Writer: Micaela Cashman
Photos: Duane Tinkey
“That’s farmin’, baby.”
Those are words to live by for Mariah Romano (pictured above), who founded FarmBaby in 2023 in Lucas, a small town between Osceola and Chariton. With more than a decade of farming experience, she’s seen the chaos agriculture can bring and credits her “que sera, sera” approach for keeping her sane as she’s built her farm from the ground up.
“The land itself was raw when we bought it,” she said. “There were no water lines, no electric infrastructure.”
The magnitude of the project was daunting for Romano, who handles most of the labor herself. She sees her land as a blank canvas for her dream of managing her own farm.
“As a first-generation female farmer, I’ve heard remarks like, ‘You know farming is hard work, right?’” she said. “On the other hand, a frequent compliment I get is, ‘Mariah, you’re such a badass.’”
With a 2014 degree in horticulture from Iowa State University, Romano set out to work with diverse growing operations across the country and developed a passion for regenerative agriculture. All the produce she grows — strawberries, raspberries and microgreens cultivated in a repurposed shipping container — is organic and adheres to the exacting standards of the National Organic Program.
Her mission is to “provide quality produce with a powerful connection from the grower to the consumer,” which makes a difference in the current market. According to the Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index, 40% of Iowa shoppers look for a “made locally” label on the food they purchase. Romano also sells produce to private chefs and local restaurants, including Clyde’s Fine Diner, Oak Park and Savor the Rise, the popular bakery and cafe in Indianola.
One of her biggest partnerships came from Instagram. Iowa Pepper Co., a small-batch hot sauce company run by husband-and-wife duo Jeff Lynch and Caitlin Barnes uses all locally grown ingredients. When Romano discovered them online, they were growing peppers in their West Des Moines backyard and quickly running out of space. The company jumped at the chance to grow their peppers on FarmBaby soil.
“Local produce is a vital link that strengthens our community,” Lynch wrote in an email. “When local makers build direct relationships with growers, they gain consistent access to fresh high-quality ingredients, foster collaboration and contribute to a resilient local economy.”
While Romano’s farming career comes with ups and downs, she said she is grateful to bring a fresh perspective to Iowa’s small-farm community.
“I love that this farm was a blank slate,” she said. “Watching my vision develop over these first few years has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Check out FarmBaby’s farmers market schedule at farmbabyiowa.com and Iowa Pepper Co.’s schedule at iowapepper.co.
