The Missouri Farm Bureau Federation declared Feb. 5-11 Thank-a-Farmer Week to celebrate the U.S. food supply provided by America's farmers and ranchers.
In recognition of Thank-a-Farmer Week, The Pantry - a nonprofit organization distributing food from 1-7 p.m. on the fourth Friday in Jefferson City - acknowledges Full Plate Farms for donating fresh produce like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants during the harvest seasons, which helps the food pantry serve those in need from throughout the area.
"We are so thankful to Full Plate Farms for their produce donations (and, of course, our other supporters)," Director Kolbi Ward said. "Our food pantry has a very unique concept; we have a strong educational component, and incorporating fresh vegetables into our offerings makes tremendous sense.
"We are unable to allocate money for fresh produce, but thanks to Emily (Towne) at Full Plate, several times we've been able to offer wonderful items. Our guests often don't have money to spend on produce, and some even get overwhelmed by the choices they find in the grocery store, so being able to give our guests something they might not normally have and teach them how to use it, if needed, is very rewarding."
Full Plate Farms is Towne's homesteading project outside Russellville, which produces more fresh food during the summer than her family of three can consume. Towne said she does things the old-fashioned way but with cutting-edge agricultural science, like proactive soil health practices.
While Full Plate Farms has a small "beyond organic" seasonal produce delivery business, most of its surplus goes to Towne's friends and family, as well as organizations like The Pantry, where she has volunteered.
"We produce a lot of extra (food)," Towne said. "It thrills me to be able to grow something that is of value and to share it with other people. When I was growing up, my family always had surplus garden stuff, and we shared that with friends, neighbors and family. It's just something that is of value to me. I like to sell my produce, but I do give a lot of it away because I enjoy it."
Towne was raised on a family cattle farm in Ozark County. She grew up among livestock and gardening but didn't feel inspired to remain in the family business. It took a number of years for her to adapt and appreciate the farming lifestyle she now leads.
"I just couldn't wait to get away (from the farm), to be honest with you," Towne said.
She studied human development in the family at the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated in 1987. She began working in corporate human resources, a far-cry from her rural past.
"A lot of people can't wait to get away from what you came from," she said. "But then, out in the corporate world, I didn't really like it. I guess it wasn't what I thought it would be, and it wasn't all that rewarding."
Towne said she finds more pleasure and fulfillment contributing to the local food system. She started homesteading in Prairie Home and decided to move to nearby Russellville in 2010 to expand the operation. It has grown to include livestock like cattle, chickens and ducks, along with a wide variety of produce, from different garlics and miniature greens to tomatoes and sweet corn.
"We are very self-directed with what we are doing here," she said. "Our primary goal was to raise our own food so that we knew we would have healthy, clean food. This (business) has just kind of evolved from wanting to feed ourselves better."