Meet Your Producer: Lovebug Farm
“I knew about the food insecurity issues and that there is not enough food grown here for the people that live here and wanted to contribute to that.”
Lovebug Farm started in 2019 in Oregon. Rachel and her partner farmed in a large greenhouse that used to be an old commercial flower farm. The couple ran a Community Supported Agriculture program to share what they grew with their community. They also had a flock of chickens, ducks, and geese which they supplied to people interested in starting their own backyard flocks and offered eggs in their CSA program. We give them kudos for achieving the variety, scale, and work it takes to run an entire CSA from their own farm!
In 2021 they got funding through the Farm Service Agency (an agency of the USDA) to help farmers expand their operation. They worked with the FSA to secure a loan to start Lovebug Farm on Hawai’i Island. For Rachel it was also important to be able to farm regeneratively, using resources like solar and rainwater to grow food. Their main crops are microgreens and lettuce. They have begun expanding to tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and avocados as well!
We are so impressed by the amount of work and thought they put into building their beautiful shade houses and running their entire operation. You can find Lovebug’s products in the Keaau Natural Food Store, Farm to Car, and Waiholokui Garden Shop. Mahalo to Rachel for hosting us!
