Our Farm's Story
O’Connell Organic Acres is located in the rolling hills of the Bankston farming community in Eastern Iowa. The farm has been in the O’Connell family for over 150 years, making it a certified Heritage Farm of Iowa. Currently the farm is owned and operated by fifth and six generation O’Connell families. The farm is fairly diverse with a mixture of pastures, cultivated crops, and timber.
With a desire to keep his farm profitable, without joining the trend of becoming more industrialized, John decided to certify the farm Organic in 2003. This seemed like a natural choice aligning with his views on sustainable and community based farming practices. At first, the focus of the farm was producing different organic crops for animal and human consumption as well as raising cattle for the numerous benefits to the operation. Seeing the benefits that the cattle brought to the land, John’s son, Chris, decided to devote his efforts to expanding the herd and providing 100% grass-fed organic beef to the community in 2011. The farm continued to diversify with John’s youngest son, Kevin, adding hogs, broiler chickens, and sheep in the years to follow. Providing locally and responsibly produced pasture-based organic meat is very important to the O’Connells. They continually strive to educate themselves and improve their farming practices to better serve their land and the community.
O'Connell Organic Acres' mission is to produce top-quality organic meat through holistic farm management and husbandry. It is our hope that you will enjoy our products as much as we enjoy providing them to our consumers.
John and Peri are the founders of O’Connell Organic Acres and live in the original 1901 farmhouse. They have 5 children, 2 of which, Chris and Kevin, work on the farm full time. John is a fifth generation farmer and tends to oversee the basic farm operations and manages all the year-round crops on a daily basis. In addition to field work, John tends to the animals and helps with meat deliveries and orders. Peri manages the online farm store and fulfills weekly orders that come through on the website. She also takes care of all the financial accounting responsibilities of the farming operation in addition to keeping everyone on the farm well fed. They both enjoy gardening, classic cars, camping, bicycling and traveling together.
Chris and Amy are part of the 6th generation of O’Connell families that have farmed the land. Chris and Amy have 3 boys that enjoy spending time visiting the animals, helping their dad do chores, and riding along for tractor rides. Chris is the visionary behind offering nutrient dense organic meat directly to the local community. He started this journey in 2011 after marrying Amy, with purchasing cattle and honing-in on the local markets. Chris takes pride in managing the 100% grass-fed beef with rotational grazing methods, top-of-the-line breeding, and investing in quality meat processors. You will also find Chris busy with the day-to-day operations of selling and marketing OOA’s premium products. Amy helps out with the email and social media marketing for the business. She also owns and operates her own successful studio bakery, Sprinkled Confections in Holy Cross, Iowa. When Chris isn’t farming, you can find him at music festivals, traveling, and enjoying a cruise in his 1970 Nova.
Kevin and Jade are also 6th generation O’Connell family farmers. They live on their own private acreage located just west of the O’Connell farm. Kevin and Jade have two sons, Finnian, and Darby. Kevin joined the farming operation a few years after graduating high school with a passion to add pasture raised hogs and chickens to the business. He oversees the day-to-day operations of both animals and is always researching new innovative ways to raise and yield exceptional organic meat. Kevin also stays busy with vending at the local markets and making deliveries to regional restaurants and homes. Jade owns Plein De Vie Wellness, which is a wellness studio focused on holistic health and wellness. She holds her Massage Therapy license and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. Kevin and Jade enjoy cooking together, trying challenging new recipes, Bar-B-Quing, and spending time outdoors with family and friends.
