SHOP BULBS & PEONY TUBERS TILL JULY 4TH!

In The News

PODCASTS, AWARDS & PRESS

For those wishing to connect with Founder, Meredith Nunnikhoven of Barnswallow & Co. LLC & Barnswallow Flowers, please contact initially through email at barnswallowflowers@gmail.com for scheduling. Farmer Meredith looks forward to working with you! 

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The Oskaloosa Herald 
2025 Readers Choice Award
#1 Florist for 2025
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February 17th 2025
The Spokesman Speaks Podcast
Hosted by Iowa Farm Bureau
Episode 182


Farmer Meredith speaks with The Spokesman Speaks Podcast after speaking on a panel at the Young Farmer Conference hosted by Iowa Farm Bureau. She speaks to lessons learned over 15 years of growing Barnswallow Flowers. 

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January 18th 2025
Young Farmer Conference 
Hosted by Iowa Farm Bureau
Panelist: Adding Value, Farmers Share Their Success with Value Added Products

Farmer Meredith shared with young farming individuals about her journey with the patent-pending compostable vase with her company Barnswallow & Co. and her greater mission for farm diversification. After small introductions, attendees were welcomed to ask questions about Meredith's company and farm operation. Attendees had the choices of two different panel sessions and also were welcomed to speak with Meredith and other panelists at a round table after both sessions. 

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January 4th, 2025
Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture Substack 
Written by Dr. Bob Leonard

UPS Service Centers Close in Rural America


Meredith called me in November and wanted to share how the potential closing of a UPS Customer Service location in Oskaloosa would hurt her small business and others. So one afternoon I drove over to visit with her. I walked into the multipurpose machine shed where she often works, and found her processing Dahlias, and talking on the phone, with an untouched sandwich and drink in front of her. After a little small talk, we got down to business. 
 

I'm wondering if someone is misunderstanding what's happening here at a higher level? You think they drove here and checked out the store? You think that (UPS) corporate knows? I'd like, I'd like to know if corporate actually came here and checked out this 10 by 10 room and deemed it not suitable or not beneficial to the community, and the Chamber of Commerce, the City Council, no one has been contacted about this to get any feedback to say is this really valuable or what does your community need? So for me and my business, I was really depending on this little room. So the shit is going to hit the fan and everyone's going to realize that they can't drop their time-sensitive return packages off, you know, the public, the public is going to realize this and that’s going to be a huge problem for those people because they've had this system in place for a very long time. Some people explained that the government has nothing to do with them closing, and it's like, I understand, but they have an obligation to keep critical services open. So if we don't hold, like, our lawmakers, accountable, to help us in these efforts, then we're not doing our votes justice.
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December 5th, 2024
Panel Presenter at the 8th Annual Women in Ag Leadership Conference
Breaking Ground, Seeding Success
Hosted by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach


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Fall 2024
The Fresh Cut Quarterly
A Publication of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers
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July 12th, 2024
The Prairie Farm Podcast
Ep. 169: Coming Home To The Farm and Alternative Cropping
Hosted by Hoksey Native Seeds and The Prairie Farm


Meredith Nunnikhoven, co-founder of Barnswallow Flowers joins the Prairie Farm Podcast to discuss why she came back to the from the film industry to the family farm and decided to dive into the world of alternative cropping. Also...she's an inventor, and we like that about her.

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June 17th, 2024
Iowa Food & Family Project
Perennial Perseverance 
By Gretchen Westdal Centers
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“We wanted our small family farm to be diversified. That's how the farmers before me survived on both sides of the family. They had diverse operations, various sales and marketing channels and never gave up when it got tough,” Meredith explains. “When we started the flower farm in 2010, there was a lack of available information on how to grow flowers sustainably, chemical free and completely outdoors. So, our expectations back then were very low, and there were many frustrating moments and learnings. Our internal drive to love, grow, cultivate, and harvest beautiful flowers kept us going. We hoped that eventually, people would want to buy our flowers.”  

“Our customers don't care if a bug nibbled a little bit out of a petal because they know when they touch it won't impact their health,” Meredith shares. “This rings true at you-pick, which is why we opened that experience on the farm. When you tell the mother of a toddler that the flowers are not sprayed with chemicals, their eyes light up as if to say, thank you for thinking of my child's future.” 

Pictured above: Meredith Nunnikhoven holding a trey of seedlings. 95% of the annual flowers are germinated from seed at the farm, thus reducing shipment costs and carbon emissions for plugs grown elsewhere. PHOTO / JOCLYN BUSHMAN
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May 13th, 2024
Iowa Farm Bureau
In Full Bloom
By  Bob Bjoin
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“Never assume. Know the weather, research, test and develop, plan to save financially (and) don’t quit when the going gets tough,” she advised. Failure is part of the process, she said.

Iowa Farm Bureau Conference participants peppered her with questions about everything from what products are used for pest control at Barnswallow Flowers to how to best germinate flowers or how far apart to plant flowers in a field.

“For flower farming, specifically, it all comes down to education and grit from the beginning, middle and beyond,” Nunnikhoven said. “I personally don’t do anything on a large scale that will affect me financially until I can actually trial it myself and see another operation doing it successfully. Failure is a part of that learning process and can be disappointing. When you are trying to farm not just one flower crop, but many, the work in this area of education will eventually pay off.”

Pictured above: Tulips always are popular, and Barnswallow Flowers had an abundance ready for distribution this spring. PHOTO / CONRAD SCHMIDT

https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/In-full-bloom-265639

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May 4th, 2024
Iowa Farmer Today
Farmer Uses Flowers to Diversity Income
By Jeff DeYoung


Ask Meredith Nunnikhoven and she will tell you, there's nothing better than diversification to keep a farm successful. The southeast Iowa woman owns Barnswallow Flowers, a fresh-cut flower farm located near Oskaloosa in Mahaska County, Iowa. That business is part of the Barnswallow & Company umbrella, which also includes a chestnut farm that will eventually include 15 acres by 2028. Nunnikhoven also helps her father on the family’s farm. “We have it set up where we can offer both agritourism and ag education opportunities,” she says. Nunnikhoven says she was influenced by her mother, Kerrilynn, when it came to starting the flower business. “We really believed diversified farming and small farms were the way to go,” she says. “We loved flowers, but we also wanted an operation that could operate long-term.”

https://agupdate.com/iowafarmertoday/news/farmer-uses-flowers-to-diversify-income/article_d291285a-0906-11ef-83ff-c32db7b22846.html

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Jan. 29th-Feb.1st, 2024
Representing Practical Farmers of Iowa 
Sponsored by NSAC
https://sustainableagriculture.net/
Washington, DC
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The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.
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Farmer Meredith spent several days learning about farm policy in support of the new farm bill set to release in 2024. During her final day, she met with all four Iowa House of Representatives and Senators Grassley and Joni Ernst's teams about preserving funds to support continued conservation efforts in agriculture. Meredith was able to point to her own struggles in obtaining insurance specialty crop farmers like fresh-cut flower and chestnut farmers. Other points included retaining funds for government conservation programs, growing rural food access programming and improving specialized meat processing access and education in rural communities.
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December 27, 2023
Practical Farmers of Iowa Blog 
Bringing the Buzz to Barnswallow Farm
By Vanya North

A Tradition of Diversification

"The whole idea of working with land and how we understand land has moved to a caretaking role and remembering we are owners on paper, but it’s never really ours and we should leave it better than we found it as part of our legacy.” - Meredith Nunnikhoven
 
Read the full post here!
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December 13, 2023
The News Review
The Sun Spot by Jackie Perkins
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November 2023
For Farmers Grant Awardee: Meredith Nunnikhoven & Barnswallow Flowers
https://www.forfarmersmovement.com/team/barnswallow-flowers



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November 30th, 2023
Iowa State Extension
AMES, Iowa 
Women Impacting Agriculture Awardee
Women honored for their vision and dedication to Iowa agriculture
by Madeline Schultz & Lisa Scarbrough

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 2023 honorees are Kellie Blair, Joanne Roepke Bode, Melissa O’Rourke and Meredith Nunnikhoven. 

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/women-impacting-agriculture-honored
https://vimeo.com/889862916?share=copy

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October 2023
KTVO News
Women, Land & Legacy hosts 'Women in Agriculture Exhibition' in S.E. Iowa
PELLA, Iowa — “ Who knows we're in a rural economy? I do. You know that's a thing," joked flower farmer, Meredith Nunnikhoven. "So, being diversified and your offerings are going to be very important within your business," she told the audience.
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September 20th, 2023
Spokesman
SE Iowa Area News Front Page
Submitted by Mahaska County
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DIVERSIFICATION YIELDS FIELDS OF FLOWERS
Barnswallow Flowers, located just east of Oskaloosa on Hwy 23, began with a discussion of needed diversification on the Allen Nunnikhoven Farm. To Allen's wife, Kerrilyn, - who has since passed away - and daughter, Meredith, the idea of flowers seemed the most production and a process of education started. They formed a business plan, took several classes and started planting peonies. Those peonies from the first year have grown now to include a multitude of flowers including sunflowers, dahlias, lisianthus and so many more. 
Within the realm of flowers, Meredith has futher diversified her income stream to not rely on one type of sales and to minimize the labor involved. They use The Little Blue Barn, which is a self-serve source for bouquets and orders. It is open on their farm from dawn to dusk on Fridays and Saturdays. She attends Pella Farmers Market on Thursdays from 4-7pm, it is a day of the week that works well with her picking and arranging schedule. People have signed up for the Community Supported Agriculture subscription service for regular bouquets. She hosts pick your own events or she can put together buckets of flowers within a color scheme for you to arrange. She also does wedding flowers a la carte, you order and pick up the pieces that you need. Meredith is passionate about her corner of agriculture and is excited to teach others about what is possible. She said, "Flowers when given a chance, can be simply magnificent!"

 
June 8th, 2023
In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard
What it's like to be a farmer florist?
https://www.kniakrls.com/?powerpress_pinw=535604-podcast
 
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May 2023
YouTube Practical Farmer's Panel
Corn and Soybean Basics for Landowners - Farminar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j89eTrGjztU
 
March 26th, 2023
By Channing Rucks, The Herald
Ernst talks Farm Bill, cover crops in southeast Iowa
https://www.oskaloosa.com/knoxville/ernst-talks-farm-bill-cover-crops-in-southeast-iowa/article_bf2a8c62-bc5d-11ed-a8b0-d3fed534f8d8.html
“Results matter,” said Meredith Nunnikhoven, a Practical Farmers of Iowa member who operates Barnswallow Flowers southeast of Oskaloosa. “Some of these [conservation] programs stop in five, six years … CSP is an example. That is a really hard program to sign up for … It’s a whole farm outlook program, and once it was over, it was like, what we just started, we’re not seeing the effects of that program. And for someone who’s hardwired to seeing the results, who has that cultural perspective, that’s going to be important for them.”
Nunnikhoven suggested lengthening government programs like CSP so that farmers can see the results, and the culture can change
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Fall 2022
Practical Farmers of Iowa Autumn Issue
Field Day Photography
https://practicalfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Autumn-2022-Magazine_FINAL_web.pdf
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2022
Mahaska Chamber & Development Group Blog
Fresh Air & Farmhouse Views
https://www.mahaskachamber.org/blog/fresh_air_and_farmhouse_views/
“This is a community cottage. Those who stay here contribute to the lives of those who take care of it.” - Meredith Nunnikhoven, Owner
 

August 9th, 2022
In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard
What’s it like to run a flower farm? 
https://www.kniakrls.com/?powerpress_pinw=497557-podcast
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2022
The Donna Lonna Kitchen Show
Episode 019: Flower Farming at Barnswallow Flowers With Meredith Nunnikhoven
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/019-flower-farming-at-barnswallow-flowers-with/id1609308964?i=1000571450425

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April 12, 2022
Choose Local YouTube Video by IVRCD
Visit a Farm Stand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYNhaPFCsIU&t=19s
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May 17th 2022
Elija Decious of The Gazette
Amana nonprofit launches statewide campaign to encourage farmer, consumer connections
https://www.thegazette.com/community/amana-nonprofit-launches-statewide-campaign-to-encourage-farmer-consumer-connections/
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June 24, 2021
Practical Farmers of Iowa
The Joy of Flowers By Jacqueline Venner Senske
https://practicalfarmers.org/2021/06/the-joy-of-flowers/
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2020-2021 Podcast
Behind the Blooms 
Episode 1 & 2
https://www.northernspotlight.com/issue-4/behind-the-blooms
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May 2020
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October 31, 2019
Oskaloosa News
Barnswallow Flowers and Produce Speaker
http://oskynews.org/barnswallow-flowers-and-produce-speaker/
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October 18, 2018
In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard
One local farm family is diversifying their operation–with flowers.
https://www.kniakrls.com/2018/10/18/in-depth-barnswallow-flowers/