AMES, Iowa – Four women received the Women Impacting Agriculture award for their contributions to Iowa agriculture on Nov. 30 at the seventh annual Iowa Women in Ag Leadership Conference organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
The Women Impacting Agriculture recognition honors Iowans who are creating a more sustainable Iowa by improving economic resiliency and stability; conserving natural resources; and being influential agricultural leaders, family members and community volunteers.
The 2022 honorees are Kellie Blair, Joanne Roepke Bode, Melissa O’Rourke and Meredith Nunnikhoven. Past honoree Marilee Jones and extension communications specialist Lisa Scarbrough recognized the honorees and presented them with awards.
A video highlighting the four women can be viewed online. For more about Women Impacting Agriculture, visit the Women in Ag Program website.
Meredith Nunnikhoven is the owner of Barnswallow Flowers, a sustainable fresh-cut flower farm located in Mahaska County in its 13th year. Her mission is to grow flowers with sustainable agricultural practices that focus on regenerative farming and carbon reduction. The chemical-free operation also plants cover crops to improve soil health along with using landscape fabric to retain moisture and reduce weed pressure. Supported by years of growing trials, the entire flower production is grown outdoors without hoop house support. A majority of the seedlings are germinated on the farm, reducing environmental impact. Nunnikhoven utilizes resources from ISU Extension and Outreach Mahaska County to help her floral business prosper. She is a 2023 graduate of ISU Extension and Outreach’s Annie’s Project farm management class. Barnswallow Flowers is a proud donor of materials for Mahaska County Extension floral arranging classes and Mahaska County Master Gardeners annual plant sale. She also helped start a local chapter of Women, Land, and Legacy in both Mahaska and Marion counties. She is passionate about inspiring farmers to diversify their whole-farm operation with value-added crops and products. Her love for environmentalism launched her patent-pending invention for the Barnswallow compostable vase. The vase will reduce recycling processing costs of glass, plastics and metal while being commercially grade compostable on farms and facilities. Nunnikhoven partners with Practical Farmers of Iowa to host field days, assist in government policymaking and participate in PFI’s Labor for Learning program. In partnership with nonprofit FACE of Mahaska County, the farm brings art to its rural location by hosting sculptures. Nunnikhoven connects with the community through CSA programming. Since 2018, various products provide fresh flower experiences and conservation education. The flower farm is now dedicated to her late mother, Kerrilyn Loynachan Nunnikhoven, who believed that small farm diversification was the key to succession and survival.
