Rice Family Farms

Rice Family Farms started out as Gilbert and Gladys Garden Vegetables (1 acre) over 22 years ago by Gilbert Rice selling at the old Boise Farmers Market and to the Boise Consumer Coop. Lee Rice formally joined the venture in 1993 with purchase of land on Meridian Road (Highway 69) 4 ½ miles south of Meridian, Idaho. The Farm has grown to an 50 acre highly diversified certified organic farm with over 200 species and sub-species of cover crops, seed, alfalfa, vegetables and fruit grown annually and now mentors and partners with Ian and Kelsey Kilgore, (see TrueRootsOrganics.com) for farmers market and CSA sales. The farm uses no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers and is managed and maintained using cover crop, hay and pasture rotation coupled with continuous cultivar rotation within production fields, intensive hand and mechanical weed control with natural and NOP approved nutrient and pest control systems. The farm is certified for compliance with the National Organic Plan by Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Even if we were not certified we would still follow the same land, plant and good insect stewardship and soil nutrient, organic matter and conservation practices which are inherently a part of what we believe to be the best and most sustainable way to produce top quality local food. Our official certification, however, does involve 200 plus hours of record keeping, journal and input documentation and associated additional costs and responsibilities.