How Mid-Ohio Food Collective Is Making an Impact
October 24, 2024 To anyone not immersed in it, the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry can be mystifying. Growing produce under protection, sometimes without direct access to sunlight? Not using soil as a growing medium? Trevor Horn, farm director of Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) in greater Columbus, compared his operation to something out of a storybook. “Sometimes I look at this place and feel like Willy Wonka, but for plants,” he said.
MOFC currently operates two community farms and on-site gardens at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. In August 2024, the organization opened a 7-acre smart farm in Columbus’ Hilltop neighborhood called the “Mid-Ohio Farm on the Hilltop” to improve ag education and expand production. With three greenhouses, three hoophouses, 300 vertical towers, and a container farm on-site, Horn’s Willy Wonka analogy isn’t too far off.
Starting with a Purpose
At its core, the mission of MOFC is to end hunger through building healthy communities while educating people about the importance of food and agriculture. Considering the average age of the American farmer is 58 years old, it’s important to focus on the future of farming and food production to bring that number down and ensure the industry’s continued success. And that starts with the next generation of farmers.
“There are ways to connect kids directly to the farming skillset,” said Horn. “We want to grab their interest and make them a part of the conversation that creates better food. At the end of the day, we need food advocates – more people who want food to be at the forefront of culture and conversation in our country.”
Focusing on Education
MOFC has fostered healthy communities in Columbus for more than 40 years, and has been farming for nearly a decade. While growing fresh produce for the local community is the main purpose of the organization’s farms, Horn has played a pivotal role in shifting its focus to ag education.
Trevor Horn
“MOFC has always focused how much food they can grow,” said Horn. “But since I started a year ago, we’ve been adding an educational piece in. So, we’re producing those yields and showing other people how to do it.”
For Horn, getting the local community involved in CEA is key for MOFC. With a background in teaching, he’s passionate about introducing kids to agriculture at a young age. In fact, he started an ag program at Reynoldsburg Public Schools, and his class turned two of the school’s old tennis courts into urban farms.
“I really wanted to connect my students with agriculture,” said Horn. “A lot of my students didn’t like tomatoes or eat lettuce because it didn’t have the flavor of produce coming directly off the vine. We can grow as much lettuce and tomatoes as we want, but if we can’t get people to choose those things, then we have a big problem on our hands. That’s why we find it so valuable to connect with the schools.”
Volunteers harvesting strawberries at MOFC.
Bringing Food to the Local Community Through the Community
MOFC provides fresh produce for two free grocery store style markets in the area, giving low-income Columbus locals direct access to CEA-grown food. While he makes fresh produce more accessible in his community, there are still a few hurdles Horn must overcome. Americans tend to steer clear of fresh fruits and vegetables because they can’t afford them, and cooking isn’t as convenient as getting fast food from a drive-thru.
“We have to bring back cooking instead of buying ultra processed food,” said Horn. “What consumers ask for is what consumers get. So, if they’re spending more money on fast food, they’re going to get fast food. Agriculture is at the forefront of knowing how privileged we are to have food as accessible as we do in the U.S.”
In addition to its small team of employees, MOFC relies heavily on volunteers, as more than 200 pounds of food must be harvested, sanitized, and distributed to farmers markets every week.
“Without our volunteers some of the repetitive tasks become a real challenge for our small team,” said Horn. “And the more we get our neighbors involved, the more they feel a sense of pride about what they’re doing for the community. So, if we can get them connected to the hard work we’re doing day in and day out, they’ll have a higher appreciation for the food that hits their tables.”
Trevor Horn showing attendees from the USDA BIPOC Conference around MOFC.
Hopes for the Future
Although the Farm on the Hilltop has only been up and running for a few months, Horn already has plans for expansion. He currently has one part-time intern, but he hopes to have three full-time interns in the summer of 2025. In addition, he plans to get more greenhouses up and running and set up a farmer’s market for low-income families this winter. But above all, he wants to make ag education more accessible.
“We’ve worked with Paul Brentlinger and CropKing to design [the greenhouse] space and make it less intimidating to students who walk in the door,” said Horn. “We want to give them the skillset to be impactful in agriculture, even if they don’t have the resources to go to Ohio State University or other schools that have multi-million-dollar CEA programs.”
If you’re interested in learning more about MOFC and its impact on the agriculture industry in Ohio, visit their website. To get more information about volunteer opportunities, check out this page or contact Trevor Horn directly at thorn@mofc.org.