Customers of FNBO—One Farm’s Story

Customers of FNBO—One Farm’s Story

FNBO is proud to feature Danelle Myer, founder of One Farm and One Farm Market in Logan, Iowa.

One Farm is a chemical-free farm that supplies fresh produce and seasoning salts to the local farmers market in Harrison County, Iowa. New in 2020, Myer opened One Farm Market, a brick-and-mortar storefront, offering fresh produce as well as organically grown, local products from other area food producers.

Myer shared that while farming played a big role in her upbringing, she never had ambitions to pursue it professionally until later on.

“I grew up on a row crop and cattle farm. I definitely had responsibilities — I raised calves and all that — but I didn’t feel personally connected to it, so I ran away as fast as I could once I graduated high school,” Myer said.

“I studied PR and wanted to be a PR exec. I even ended up working in marketing and events in Omaha, but I always gardened, too. I was always planting things. In college when I would get really stressed out, I would repot my house plants or bake an apple pie to relieve stress. Planting and food are engrained in me.”

Myer explained that while she enjoyed her work in marketing, there was something about working the land that kept pulling her back.

“I loved my last full-time marketing job but I felt like, this is not what I’m going to die doing. And every weekend I would garden all day long, and I’d be so tired, but that’s when I felt the most alive. And I knew there was something there — nothing feeds me like this physical work. I became more interested in the food we put into our bodies and how it makes us feel in our lives. Fueling our bodies is fueling our lives. One of the most important things I can do is contribute to the health and well-being of people.”

Myer has since managed to grow the business from a humble growing operation into a storefront that retails products from other local food producers.

When Myer began her journey as a chemical-free farmer, she knew very little about the business outside of her experience growing up on a farm. However, Myer knew that organic, chemical-free farming was a route she wanted to pursue.

“I had started joking around about being an organic farmer, but I didn’t really know what that meant. I just knew that I saw food as medicine, with the ability to maintain health. In 2008 I set a goal to explore what it means to be a chemical-free vegetable farmer,” Myer said.

“I started attending meetings and volunteered on a farm in California for a week. I started understanding what it all meant, and I saw that there was something there. I wanted to start a vegetable farm on my family’s land, but I had to figure out how to take my life in Omaha and move to my family’s land and start a farm. I didn’t know commercial production; I was just gardening in my backyard.”

Despite the initial learning curve, Myer has since managed to grow the business from a humble growing operation into a storefront that retails products from other local food producers.

“Our storefront was originally intended as a seasonal experiment in November/December of 2020. We called it a ‘pop-up market,’ but the response was so great that we decided to try it for a year and see what happens. We just signed a year’s lease,” Myer shared.

“The purpose of the store is to sell our vegetables, but it’s also to build community and create an understanding around local food, so we sell other people’s stuff, too. We just got dairy from other farms around Iowa and we have grains, honey, maple syrup and awesome products from throughout the state. It’s becoming much more than a farm stand — it’s a local food store. Most of it’s organically grown, too.”

When asked if there’s anything about farming she wants the public to understand, Myer said farmers could work all of the time.

“I have a vegetable farm and I feel like it’s all-consuming. My family has cattle and row crops and I’ll hear my family members talk about their farm and you see it never ends,” Myer said.

Fortunately, when it comes to banking, Myer knows she has FNBO on her side to help tackle any problems big or small.

“Before I started banking with FNBO, I was with a national bank — without much in the way of customer service or personal relationships. I appreciate that with FNBO it feels like more of a local bank, and if I want to talk to someone I can. And while it’s smaller than the national bank I used to use; I can still appreciate the 'bigness.' Everyone is so professional and there are plenty of locations.”

Learn more about One Farm here.