Bringing the Farm to Your Table

Chloe Diegel was inspired to pursue her passion for community-supported agriculture after reading a book about local food and small-scale farms during her last year of undergraduate program.With a dream of making it easy to eat fresh, locally grown food, she and her husband established Robinette Farms 14 years ago.

Putting Down Roots

Chloe and her husband, Alex McKiernan, took the leap together, initially renting land to start their first-generation farm. Today, Robinette Farms has its own property inMartell, Nebraska, with several employees.It collaborates with over 30 local producers to help Nebraska communities thrive on nutritious, wholesome food.

Robinette Farms is home to three generations. Chloe’s parents live and work on the farm, as do her and Alex’s three daughters. “Everyone’s involved and contributing in some way, and we all get to share this experience, which is really cool,”Chloe expressed. Her father assists without door upkeep; her mother is the farm’s bookkeeper; and their daughters do many different jobs around the property.

“Our kids are teenagers now and they became official employees last year. We love that they can make their own money and participate in the family business,”Chloe said. “It’s teaching them farming skills,but also valuable life and financial skills.”

All three of their girls have learned to weed in the summer, check cattle, complete fencing and water projects, turn hydrants on and off, open and close high tunnels, manage greenhouse structures, and more.

Chloe explained that she and Alex have tried to provide them the skills to get things done, but also teach them skills relating to saving money and working with other employees. By earning money for their work, the girls have learned to be responsible with finances, including things like paying for their own cell phones.

Taste the Difference

Robinette Farms believes that where your food comes from does make a difference and recognizes how challenging it can be to get healthy food on the table each day.Chloe and Alex’s goal is to make eating locally grown and raised foods as easy as possible.

Robinette Farms’ Local Food Subscription isa convenient solution. The program offers local grocery deliveries from Nebraska farms, ranches, and local businesses, tailored to your preferences, with the power to customize the items in each box and your delivery schedule. These boxes can be delivered directly to your home.

Robinette Farms’ selection has grown to more than 250 different products including meats, vegetables, fruits, milk, cheese, eggs,bread, coffee, grains, jarred goods, spices, and more. They work with more than 30 local vendors and offer microgreens, babygreens, and grass-finished beef from their own farm.

“People don’t have to eat foods shipped here from around the world,”said Chloe. “Great, fresh foods are produced locally and regionally, and shopping from small businesses allows you to support the local economy.”

What’s Ahead

Having prior experience in farming helped Chloe envision what she wanted for her own farm after college and helped her understand how to start one of her own.

After 14 years, Chloe and Alex are finally starting to feel comfortable owning and running the business. They have had to pivot over the years as life has thrown new things at them: adding kids to the mix, family health concerns, and a global pandemic.These challenges have forced Robinette Farms to evolve and grow into the position they are in now, and their network has supported them along the way.

“It’s super important to build a network of people who are willing to help because there’s just so much to learn. Especially if you didn’t come from a small family business.There are so many little things to think about and figure out – it’s a lot of decisions,”Chloe said.

As Robinette Farms has found its network and jumped to solve problems, they’ve discovered a path forward, building the small business in ways that reflect their vision for the farm 14 years ago.

To learn more about RobinetteFarms and their products, visit robinettefarms.com or follow them on social media.