Iowa grain farmer is both diversified and vertically integrated
Early Morning Harvest is a diversified farm near Des Moines, Iowa that grows, mills, and distributes grain, as well as producing veggies, eggs, and honey on about 2,000 certified organic acres. Their practices include aquaponics, hydroponics, greenhouses, grain cleaning, and stone milling, with an eye towards feeding people year-round.
Though the farm has been in Jeff Hafner’s family for three generations, Central Iowa Power interrupted the generational flow in 1980, when they nudged his grandfather into retirement as part of their plan to build a coal-fired power plant. The plant was never built, so Jeff’s father rented the land from CIPCO; 20 years later, Jeff was able to buy back part of the farm.
“I always liked livestock so our farm was like a typical 1960s farm with cattle, hogs, chickens, sheep, hay, corn, and small grains—the whole gamut,” he said. That integrated system led them to start converting to organic in the 1990s, peaking at about 2,000 acres of production. “The livestock were great, they helped eat the mistakes as we learned how to farm organically.”
They planted a range of small grains, but the hard red spring wheat always had the most income potential. Between growing and milling grain there must be cleaning, which they do with a 1946 Clipper cleaner in a shed hooked up to the mill. For sorting grain they have a gravity table. Slowly they’re adding automation. While they still hand-bag everything in two- and four-pound bags—nearly 40,000 bags in 2024—the mill is now automatically fed.
During Jeff’s time in the military reserves—a career that spanned 35 years—his father experimented, making breakfast cereal from his own buckwheat, wheat, rye and corn, which inspired him to pursue a USDA Value-Added Producer Grant to get a 20-inch stone mill. That innovation kick-started Jeff to experiment with aquaponics. Knowing he needed to protect the farm he had, and that it would be tough to secure more land as other farmers retired due to farmland prices, Jeff began pursuing the mill and farm store in earnest in 2021.
For years they’d been involved with Practical Farmers of Iowa, so first they began pushing themselves beyond that network to expand distribution of all they grew and milled. This led to their participation in FEAST! Local Foods Network events in Minnesota—presented in part by AGC member Renewing the Countryside—which led them to AGC. Reflecting on the value of connections, he said, “When dad was learning about milling, he visited a couple mills,” Jeff said, “and one of the mills was [past AGC member] Lonesome Stone.”
Jeff attended a milling workshop last year at the Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, ND, and now they are looking at adding a New American Stone Mill to their setup. The Meadows Mill they currently have makes outstanding corn grits and cornmeal, but it's not very efficient for bread flours.
The course also made him see that their grains business model, which focuses on broad distribution through grocery stores, is different from many peers working in small grains. He’s had to narrow down the number of product lines in favor of volume.
“It’s pretty hard work getting stuff in grocery stores so we concentrate on five or six products,” said Jeff.
But this isn’t limiting; he’s seen increased demand for wheat berries for home milling, and in the last few months, a number of on-farm stores and retail shops have been reaching out to them for their range of flours, whole grains, grits and hot cereal mixes.
Early Morning Harvest now employs 12-15 people throughout the seasons. In the process of stretching the enterprise and expanding the market for his and other regional products, Jeff bought a regional distribution company; That Iowa Girl covers five Midwestern states and approximately 300 grocery stores and bakeries, helping them distribute their grain products while aiding other regional brands that need distribution. In 2022, the farm caught the attention of Hy-vee, a regional grocery chain, and now Early Morning Harvest grain products are in 130 Hy-vee locations—about one-third of their stores.
Along with ~1,500 acres certified organic grains, mostly hard red spring, soft red winter wheat, buckwheat, oats, corn, and soybeans, they also have 200 beef cattle and pasture; everything gets a lot of cover crops to serve the soil and the whole farm system. They invite the public to an open house each November, and are mindful of community in other ways too, like their donation of flour last December to the Food Bank of Iowa: 1,076 bags, equal to the number of 4-lb bags they sold during November.
“Next year I might have to start reaching out to some members for grain just because I don't think I'll be able to produce enough,” Jeff said, referring to the rise in demand they’ve observed. “We’ll see, though, because Mother Nature has a big vote, and the last vote.”
As fairly new members of AGC, Jeff said they’re still learning everything they can do for and with the network. Jeff is eager to share what he’s learned about his farming practices, and even has an option to request consultation on aquaponics and intercropping from his online store. We are glad to have such an innovative and dedicated farm as part of our network!
Read more about Early Morning Harvest in this article from DSM magazine.
