WELCOME TO MY FARM
My name is Kevin Wayne Lundgren. I am your local organic food grower and a fifth generation Central Texas farmer located in the Lund community in Eastern Travis County. I have been growing food and grain crops each year since my pre-teen years.
My company is named Lund Produce Company. At LPC, we are committed to preserve the highest standard of quality and excellence that comes from my background as a fifth generation grower.
As one of our customers, you will pay a premium for the food we grow for you. You deserve our committment to grow the most nutritional food possible. Growing the most nutritional foods for you and your family is the best way we can demonstrate our committment.
On July 19, 2007 my farm was certified 100% organic by G.O.C.A., an agent for the USDA and I was issued Certification # 719801.
I produce many organic vegetables and specialize in the production of Organic Shallots. Please visit the REVIEW OUR PRODUCTS page for a detailed description of the organically grown and certified products we now have available.
In 1991, I began to restore 11 acres of depleted clay soils on our Eastern Travis County farm. To restore fertility, I used legumes and a limited amount of organic soil amendments. Over time, the land began to take on a new life. The organic matter in the soil actually tripled from 1.2% to over 3.5% which is the level of 100% sustainability. The PH factor of the soil slowly dropped from alkaline 7.7. to a neutral 6.8. Earth worms and beneficial insects have returned. Today, honey bees abound on my land and plant diseases are no longer a threat. The soil has been restored to a level of virgin productivity. My formula for soil sustainability has taken almost two decades to perfect.
In early 2007, I plowed under a beautiful crop of Crimson Clover legumes. Later, I planted shallots on the same land. So, the previous years Crimson Clover legume crop became the following years plant food for the Shallots I supply you. This is my method of organic farming.
Naturally, the health and nutritional value of the soil always governs the taste and nutritional value of the vegetables grown on that soil. The best tasting vegetables require the highest quality soil. There is no substitute for high quality soil but, optimum soil development is a process that takes years. If a vegetable was grown "in season" but seems bland or tart tasting, the quality of the soil is usually the problem.
If you purchase my production, you will notice that the organic foods I grow are hearty in appearance and have a sweet taste. You can really see and taste the organic difference of my vegetables. In fact, due to their special flavor, the shallots and onions I grow have been given the name WAYNIONS by my family and loyal customers. Incredibly, the organic broccoli I grow even tastes sweet!
My shallots also have an interesting history. I was introduced to shallots many years ago by my neighbor, Selma Eklund. (now deceased) Selma was a avid gardener and she shared her bounty with all her neighbors. Everyone who lives in the Lund community has eaten their share of free meals from Selma Eklund's garden.
For almost 70 years, Selma maintained a small plot of shallots that her parents brought from Germany when they immigrated to the Lund community in the late 1800s.
As Selma grew older, her garden became too much to manage. After she became too frail to garden, she eventually asked me to take her remaining stock of shallots that had dwindled to only seven plants. These were certainly the strongest plants, having survived for several years without care. I transplanted them to my farm and, at one point I thought I would lose them.
Selma Eklund died In September of 2007. She lived to see her heirloom shallots cover several acres of my farm. I think she would be equally proud to know that my customers can buy shallot plant stock that originated from Selma's garden. So, when you buy my shallots, you get a real taste of Selma's garden.
Over several years and thousands of hours of work, I have built the stock to several acres and several hundred thousand plants. In 2008, I had enough plant stock to sell a nutritious crop of scallion shallots to Whole Foods without adding any packaged organic amendments. This year, I am marketing my production directly to consumers and also through Greenling, an organic food home delivery service in Austin. See http://www.greenling.com
During the past two years, I have rescued several other heirloom species that faced extinction. No announcement yet...but as they say,"Stay tuned for film at 11"...
We have shallot scallions and shallot seed stock for sale now in season...October November and December 2009. If you purchase my shallots, corn, onions, broccoli and other food crops in season, you will agree that although my produce costs substantially more, you will always get more than full value knowing my crops are locally hand-grown in healthy and nutritionally balanced soil.
Today, I am also a commercial farmer of corn, hay and sunflowers. My brother is Mike Lundgren. Mike is also devoted to organic production although his time is limited by his duties as manager of KTAE Radio 1330 AM. See www.ktae.net In his spare time, Mike maintains an organic garden and pecan grove east of Elgin.
Together, we own several hundred acres of land in Eastern Travis County in the Lund community where we were born. We are currently transitioning all our land to organic agriculture. I am proud to say that the restored land where my shallots and other vegetables are grown has been owned and farmed by our family since 1903 As stated, I am the fifth generation of Lundgren's to farm the land.
In 2007, my Dad, my brother, and my step mom joined with me to organize a non-profit organization called Organic Media Inc. Organic Media Inc., purchased 102 acres of land in Eastern Travis County that was fallow for 15 years. Last year, we grew organic white food grade Milo on the acreage. This year, we grew organic corn. In 2010, we plan to grow organic sunflowers. We will use Organic Media Inc., to build upon my foundation of knowledge and to help educate future generations of organic farmers.
So, why go organic? Well, lets review the reasons! Organically grown foods contain no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Organic foods are not grown from genetically modified seeds. Organic foods are grown in soil that is nurtured by nature, not treated and amended with chemicals.
Moreover, organic farming promises healthy top soil, nutritious foods, clean groundwater, rivers, lakes, streams, watersheds, healthy fish & wildlife, and a healthy population, sustained by the food we eat!
