Hello! We would like to introduce you to Oak Prairie Farm. We are a family owned and operated farm growing native wildflower and grass seeds, and transplant plugs grown from that seed. We believe native wildflowers and grasses are of interest to you, when they can be grown successfully .
OUR SEED:
NATIVE means wildflowers and grasses that are known to have been growing wild
in the native prairie in settlement times. All of the kinds of plants that we grow here at Oak Prairie Farm are natives. Native means that history has shown that these kinds
of plants can be grown successfully.
WILD means that most of the seeds we sell come from plants that we have grown from wild foundation seed. Most of that foundation seed was hand gathered under permit from Wisconsin State Natural Areas; land that has been undisturbed since presettlement times. These native seeds can be grown successfully because they have grown wild for generations! There are only a few kinds of our native foundation seed that we could not gather here in Wisconsin; that foundation seed is from nearby neighboring states.
FARM GROWN means that most of the seeds we offer in this catalog are grown right here on Oak Prairie Farm - with a few exceptions that are not yet in production here. Farm grown means that these seeds are more likely to produce a healthy successful planting for you. Farm grown also means that we can increase seed quality, increase the quantity of seed available, and still not cause any harmful effects to the few remaining remnant prairies.
LOW PRICES means you can afford to plant the prairie of your dreams. Our prices are less than what most other companies are now charging for comparable native wildflower seeds and plants. We are able to do this because we are a small family farm. We do not have the extra costs of a large company or corporation, and we can pass those savings on to you!
ABOUT US:
Jim was raised on a small dairy farm in north-central Iowa. He learned his love and respect for our environment there. He attended Cornell College where he was first introduced to ecology and the incredible prairie ecosystem in 1973. He attended the University of Iowa, where he met with more aspects of plant ecology, and Rattlesnake master. His undergraduate work was in biology, ecology, and secondary science education. Later, he was a shepherd and grassland manager for seven years on Bluestem Farm in north-eastern Iowa. He learned additional aspects of prairie and wetland ecology at UW Madison, and holds a Masters degree in Wildlife Ecology. He learned many further aspects of prairie from work days and field days with The Nature Conservancy, The Audubon Society, and The Prairie Enthusiasts. He is a member of the Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association's Seed Certification Standards Committee for Native Species. He is the Production Manager for Oak Prairie Farm.
Lin grew up in a suburb of Washington, DC. Her family would travel each weekend to a small town in Maryland to the hills, valleys and woods of western Maryland. She grew up loving the natural world. She went on to get an undergraduate degree in Child and Family Development, Elementary Education and later, a Masters degree in Education. She has taught for over 20 years. Lin is the General Manager of Oak Prairie Farm, being responsible for day to day management decisions and implementation, budget determination and implementation, and nursery planning. She is also the Primary Seed Cleaner for Oak Prairie Farm.
OUR FARM:
Oak Prairie Farm has centuries of experience in growing prairie. We choose this farm in 1988, partly because of the remnant prairies here. You just can't say "no" when Leadplants say "please". We have been helping the farm to grow prairie since then. Our ability as a native seed producer was formally reviewed by the State of Wisconsin in 1995 by the expert panel evaluation of RFP #E-045-08 and we were ranked second among Wisconsin native seed producers over all; first in terms of competitive pricing. Oak Prairie Farm is on a glacial ridge and enjoys hardwoods, savanna, wetland, and prairie. In the fullness of time we hope to offer seeds and/or plants from all four areas.
OUR NEIGHBORS:
We would also like to introduce you to S&S Wildflowers; two other family farms next door, who are working together with us. Patrick & Carrie Stollfus and Chuck & Pat Stollfus together have well over twenty years of experience in growing and cleaning native prairie plants and seed. At this time, they are growing most of the native plants we offer, as well as some of the native seed.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
Most of the photographs were taken by Lin Heinrich, right here at Oak Prairie Farm.
Dan Klapper is an accomplished nature photographer from Montello, Wisconsin; most of his photos were taken at S&S Wildflowers.
Dr. Era Jo Moorer is a veterinary surgeon and avid amateur photographer; most of her photos were taken here at Oak Prairie Farm.
TOURS:
Oak Prairie Farm will see a lot of changes and construction during the summer of 1999, so we will only be having a limited number of summer tours. Please check this web site for a tour schedule for the summer of 1999 during the coming months. If you are going to be in our area, please feel free to call ahead and schedule a visit to Oak Prairie Farm.
We are proud to offer to you our top quality native seeds and plants! If you have any questions about our seeds or plants, please give us a call at 800-894-3884.
indicates photos taken by Dan Klapper.
indicates photos taken by Dr. Era Jo Moorer. All others taken by Lin Heinrich.