89 / 65
      88 / 71
      88 / 70

      Local farmers celebrate Earth Day every day

      Earth day comes once a year, as a reminder to protect the planet.

      You may have celebrated Earth Day in a special way, but there are some in the Tri-States who have made it a life choice to always be good to the Earth.

      For farmers like Jessica Whiston of Terripin Farms in Fowler, she couldn't imagine doing anything else.

      "We've never been happier ," said Whiston. " My children enjoy what we do. We get to live in paradise, get to be outside every single day and just enjoy seeing things grow."

      Whiston helps to run a community supported agriculture farm with her husband.

      While she hasn't always farmed, Whiston is glad to be doing it.

      "It's not just going to the grocery store and buying an item ," Whiston said. " You actually know where that item came from. You knew it was taken care of with love and respect to the Earth. And you just get to know who was actually producing your food, there's a face behind your plate."

      Veteran farmers like Mike Roegge help people like Whiston become local farmers.

      Roegge feels its very rewarding to help others get started in agriculture.

      "People enjoy it, they really do ," said Roegge. " When you think about trying to go local simply because its good for the economy, it's good for us, but once they taste local, once they start growing their own, they're hooked on it."

      Even if it's starting off with a small garden, or buying local, both Whiston and Roegee agree that's it's easy and beneficial to give back to mother nature.