Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Nixon.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in KC was great, but what set me on my path is the love of nature I acquired through our Family trips to Colorado. When thinking about college, I wanted to go somewhere with mountains and where I could get a degree in something related to environmental work. I was fortunate to have parents that supported my choices. I choose to attend Western Washington University. It was there that I fell into the world of sustainable agriculture. I was in love immediately. My dad always had a huge garden when I was growing up, so I had an appreciation for a great-tasting tomato. So, food drew me in, and the community I found kept me there. There is a lot to say about the in-between time from when I left KC at 18 and from when I returned when I was 31. I traveled, studied, and lived in several countries. In 2008, I had landed back in Washington after living abroad and was at a retreat center in the middle of the woods in Oregon for a week (no cell phone service). When I came “back to civilization,” I had several messages from my mom telling me about a job opening in KC with Lincoln University. That is what drew me back home. I worked for Lincoln University Cooperative Extension as a Small Farm Specialist for a time, and that is when I met my man, someone who caught my eye immediately! Ken had recently moved to Missouri and purchased a farm in Wheatland. We met on a farm tour shortly after he had moved to the area, we exchanged numbers at and he would call me for “farming advice”. He later told me it was an excuse to get to know me, even though there was nothing wrong with my farming advice! Our relationship started almost at the same time the farm started. We built it together and eventually got married. We have been farming now for 11 years, providing Certified Organic food for the KC community through our CSA, online sales, and wholesale (through the KC Food Hub, Whole Foods, and a few restaurants). I have not given up working with farmers and still have an off-farm job with a non-profit as the Food Systems Director. I am also a co-founder and president of the Kansas City Food Hub, a farmer cooperative that provides food to KC with a big focus on schools and feeding our kiddos!
Read full story here!
