Donnita Jimmis began her agricultural journey in fall 2024 by growing more than 2,000 lavender plants from seed in her home. The next spring, she transplanted those young herbs to a field in Blaine County, Nebraska, neighboring the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey.
Along with her strong passion for agriculture and desire to bring beauty and purpose to the land, Donnita is the epitome of good stewardship—protecting the environment, promoting biodiversity, and educating others.
“I wanted to find a way for the land to help support my family,” Donnita said. “More than that, I’ve always wanted to keep the land productive and sustainable so it can become a lasting legacy for future generations.”
Those aspirations led her to the Center for Rural Affairs Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship Program.
To be eligible for the fellowship, beginning farmers must be actively farming in Nebraska for less than 10 years. The program emphasizes a variety of conservation topics essential to farming such as cover cropping, rotational grazing, pollinator habitat, soil health, water conservation, topography, and climate mitigation strategies.
The program started in 2022 with eight farmers, plus mentors. The current cohort, including Donnita, was chosen in January 2025 and will continue through August 2026.
Loup Lavender
Donnita’s decision to grow lavender came after a lot of deep thought and careful planning. She first considered putting in a pivot for alfalfa, row crops, or hay, but she was looking for a crop that could be profitable and offer creative opportunities through value-added products.
“Lavender stood out to me because it’s such a versatile plant,” she said. “It can be used for stress relief, aromatherapy, cooking, body care products, and even floral arrangements. It also fits well with agritourism, which gives people a chance to visit and enjoy the experience of the farm.”
Her business, Loup Lavender, occupies land that was once a turkey operation in the Nebraska Sandhills. The farm sits on about one acre along the Middle Loup River, with scenic hills rising up on the south side across the water.
Donnita prepped the area by clearing the acre, which had been full of sunflowers and wild hemp, and then planned the best layout. The current design includes 12 double rows of plants and two single rows on the ends, with 9 feet of space between them so a vehicle can be easily driven through for planting and harvest.
Donnita cultivates her lavender sustainably, using solar power to help water the plants, employing cover crops to prevent erosion, and tilling weeds between rows. She strategically places complementary plants around the field to create an environment that discourages pest survival without the need for chemicals.
“As we expand, our goal is to harness solar energy as the primary power source for any facilities we construct,” Donnita said. “Our lavender and lavender-enhanced products are made with the most sustainable and eco-friendly components and ingredients available, ensuring that they are affordable without compromising on quality. We firmly believe that transitioning to a more sustainable world is essential.”
Supporting the whole farm ecosystem
As part of the conservation fellowship, farmers design and implement a project on their own farm or land they are farming. They present their findings at a farm tour to their mentors, project partners, and other beginning farmers.
Donnita’s project focuses on ways to make her farm more sustainable and healthy. She’s working on a solar-powered micro-irrigation system, which gives the lavender the right amount of water while saving energy and reducing waste.
Another aspect of her project is creating a large pollinator habitat.
“This space will provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators all year long,” Donnita said. “Supporting these pollinators is so important, not just for the lavender, but for the whole farm ecosystem. Altogether, these practices will help make the farm productive, resilient, and sustainable while also nurturing the land and the life it supports.”
Lavender is a monocrop, so the flowers are only available to harvest a few times per growing season. By planting native grasses in the pathways between the lavender rows, in addition to creating a native plant pollinator habitat, Donnita is able to provide extra food and shelter for pollinators throughout the season.
Although the project has yet to be fully implemented, Donnita has everything she needs to carry out the next steps. In the meantime, she has planted oats in the pathways between the lavender rows to help hold the soil in place, prevent erosion, and control weeds until the native grasses can be planted in fall 2026.
Mentorship and moving forward
The fellowship allows farmers the opportunity to work with a mentor. Donnita has been learning from another lavender farmer who has years of experience and knowledge to share.
“Having a mentor has been incredibly helpful because I have someone I can turn to with questions or problems as they come up,” Donnita said. “Having a person to bounce ideas off of is reassuring, especially knowing they will answer any question, no matter how small or silly it might seem.”
Donnita intends to do her part to share what she’s learned. Eventually, she wants to open a small storefront for handcrafted products made from her lavender, herbs, and flowers. Next spring, she plans to start a small cut-flower operation to offer market bouquets.
“Since there may only be one lavender harvest per growing season, depending on the weather, adding cut flowers could provide another source of income,” she said. “This additional line of revenue could help the farm invest in equipment and infrastructure, making processes more efficient and reducing manual labor so that time can be spent on other important tasks.”
She also hopes to host public classes and workshops that cover topics like wreath-making, flower-arranging bars, lavender care, and learning about native plants and their importance for the future. Donnita’s biggest dream is creating a space where people can hold special events that highlight the beauty of the Sandhills and her lavender fields. She has also been drawn to the idea of building a network of people with similar values to learn from each other.
For now, her focus is soaking up all the information she can through the fellowship to help her work toward those goals.
“Conservation and sustainability feel more important than ever, yet seem so fleeting in today’s world,” she said. “Even though we’re connected through technology, it often feels like it pulls us further away from our communities and the things that really matter most. I hope to bring the ideas of sustainability and conservation to a more rural area, where access to this kind of knowledge can make a big difference for the land and the people who rely on it.”
For more information, visit cfra.org/beginning-farmer-conservation-fellowship-program.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), under agreement number NR243A750003C010.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USDA. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by USDA for those products or services.
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Feature photo by Elle Worley
