NEWARK, Ohio — The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association recently named Brandt Family Farm from Fairfield County as the 2024 recipients of its Stewardship Award. The awards were announced Feb. 15-17 at the OEFFA’s 45th annual conference held in Newark, Ohio.
The Stewardship Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sustainable agriculture. The Brandt Family Farm has been in operation for more than 50 years, crossing three generations. For years, they have led the way in diverse grain production and soil conservation.
David Brandt ran the farm for many years, serving as a leader and mentor in conservation and no-till cover crops, soil health and regenerative farming. After receiving two purple hearts for his service in the Vietnam War, Brandt returned home to continue his family’s legacy in farming. He took over the farm when his father died in a tractor accident soon after.
He started experimenting with no-till farming and cover crops in the ‘70s as a way to reduce costs. He was one of the first farmers to use no-till planting in Ohio. He has also been a figurehead of sustainable agriculture, speaking at numerous events like the 2017 Paris Climate Conference, and hosting a number of tours on the Brandt Farm. Before his passing in May 2023, Brandt and OEFFA staff spoke about soil health at the Ohio Senate Agriculture Committee budget hearing.
At the conference, they also named the recipients of the Service and Beginning Farmer awards. Tom Redfern, from Athens County, was the named the recipient of the 2024 Service Award and Kim Bayer from Ann Arbor, Michigan, received the 2024 Beginner Service Award.
The Service Award recognizes extraordinary service in sustainable agriculture. Redfern began his agriculture career in the third grade, growing and selling produce from his parent’s garden in Port Clinton, Ohio. He previously worked in natural resource management at Hocking College, received a degree from Ohio University in botany and served as an agroforestry extension educator with the Peace Corps in Kenya.
Redfern joined Rural Action in 2004, a community development organization promoting sustainable development in Appalachian Ohio. He is currently the senior director of sustainable agriculture and forestry.
In addition to his role at Rural Action, he created the Country Fresh Stops. He is also the founding member of the Appalachian Accessible Food Network, a former board president of Community Food Initiatives and a former 12-year board member of OEFFA.
The Beginning Farmer Award recognizes new farmers for their innovative methods and commitment in overcoming systemic barriers. Bayer started her agriculture career in 2016 after buying her farm, Slow Farm, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The farm originally grew conventional corn and soybeans. However, in just her first year of ownership she restored the wetlands and converted more than 100 of the 187 acres to native prairie. The farm is now a resource and habitat for native creatures and plants with beehives, prairie, ponds, woods and large fallow areas. In 2018, Slow Farm was certified organic by OEFFA. Slow Farm encompasses 15 cultivated, diversified acres using regenerative, no-till and low-till practices.
