Food Matters Club Visits Morning Dew Hop Farm

Casey Buchanan and Steve Geisler explain the hop growing process to the club members while in the hop yard at Morning Dew Hop Farm.

Food Matters Club, a student organization on campus which works closely with the Food Studies theme, went out to Morning Dew Hop Farm for a tour and to learn about the production.

Morning Dew Hop Farm was started a couple years ago by Ohio University alumni Casey Buchanan and Steve Geisler.

An important mission of Food Matters Club is connecting and interacting with local farmers and learning about the farms in the area. Students were particularly excited to see Morning Dew Hop Farm since it is one of the only places in the region growing hops organically.

The sun shines through the trees onto a raised bed built on the farm using timber from the property.

Buchanan and Geisler gave the students a tour of their 23-acre farm, including the organic garden beds, the hop yard, mushroom logs, bee hives, and their newest cabin on the property, which will function as their second Airbnb.

Club members learned about the difficulties of growing hops, especially in this region, but also the success and satisfaction of a farm being able to fill a niche in a local economy. Just this past August, Morning Dew Hop Farm sold their first harvest of hops to Little Fish Brewery, and the beer should be coming out sometime soon.

Ohio University Food Matters Club members walk along the hop yard at Morning Dew Hop Farm as the sun sets and the farm tour comes to an end.

After the tour, Food Matters Club members spoke with Buchanan and Geisler about possibilities for students to intern on the farm. Whether it is doing art projects, photography, communication, or just helping with the farming, Morning Dew Hop Farm is excited to have as many Ohio University students, from different majors and backgrounds, involved on the farm.

The club left inspired and excited about the agriculture opportunities in the Southeast Ohio region and the ability for OHIO students to be active in the community, food system and regional economy here.