Food Bank Grower Plans Year-Round Plot in Rocheport

A small nonprofit that grows vegetables for The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri is working to add a growing site in Rocheport, one with a 96-foot high tunnel that could let it grow through the winter. Mid-MO Harvest Collective lists the Rocheport site on its plots page with the status “Finalizing Site Negotiations & Planning Restoration.” The group says the tunnel “currently needs some love and rehabilitation.”

What the group does

The collective was organized in 2025 and grows produce that it delivers to the Food Bank’s loading docks for distribution across 32 counties at no cost to the people who receive it, according to its About page. It is a registered 501(c)(3) with an address at 14650 N. Proctor Road, Columbia. It runs with a single executive director, who handles planting, washing and packing, and deliveries, and it relies on volunteers for field work. Its website lists the Food Bank and the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture as partners.

The group has two of its own plots running now, a pilot site near Harrisburg and a 2026 expansion plot near Ashland, and a partner farm, Pierpont Farms, that grows for it through what the collective calls its Local Grower Network. Recent crops listed on its site include tomatoes, peppers, green beans, sweet potatoes and butternut squash.

The Rocheport site

The collective calls the Rocheport plot its third direct-cultivation site. Its plan is to refurbish the high tunnel to protect crops from heavy spring rain and to grow past the usual Missouri season. The website does not say where in Rocheport the site is or who owns the land, and the deal is not final.

How to help

• Volunteer: The group asks for help planting, weeding and harvesting, with no experience needed, according to its volunteer page. Wear closed-toe shoes and bring water, sunscreen and gloves; tools are provided. Volunteers under 18 need an adult with them. Families and groups are welcome.
• Land: Landowners can lend a 4,000-square-foot area for a new plot, according to its donate page.
• Money: Donations go through Zeffy, which charges no fee, and the group lists monthly gifts of $25, $50 or $100. It says the money pays for seeds, field supplies, equipment, fuel and season-extension items such as high-tunnel heating and row covers.

Families who need food now can find pantries that serve the Rocheport area in our pantry guide.

By Roman Clarkson