On the farm: Juniper Hill Farms

A SERIES ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FARMERS, RANCHERS, FOOD PRODUCERS & MAKERS.

“The greenhouses have been fun, and they haven’t blown away,” Scott says as greets his visitors. “Greenhouses are getting to be more important because the weather in Kansas is becoming more temperamental.”

The high-tech greenhouses were built with funds received through Kansas’s Securing Local Food Systems grant, as part of the CARES act funding. But the arctic blast that blew through Kansas City and the surrounding area in February left frozen pipes and debris in its wake. The inclement weather also delayed early spring planting. Yet, spring has allowed a bit of green to peek through, adding a hint of possibility. 

“Seeing how much Scotty has grown since I was out last fall and how he really dug in and went for it during the pandemic and quarantine is inspiring,” Chef Vaughn says.

Scott is the first farmer in his family. His dad is a reconstructive surgeon and his mother served as a Douglas County Commissioner for several terms. A self-described “outside kid,” he started his own hay baling operation at age 16. 

While still in high school, he moved on to growing vegetables on a quarter of an acre and applied for a grant to construct hoop houses at the urging of his neighbors. While earning an agribusiness degree at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, he continued to run the farm from afar.

Today, Juniper Hill Farms manages over 150 acres certified USDA Certified Organic ground, 40 acres of both organic and sustainably grown vegetables, and a few hundred acres of hay and row crops. The farm employs five full-time workers year-round, plus seasonal help that more than doubles during the summer months.

Scott advocates for growing sustainably with an environmentally focused mindset but sometimes progress is made off the farm through advocating for proper recognition and funding for programs to help strengthen the region’s specialty crop producers.  

The farm’s goal is to grow a wide array of produce in ever-larger quantities for supermarkets, wholesalers, and institutions while continuing to service independently owned restaurants that may need only a case at a time, such as Fox and Pearl.

Juniper Hill Farms includes a packing warehouse and a red barn where stone masons are making a patio and a pizza oven to be used for special events such as private dinners, weddings, and farm events.  A delivery truck parked near the farm’s new dock is part of Scott's commitment to his employees and the communities they serve.  

The truck’s side is emblazoned with a photo of Juniper Hill’s longtime farm manager working in the fields. “It’s Kyle’s 10th year here, and he looks like a better farmer than I do,” Scott says with a shrug and a laugh, pointing towards Kyle’s beard and his clean-shaven face as he explains why his face didn’t make it on the side of the truck.

Bearded or not, farmers in their 30s are sadly a rare find in agriculture today. In 2017, the average age of U.S. farmers was 57.5 years, up 1.2 years from 2012, according to USDA stats. 

“Scotty is so young! He’s younger than I am by a few years,” Chef Vaughn says. “I think that’s why we have a good rapport. It’s kind of unique to find a young farmer. It’s coming along with those in urban farming, but the old-school farms are not a young man’s game.”

Chef Vaughn has forged an easy friendship with Scott over the years, a relationship dating back to when he opened his first restaurant, Hank Charcuterie, in Lawrence. At Fox and Pearl, he continues to rely on Juniper Hill Farms for staples, such as onions, potatoes and Roma and San Marzano tomatoes for canning. 

His favorite specialty items include okra and Jarrahdale pumpkins. Juniper Farms also supplies the restaurant with much of the local fruit that is served in the Westside restaurant, including peaches and blackberries grown by South Baldwin Farms.

To source more product, Scott works with small Amish farms in Kansas and Missouri, and he continues to provide produce for a wide array of players like the national grocery chain, Whole Foods. He also started Sunflower Provisions with partner and former 715 Restaurant Chef Michael Beard during the pandemic. 

The online grocery business features 400 items, including dairy, vegetables, bakery, pantry, fruit, meat, deli and beverages. The items are available for delivery or pickup in the Lawrence and Kansas City area. 

“I think you can see Scotty making a difference in a big way because he gets so much out to people and draws attention to what he’s doing,” Chef Vaughn says. “He’s affiliated with all these old-school farm things, like the Farm Bureau. He throws his hat into policy and politics to make a visible difference on a large scale.”

By the time the stifling heat of July arrives, Juniper Hill Farms corn and tomatoes start arriving at the restaurant in large quantities at Fox and Pearl. Chef Vaughn pulls custom-cut Barham Family Farms smoked bacon ribs from the outdoor cabinet smoker for the center of the plate. Back inside, he fans the embers of the indoor hearth, coal-roasting the corn and pairing kernels with lightly charred tomatoes and smoky foraged chanterelles.

“The goal of Fox and Pearl is really to preach the gospel of the local food movement, and Juniper Hill is an example of producing vegetables on such a level that you cannot only have it at the restaurant but you can also have it at home,” Chef Good says.

THE DISH: Bacon Ribs with Coal-Roasted Corn, Tomatoes and Foraged Chanterelles