Some of Laura Simpson’s fondest memories are of spending summers as a child playing on the swingset, watching her neighbor dig potatoes in his garden, and going barefoot in the shade of tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants in her own family’s garden.
Growing up in Omaha’s Keystone neighborhood, Laura was often outside with her siblings and neighbors, riding bikes, climbing trees, inventing games, and getting dirty.
Today, she gets to play in the dirt for a living. Laura was introduced to farming in 2018 when she was a resident at Big Muddy Urban Farm in Omaha. As one of five residents selected for the program, Laura and her peers developed a small market farming operation on six small plots of land in the Gifford Park neighborhood.
The same year, she completed an internship at a local arts nonprofit, BFF (Benson First Friday).
“For the first time, I found a sense of community among artists, creatives, and self-starters who were equally as passionate about making their community a better place,” Laura said. “During that time I met two former Big Muddy residents and we began chatting about the program and our larger goals and passions. So, naturally, I started dreaming up the possibilities. I was in my last year of college and was eager to continue building community within the city I lived in my entire life.”
Since 2020, Laura has worked as the programs and distribution coordinator at City Sprouts in Omaha. She learned about the Center for Rural Affairs Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship from her colleague Edgar Romero Gonzalez, who was a fellow in 2023. Intrigued by what the fellowship offered, Laura applied and was accepted.
The program began in 2022 with eight individuals, plus mentors. The most recent cohort began in spring 2024 with eight beginning farmers, including Laura.
“The Center has done an awesome job at organizing weekly classes for fellows covering a variety of conservation topics like water, pollinators and prairies, cover crops, and much more,” Laura said. “We also have the opportunity to visit local farms, and I look forward to more farm tours and visits with my mentor.”
Laura works with City Sprouts in the Sherman neighborhood of historic east Omaha. The organization was drawn to that area because of its rich history in vegetable production. The farm is a 7-acre plot in the shape of an L, and they grow on five fields about a quarter of an acre each on the eastern side of the property.
“Our goal for the remaining acres is to build a farm campus unlike any other in Omaha,” Laura said. “We have plans to install a greenhouse, multi-use barn for large equipment storage, and a shared wash/pack area, as well as an education building to host community workshops and events.”
The farmers at City Sprouts typically begin direct seeding early crops in April and May and end their season in early November. This year, they grew 36 different crops and nearly 100 different varieties, including kale, lettuce, mustards, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, Swiss chard, collards, sweet potatoes, molokhia (jute mallow), roselle (a member of the hibiscus family), carrots, and cover crops.
Each year, the farmers work to improve their conservation efforts. They’ve used a number of practices, such as drip irrigation, applying compost and biochar, rotating cover crops, and biodegradable mulch.
Through urban farming, Laura has been able to connect with and build her community, as well as develop necessary skills to be more self-sustaining.
“Urban farming plays a vital role in building healthier communities, not only because of the health benefits of eating more freshly grown local produce, but also in terms of mental health,” Laura said. “When people feel connected and supported, it has the power to begin breaking down additional barriers.”
As part of the Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship program, fellows design and implement a project on their own farms or land they are farming. They present their findings at a farm tour to their mentors, project partners, and other beginning farmers.
Laura is still planning her conservation project. She hopes to implement dedicated pollinator habitats and a beetle bank using hügelkultur, a sloped, raised planting bed filled with topsoil, wood, and organic materials. She feels permanent pollinator habitats and a beetle bank will increase biodiversity on their farm.
“The location in which I plan to put them is very intentional,” she said. “The southern and eastern borders of our farm are close to roads. In the past, vehicles have driven through the fields, and, whether intentional or not, it has the potential to damage crops.”
Wildlife such as deer, geese, groundhogs, and more frequently pass through the area, as well. Laura hopes that putting pollinator and native habitats on the perimeter of the fields will not only beautify the property, it will attract pollinators while deterring unwanted visitors.
In addition, Laura has used her agricultural knowledge to combine her passions for the arts, sustainability, and building community.
As the education coordinator with BFF Omaha, she facilitates hands-on activities for all ages during Benson First Friday each month. She has also been working on more hand curating for its Teaching Artist Residency to diversify the types of community workshops offered. And, BFF Omaha is now home to a Little Free Art Center, much like a little free library or pantry.
“Bringing these ideas together is a work in progress, and in many ways I still see them as separate, but I’m always looking for opportunities to overlap,” Laura said.
Last summer, BFF Omaha and City Sprouts partnered to have two signs made for their main office. An artist was asked to create two designs to serve as a public service announcement and call to action to tell a story and evoke positive change in the community. The finished product was meant to highlight diverse representation of Omaha’s local urban farming communities and land stewards, as well as showcase the building of equitable food systems and land and water access. In addition, the signs promote gardening, sustainability, and healthy soil.
“Everyone should be involved in conversations about conservation,” Laura said. “Diverse representation is extremely important, as each farmer brings unique perspectives, experiences, and knowledge to the table.”
The conservation fellowship has given Laura experiences and opportunities that will help her as she continues her agricultural journey.
“I get to expand my knowledge of conservation topics, network with local farmers, and develop and implement a conservation project on our farm,” Laura said. “I am manifesting one day having my own homestead with chickens, cats, and a dog running around. I’d produce vegetables and cut flowers along with seasonal goods. I want a cute little house and a big barn that can also serve as an artist studio/collective space.”
Her team at City Sprouts has come up with ways to improve their farm with conservation in mind. As they continue to add more infrastructure to the site, Laura would like to develop rainwater and greywater catchment systems. They’ve also discussed adding living roofs on top of shipping containers used for equipment storage on the property .
“One key takeaway that follows me through in every farm-related job I’ve had since Big Muddy is to never lose sight of the end goal,” Laura said. “Farming is hard work, and there are days I might feel completely defeated, but when I take a step back and look at the big picture, I’m right where I want to be.”
Be a 2025 fellow! For more information, visit cfra.org/beginning-farmer-conservation-fellowship-program.
The Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship is a program of the USDA-NRCS under agreement number NR243A750003C010 Conservation Outreach: Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements.
