20 Years at Wheatsfield June 2024 Produce Parable By Adam Calder, Produce Manager This year is the 50th anniversary of Wheatsfield cooperative, and it is also my third time celebrating a Wheatsfield milestone birthday. I was hired the year of Wheatsfield’s 30th anniversary, I was here for the 40th, and I am here now [...]
May 2024 Produce Parable Great Grilling By Adam Calder, Produce Manager The smell of hickory smoke; the sound of sizzling steaks; the taste of those dark strips of caramelized sugar seared onto fresh produce after it touches a hot grill; these things combined mean it is the season for back yard grilling! Our grocery [...]
Thank You, Lonna February 2024 Produce Parable Adam Calder, Produce Manager It has been an incredible fifteen years, and now it is time to say good-bye to Onion Creek Farm seedlings grown with love and care by Lonna Nachtigal. This comes as terrible news to the legions of fans of her seedlings, and to [...]
National Organic Standards Updates By Adam Calder For the first time since the 1990’s, the United States Department of Agriculture updated the rules for the National Organic Program (NOP) that regulates the integrity of organic industries. The updates close loopholes that previously existed in the NOP, and seek to maintain and improve the faith [...]
July 2022 Produce Parable Avocados: An Edible Anachronism Adam Calder, Wheatsfield Produce Manager Avocados are one of the most popular fruits sold at Wheatsfield, and rightly so. They are delicious, versatile, and full of healthy vitamins, minerals, oils and fiber. If you start to look past their culinary qualities, the avocado reveals itself to [...]
Seasonal Transition Update Adam Calder, Wheatsfield Produce Manager This is a time of year for transitioning seasons, and it is also a time of transition for many of the produce items we sell at Wheatsfield. During the winter months, many crops are raised in the desert growing regions of Arizona and Mexico and distributed [...]
New Seed Savers 2022 Adam Calder Wheatsfield Produce Manager In spite of the cold weather, the produce department has brought in another great selection of heirloom seeds produced right here in Iowa. Every year Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, IA, releases a catalog of what seeds they have available for sale. Each year they [...]
August 2021 Produce Parable Calimyrna Figs By Adam Calder Figs are in season, and we have an abundant supply in the Wheatsfield Cooperative produce department. Black Mission and Brown Turkey are the most widely grown and popular fig varieties in the United States, although there is a third and often overlooked option: the green [...]
Finding and Following Your Passion By Adam Calder I recently attended a luncheon hosted by the Young Professionals of Ames where Iowa State University Head Wrestling Coach Kevin Dresser gave a speech about finding and following your passions in life. Dresser opened up his speech with a little humor about what inspired him to become [...]
January 2019 Produce Parable By Adam Calder The Iowa State University Sustainable Agriculture graduate program recently reached out to me to see if I was interested in discussing my role in procuring local food for the Ames and Iowa community. I eagerly agreed to be part of a panel discussion on local food procurement and [...]
