The History of Erstwhile Farm

erst·while (ˈərstˌ(h)wīl/)
adjective – former; of times past; old

Located on the edge of the Sandhills in Platte County, Nebraska, this farm was deeded to Larry’s great grandfather in 1904.

Those were the days when work from the hands provided weed control for the land, the land and grasses provided sustenance for the livestock on the farm, and the farm provided the food on the table.

Over the next generations, the farm changed to reflect the modern advancements in agriculture. Pigs were moved indoors and herbicide chemical took its place in weed control. As a newly married farm couple, we took our place within these “normal” boundaries of modern agriculture.

A persistent vision to do something different came to realization shortly after we bought the farm in 1993. Pigs were moved out in the pasture, allowing sows to build nests to farrow. We gathered our young family to pull weeds in the fields as chemicals were eventually phased out. Conservation practices were implemented, planting hundreds of trees and native grasses in wet lands and non-irrigated areas. In personalizing our work, an old model had become new.

In 2009, the erstwhile farm of generations past, officially became Erstwhile Farm, LLC, a farm committed to preserving the earth’s goodness for generations of the future. Old and familiar had become the new and different “modern” agriculture for us. One step into the past had gained us two steps into the future. For the next 12 years we direct marketed all our pigs, eggs and vegetables to a few farm to table restaurants, some health conscious grocery stores, UNL dining hall, and local families.

Fast forward to 2021: As we get closer to retirement, we have come to a change in seasons in our life. Although we continue to grow and offer organic produce, both fresh and preserved, we have retired from pigs and decreased our certified organic row crop acres. In our new season we will concentrate on mentoring the next generation into diversified areas of sustainable and regenerative farming according to their interests. Currently, this includes a young family with 3 children. who are learning the aspects of organic farming and easing into renting some of our family row crop acres.

During this time, Lanette opened her online eBay store, and finally had something to do with all of these vintage finds shes been collecting things all these years. A few years into her online eBay store success and with the support of Larry, they decided to make more of Lanette’s dream a reality and create a brick-and-mortar on the property. In early 2024, our daughter Bethany and our granddaughter Rosemary moved back to the farm to help us design, construct, and open The Preserved Vintage Farmstore — made out of our 75-year-old chicken coop and old hayloft barn! We’ve also set up the Barnstore in our red “machine shed.” This building is another shoppable space on the farm that holds our bigger furniture, upcycled pieces, rustic metals, outdoor things, and some farm stuff.

Bethany also re-opened her wellness kitchen & holistic health product shop (Rosemary Moon Co.) under the Erstwhile Farm enterprise. She continues to work virtually as our Farm Innovation Coordinator & Director of Marketing for the family businesses. Check out her custom wellness gift boxes here.

All of these aspects of our continued story highlight our passion about the importance of retaining existing farms. We continue to encourage the return of families back to preserve the rural (Nebraska) landscapes. We look forward to the next generations of families that will live on this farm and build in their own ways on what our family has founded.

Our faith, our family and our farm has sustained us in many ways. We have always been grateful for God’s goodness and want give honor and glory to Him in our work.

“Man must respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.”

VISIT OUR SHOP HERE!