Agrarian Trust

Article About Next Generation Farmers in Nebraska

A Nebraska farmer chooses to teach the next generation instead of selling the farm.

From an article at NonPareil Online:

The pair stood over a tub of cold water, sifting through pounds of spinach in the barn which would be delivered tomorrow to restaurants in Omaha.

Denise O’Brien, owner of Rolling Acres Farm with her husband Larry Harris, has become a mentor to Amber Mohr, who in the past year took on her grandfather’s land, Fork Tail Farm, in Avoca.

Both women were sorting out fresh produce Wednesday morning before checking on O’Brien’s high tunnel – a long cabin like structure of plastic and metal which covered spinach, lettuce, radishes, tulips and more.

For the past year, Mohr has been learning how to farm from O’Brien’s 40 years of experience. Mohr grew up in Omaha, and worked as a curator in Lincoln. When her grandfather passed away, there was a hard decision to make.

“There were people very interested in buying the land from my parents, but my father didn’t want it to leave family hands after so many years,” Mohr said. She recalled being struck with the realization 20 minutes before giving a big presentation at work.

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