A Hardin County family farm made national headlines with its recent switch from pork to mushroom production.
On July 18, the Ames Tribune published an article about 1100 Farm, detailing how the former pig farm was converted into a mushroom growing operation.
The family also caught the attention of the New York Times, which published its own story on Wednesday.
Where is 1100 Farm?
1100 Farm began as a hog farm just 45 minutes north of Des Moines in Radcliffe. The Faaborg family, led by Tanner Faaborg, decided to shift their focus to mushrooms after surviving the challenges of the hog industry.
According to the Times, “Tanner Faaborg sold his Des Moines home to finance the project, secured a state grant to convert the pig pens into a clean pond, and Tyler Faaborg contributed $75,000 from his savings. They are still a few hundred thousand dollars short of the roughly $1 million it will cost to completely transform and regreen the farm, Tanner Faaborg said.”
The property’s larger mushroom facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The farm produces hedgehog mushrooms and reishi mushrooms, which help with pain and anxiety.
Mushroom operation arouses interest of documentary film team
A documentary film crew visited 1100 Farm on July 16 to document the groundbreaking of the Faaborg family’s mushroom growing operation. The crew did not tell the Tribune which company it was until the film was released.
More: Innovation meets tradition: How a pig farm in Story County became a mushroom business
From cattle to mushroom
Founded by Tanner Faaborg’s parents, Tammy and Rand Faaborg, 1100 Farm was a pig farm for over 30 years. When his parents decided to stop raising or living with pigs, Tanner Faaborg offered a sustainable business alternative.
Lion’s Mane and Reishi mushrooms are grown for tinctures, or herbal extracts, that are said to help with nerve pain and relaxation. The mushroom tinctures are available on 1100 Farm’s website, along with a Lion’s Mane coffee blend.
A selection of fresh oyster mushrooms and hedgehog mushrooms will be available in select restaurants around September.
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Other local stories receive national attention
As the Tribune reports, Japanese restaurant Ichiban opened in Campustown in June 2021. The restaurant’s version, a mozzarella stick stuffed like the Chinese-American appetizer Crab Rangoon, was featured in a New York Times article about the resurgence of mozzarella sticks.
At 23, Rebecca Runyon was awarded the 2021 Think Big Award by the Iowa Small Business Development Center. The Iowa State University graduate founded the ice cream business Bessie’s Parlor and Lunchsox, a company that sells wool socks online to provide meals to children in need that she sold. Runyon also published a children’s book about Bessie’s Parlor called “The Best Ice Cream I Ever Tasted.”
In August 2021, Runyon appeared on Good Morning America to discuss Bessie’s Parlor alongside two other Iowa businesses that have “survived and thrived” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The story of Story City businesswoman Cande Coulter’s reunion with her father after 40 years made it to NBC’s “Today” show in June 2021.
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Celia Brocker is a government, crime, politics and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at [email protected].
