CLARK-ASBERRY HOMESTEAD RANCH PROVIDES FRESH PRODUCE IN FOOD DESERT

Web link: https://www.newson6.com/story/6586121422b56d2d52a66d33/clark-asberry-homestead-ranch-provides-fresh-produce-in-food-desert#:~:text=Rodney%20and%20Sheila%20Clark%20are,bell%20peppers%2C%20watermelon%20and%20more.

By: MaKayla Glenn

For several decades, North Tulsa has been considered a food desert due to the lack of fresh, quality foods within the community.

And while the first full-service grocery store was opened after 14 years, grocery shopping in the area is still a hassle.

Rodney and Sheila Clark are the owners of the only black-owned farm in North Tulsa.

"Welcome to Clark-Asberry Homestead Ranch, where our motto is 'We love to eat," Rodney and Sheila Clark said.

The Clark's have used their greenhouse to grow tomatoes, bell peppers, watermelon and more.

"We operated as a bed and breakfast for about 15 years, and when Covid hit, we decided to shut it down and just do straight agriculture," Rodney Clark said.

Along with growing fresh produce, they also raise cows, chickens, rabbits, and fish in an aquaponics tank.

“We took a class through Langston University, and we went to Boley, Oklahoma for about 6 to 7 months, learning more and more about the elements of raising plants and raising crops," Clark said.

The historical black college and all-black town believe in the Clark's mission of rebuilding the legacy of North Tulsa. A place that lacks access to fresh food.

Rodney works with community gardeners and other farmers to develop more produce for families throughout the Tulsa area.

"It allows us to have our own farmers market," Clark said.

Customers can purchase things like organic vegetables, fresh eggs, and meat from farm-raised animals.

The Clark's have been working to change the food desert narrative by building up their own family farm while also sharing their love for farming with the community.

"We hope this is a generational blessing for us that somebody else can be the Stuarts and take it over," Clark said.

The Clark's Farmers Market operates indoors from June through October on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon.

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