What happens when you take a dream, plant 1,500 lavender plants, lose the entire crop, and decide to keep going? Donnita Jimmis of Loup Lavender in Nebraska knows the answer.

In this episode, Mary and Leah talk with Donnita about building a small agricultural business while working a full-time job and raising a family. She shares the challenges of growing in sandy soil, dealing with unpredictable weather, drought, wildfire, weeds and the loss of her first lavender crop.

Donnita also talks about starting flowers from seed, running a weekend farm stand, creating bouquets, using conservation funding to install drip irrigation and establish pollinator areas, and her dreams of eventually opening a storefront and gathering space.

It is a conversation about perseverance, learning as you go, family, community and finding new ways to make agriculture work.

In this episode:

• Starting a lavender farm from seed
• Losing a crop and starting over
• Growing in Nebraska's sandy soil
• Conservation grants and drip irrigation
• Flower farming and building bouquets
• Farm stand life and community support
• Dried flowers and future plans for lavender
• Balancing farming with a full-time job
• Keeping land productive for future generations
• Dreaming about a storefront and community gathering space

Connect with Loup Lavender LLC on Facebook or visit louplavender.com.

A big thank you to Donnita for sharing her story and reminding us that sometimes the biggest part of farming is simply deciding to keep going.