Louisiana urban farmer on creating sustainable, zero-waste homestead
By Marlo Lacen,
10 hours ago
SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS )—In West Shreveport, near Evangel Christian Academy, Heart and Harvest Homestead, a zero-waste, organic farm whose produce you may have had at a local eatery and never known.
The homestead is a little piece of heaven for owner Anthony Hoff, his wife, and their adorable daughter, who also serves as a little farm helper.
“We have a six-acre organic regenerative and permaculture-based farm here locally in Shreveport, and we intend to help supply food for friends and family in our community and local restaurants and markets ,” Hoff said.
Heart and Harvest is impressive, considering its proximity to a burgeoning urban area. With the help of family, the Hoffs use a system of no-till, zero-waste farming techniques to encourage sustainability and combat climate change.
Heart and Harvest (Source: KTAL Digital Team)
Heart and Harvest Homestead organic zero waste farm Shreveport (Source: KTAL Digital Team)
Growing concerned with what was available, or maybe not available, in grocery stores, the Hoffs started planting and cultivating to gain some control over the amount of pesticides, chemicals, and preservatives often used in mass production to give food a longer shelf life.
“We got to a point where we just couldn’t trust what was in the grocery store anymore. We couldn’t trust what we were buying. We couldn’t trust the practices that they were grown with, the chemicals that they were treated with,” Hoff said. “And we decided to try to take that power back into our own hands.”
What started as a hobby became more of a necessity. Food shortages and price hikes made grocery shopping even more questionable during the COVID-19 pandemic and forced the Hoffs to pivot in a new direction. Eventually, the Hoffs packed up and left their lives in Los Angeles for something very different in North Louisiana.
On Wednesday, Hoff hosted an open house that served as both a marketing strategy and an in-person tutorial.
Hoff gave first-hand accounts of the highs and lows of farming, and soil experts, USDA representatives, and horticulturalists were present to share information about funding, programs, and best practices for those interested in self-sufficient, no-till farming.
He shared the exhausting work of managing a regenerative farm and noted the reward of all that physically taxing work. Rich soil and the sweetest watermelon you have ever tasted growing plentifully on the land.
What is regenerative and permaculture-based farming?
Regenerative farming aims to improve the land’s health and the environment. This is done through biodiversity in crops, topsoil restoration, and other agricultural methods that lend themselves to sustainable farming. Permaculture refers to farming techniques that are self-sustaining and mimic natural ecosystems.
As we toured Heart and Harvest, we learned that nothing on the farm is wasted. Wood is a crucial component of the delicate composting process. What isn’t sold or eaten is fed to the chickens or rabbits on the farm, who then contribute nutrient-rich manure—from all those chemical-free veggies—and the process begins again.
The result is a farm that has grown significantly in three years and puts as much back into the Earth’s ecosystem as it takes.
Hoff says if you want to grow what you eat – don’t worry about the perfect timing; just do it.
“If I were to tell someone anything about this, that was passionate about growing their own food or taking their food security in their own hands is to just start, you start by starting don’t worry about where you’re at.”
He said YouTube offers a wealth of information and tutorials.
“Find a mentor, talk to someone who’s passionate about your local area, and start small. Start with an eight-by-four raised bed garden in your backyard. Grow everything organic,” Hoff said. “Learn what grows best around you. And then when you’re ready to make that next step, start working with your native soil because the stuff that you get from the garden store, the stuff that you get from the, from the store is never gonna be the same quality as what your native soil can do if you build it up to a healthy level.”
Fresh food from farm to table is available in Shreveport
Heart and Harvest’s fresh offerings can be found weekly at the Bossier City Farmer’s Market, “they’ve been really great to us and we will be a loyal attendee as long as we can.incorporated.”
Popular local eatery Ki Mexico and local stores M arket On Line and Cush’s Market on Ellerbe Road also use or sell produce, dried herbs, fruits, and veggies grown at the homestead.
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