂☀️

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Follow site updates, crop progress, and active harvest logs on our interactive map at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

09/25/2026

🎃🫛 FIRST BUTTERNUT SQUASH HARVEST & FALL SPINACH SOWING AT DCP2! 🚜🍃

Fall is officially touching down in our fields! We spent today out at DCP2 in Ashland pulling our very first butternut squash harvest of the season while keeping our summer crop harvest moving full speed ahead.

Here is what went down in the rows today:

🎃 First Squash Harvest: Pulled heavy, dense crates of beautiful butternut squash off the vines—ready to add nutrient-dense, long-storing winter squash for our upcoming deliveries to The Food Bank Market!

🧺 Ongoing Summer Yields: Harvested another steady pass of crisp green beans and trellised San Marzano Roma tomatoes.

🚜 Row Prep in Action: Put our walk-behind tractor to work immediately after harvest, preparing and shaping Row 3 for its next seasonal rotation.

🍃 Fall Spinach Planted: Successfully sown a triple row of Bloomsdale Spinach in Row 3—launching our first official cool-weather greens crop for fall distribution!

The secret to a high-yield "Direct-to-Pantry" pipeline is continuous succession: harvesting mature summer crops in the morning, shaping beds in the afternoon, and getting fall seeds in the ground before sunset.

Massive thanks to everyone following along as we transition our rows for the cooler months ahead! ☀️🌾

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active crop rows, fall successions, and live map updates at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

09/25/2026

On Wednesday, we had the privilege of speaking and hosting a table at The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri's annual conference! 🌾🍎

Our Strategic Director & Founder, Jacob Fleig along with Jane Unger, presented on our decentralized, high-efficiency "Direct-to-Pantry" agricultural pipeline across Boone County. We shared how we grow and deliver fresh, high-quality produce directly to local pantries—and explored practical strategies to help scale and sustain this model across other counties within the Food Bank's 32-county network.

It was incredible connecting directly with so many dedicated partner agencies working on the frontlines of hunger relief. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to chat, connect, and share ideas! Together, we’re growing a stronger, fresher food system for Mid-Missouri. 🚜💚

09/22/2026

🎉 MILESTONE PASSED: OVER 1,000 POUNDS DELIVERED IN 2026! 🚚🍅

Today’s Tuesday drop at The Food Bank Market was extra special! Our latest 80-pound delivery officially pushed our total donations for the year past the 1,000-POUND MARK!

Hitting half a ton of fresh, retail-grade produce in our inaugural season proves just how powerful a decentralized "Direct-to-Pantry" agricultural pipeline can be for Boone County and Mid-Missouri.

Here is what that 1,000+ lbs represents:

🌾 Multi-Site Collaboration: Synchronized production across DCP1 (Harrisburg), DCP2 (Ashland), and our Local Grower Network partner LGN1 (Pierpont Farms).

🧺 Peak Nutrition & Zero Waste: High-density harvests—ranging from San Marzano Romas, bell peppers, and jalapeños to Contender green beans, heirloom cherry tomatoes, sweet basil, watermelons, and squash—delivered directly to pantry shelves within hours of harvest.

🚜 Shared Infrastructure & Community Power: Mobile machinery, pooled farm resources, and low-barrier micro-volunteers working side-by-side to close the fresh food gap.

A massive THANK YOU to our incredible volunteers, board members, partner growers, and the hard-working team at The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri who help unload our crates every single week.

We built this engine to ensure our neighbors always have access to fresh, nutrient-dense food—and we’re just getting started. As we finish prepping our rows for fall spinach sowing, here’s to the next 1,000 pounds! 🍃☀️

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active crop rows, partner sites, and live harvest logs on our interactive map at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

09/17/2026

🐛✨ BEAUTY, BEAST, OR GLOW-IN-THE-DARK FIELD GUEST? 🍅🔦

How mesmerizing is this little guy? It feels almost unfair to call something this beautiful a "pest"—but if you have ever grown tomatoes, you know just how fast a hornworm can clear out an entire branch of leaves!

Managing these voracious eaters is one of the unique challenges of our natural, sustainable farming model:

🌿 100% Natural Farming: Because all our produce goes directly from our fields to local food pantry shelves, we never rely on harsh synthetic chemical sprays. That means hand-picking is our primary defense!

🐛 Voracious Appetite: A single hornworm can defoliate a tomato plant and damage green fruit in a matter of hours if left unchecked.

🔦 Our Secret Weapon (UV Black Lights!): Hornworms possess a natural compound that glows bright neon blue-green under ultraviolet light at night!

Targeting them with a UV flashlight after dark turns picking hornworms into a glowing treasure hunt—the real trick is just getting the motivation to trek out into the field after pitch black! 🌙😴

Working with nature means appreciating its beauty while protecting the food we grow for our community. Have you ever tried the blacklight trick in your own garden? Let us know in the comments! 👇

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active production plots, partner sites, and live map updates at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!

09/15/2026

🧺🍅 98 POUNDS DELIVERED FOR TUESDAY DISTRIBUTION! 🚚✨

Our multi-site harvest pipeline was firing on all cylinders! By combining weekend pulls with fresh Tuesday morning pickups across our network, we rolled 98 pounds of retail-grade produce straight to The Food Bank Market loading dock.

Here is how today's multi-site delivery came together:

🫑🌶️ DCP1 (Harrisburg): Pulled a great weekend harvest featuring crisp bell peppers, spicy jalapeños, San Marzano Romas, and fresh Contender green beans.

🫛🐸 DCP2 (Ashland): Harvested another heavy crate of Contender green beans and San Marzano Romas. Plus, we love seeing our favorite garden guardian—a tiny tree frog—on duty protecting our ripening butternut squash! 🐸

🧺🍉 LGN1 (Pierpont Farms): Our Local Grower Network partner had a vibrant spread ready for pickup—featuring colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes, red slicing tomatoes, sweet watermelon, Contender green beans, and additional San Marzano Romas!

Unloading this full pallet of fresh-picked crops alongside The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri team ensures local families get immediate access to peak-season nutrition.

Coordinating harvests across all three sites keeps our donation pipeline consistent, high-yield, and resilient week after week. Huge thanks to everyone out in the field and at our partner sites for making today's 98-lb drop possible! ☀️🌾

🗺️ Trace our regional footprint: Explore active crop rows, partner farms, and site updates on our interactive map at www.midmoharvestcollective.org!