Some farmers diversify, delivering a wide range of goods to markets throughout the region. The four on the following pages decided to go the opposite way, focusing on a few very specific products and carving out their own niche markets. From twickle purple lavender to bee pollen, they’ve embraced specialization.
Owl Creek Bison
Specialty: Bison
Location: Frankfort, Ohio
Find ’em: Montgomery Farmers’ Market, Hyde Park Farmers’ Market
Inspiration: “It’s just incredible to go out to our pasture and see a herd of bison in Southern Ohio. They look very gentle, and for the most part are. It’s so much healthier than beef. If you look at a nutritional comparison between bison and other meats, it’s lower in fat than beef, pork, chicken, even salmon.” —Jacqueline Patterson, co-owner
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Carriage House Farm
Specialty: Honey and bee pollen
Location: North Bend, Ohio
Find ’em: Findlay Market, Northside Farmers’ Market, Wyoming Farmers’ Market
Inspiration: “Between 2005 and 2007, we really started getting into bees. I went to a honey tasting and this gentleman had brought 75 different honeys. I knew there were these radical swings in flavor, but I didn’t realize just how diverse a lot of those flavors were. Everybody has bees and they all produce honey. But they all produce different honey. That’s absolutely fascinating.” —Richard Stewart, farm manager
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Peaceful Acres Lavender Farm
Specialty: 10 varieties of lavender
Location: Martinsville, Ohio
Find ’em: Hyde Park Farmers’ Market, Loveland Farmers’ Market
Inspiration: “It’s such a wonderful plant. It has so many healing benefits and properties. Lavender is really just amazing, so healing. It’s a natural antiseptic, it’s good for relaxation. Making the products the way that I make them, I can help people directly.” —Kym Prell, owner
Photographs by Jonathan Willis
Crowe Shiitake Mushrooms
Specialty: Shiitake mushrooms
Location: Moscow, Ohio
Find ’em: Findlay Market
Inspiration: “I’d been doing this as a hobby for about eight years, but now I’m addicted to it. There are four types of mushrooms that exist that are medicinal, that help kill cancer cells—shiitake, maitake, lion’s mane, and reishi. I just think if something is a little better for you, I’m game for that.” —Dickie Crowe, owner
Photograph by Jonathan Willis
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