Producer

Dirk and Kjersten Oudman own Blue Sky Vegetable Co., which is just outside of Worthing, South Dakota. We have been farming since we met on a training farm in 2015. Prior to moving to South Dakota in 2021, we lived in Michigan for several years while Dirk managed a non-profit vegetable farm and mobile farmers market and Kjersten earned her Masters degree at Michigan State University. We then rented a vegetable farm in Wisconsin and ran a successful CSA program. We moved back to South Dakota to be closer to family and started Blue Sky Vegetable Co. in 2022. We have two young kids, Reuben and Marja, and love sharing farming and the outdoors with their kids.

Farming is our passion and vocation. We hope that through our farming we can provide people with high-quality and nutrient-dense food and that we can steward the small patch of land we have.

We are not certified organic, though we follow many organic practices, especially in regards to our nutrients and pesticides. We prefer to only use pesticides that are naturally derived – like Spinosad or Bt - or to use sprays that contain parasitic pests, such as parasitic nematodes for flea beetles or potato beetles, to encourage natural competition and management. We use plastic mulch for most of our crops to manage weeds and also for mindful water management as it reduces the evaporation of water. We also believe in the regeneration of our soil by using cover crops and compost. We are actively working towards a goal of a yearly rotation of vegetables to cover crop in each of our fields.