OEFFA Announces 2026 Award Recipients: Debra Knapke, Bonnie Mitsui and Melinda O’Briant

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has named the 2026 recipients of its Stewardship and Service Awards.  

Bonnie Mitsui and Melinda O’Briant of Turner Farm in Hamilton County received the Stewardship Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sustainable agriculture. Debra Knapke of Franklin County received the Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary service in support of sustainable agriculture.

“I am honored to recognize this year’s Stewardship and Service Awards at OEFFA. In a time when resources are scarce and tensions are high, these people help remind us of what we stand for, healthy, local food produced in harmony with nature,” said OEFFA Executive Director Khara Strum. “When we break through the noise, we see our commonalities more than our differences. Thank you for reminding us of all that we share in common.”

These awards were announced February 13-15 as part of OEFFA’s 47th annual conference in Newark, Ohio. For more information on these awards, visit news.oeffa.org/awards.

---

2026 Stewardship Award Winners—Bonnie Mitsui and Melinda O’Briant

From 1994 until her passing in 2013, Bonnie Mitsui assumed the ownership and farming of Turner Farm, one of two working farms remaining within the Village of Indian Hill in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bonnie grew up on a farm adjoining Turner Farm, and her grandmother acquired it in the 1960s. “I always wanted to live in this house, on this farm, since I was seven years old,” Bonnie Mitsui said to former OEFFA intern Danielle Deemer in 2010.

It was several decades before Bonnie would start farming. After 25 years in northern California, she returned to Ohio and was “appalled” by the processed foods she found at grocery stores, so she began her farming journey. In 1996, she hired Melinda O’Briant to help manage the farm, bringing her agricultural education and experience to a blossoming Turner Farm. Melinda previously worked in flower shops and greenhouses from Indiana to North Carolina, and was a tenured assistant floriculture professor at Vincennes University.

Together, with the aid of their CSA members and a team of working draft horses and donkeys, Bonnie and Melinda grew vegetables, herbs, and flowers, also raising hogs, sheep, dairy cows, and chickens. Melinda helped to develop all of the vegetable production methods Turner Farm still uses today.

In a wish to connect and educate the community, Bonnie made Turner Farm a nonprofit corporation in 2005. Turner Farm’s 200 acres are still permanently protected from future development by a Deed of Agricultural Easement. Today, the farm’s programming showcases a community garden program, seasonal farming internships, cooking and gardening classes, an on-site farm with organic produce and pasture-raised meat and eggs, and u-pick organic flowers.

Bonnie sadly passed away in 2013. Melinda managed Turner Farm’s crop production until 2014 and continues to bring a lifetime of practical growing experience to their classes as the adult education director, in addition to handling flower production and flower CSA. After almost 30 years of farming, she retires this February.

“When I started farming at Turner Farm, the soil was a very worn out, heavy, orange clay, with very few signs of any living organisms. I thought making clay pots or building mansions would be a better use of the depleted land. Amazingly, within three years, we were able to fix our soil problems with the addition of drain tile, and lots of organic matter,” Melinda said. “Most other OEFFA members were very helpful in sharing their knowledge. In turn, Turner Farm tries to help other small farmers and gardeners. Turner Farm is very open to community members, and welcoming folks to come view the farm any day except for Sundays!”

---

2026 Service Award Winner—Debra Knapke

Known as “The Garden Sage,” Debra Knapke is a  figure of great renown within the gardening and sustainability community in Central Ohio. An avid horticulturist, author, speaker, teacher, and gardener, she has shared her passion for sustainable and regenerative approaches to gardening and life with gardeners across the country.

After two other careers, Debra turned her avocation of plant study and gardening into a full-time career in 1992. She started using organic practices in her garden in the late ‘80s, and grows a variety of perennials, trees, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables on the ⅔-acre lot surrounding her home.

In addition to a varied educational and professional background—including a master’s degree in horticulture—Debra has written a number of books, magazine articles, blogs, and has taught horticultural and garden design classes at Columbus State Community College for 24 years. Debra was one of the founding members of the Stewards of Metro Parks (now Friends of Metro Parks), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. She served as the honorary president of the Herb Society of America from 2014-2016 and is still active with Native Herb Conservation Committee. Since 2017, Debra has co-chaired the sustainability committee of GardenComm International, which offers garden communicators information on sustainability issues.

While not a farmer herself—but a gardener who has grown food for most of her adult life—she has worked with OEFFA to support our mission that all sustainable and organic farmers thrive. Debra has been a member since the late ‘90s, and has led a number of workshops at the annual OEFFA conference. In recent years, she’s been an active advocate in OEFFA’s policy work. She attends OEFFA-led Ohio Soil Health Initiative meetings, shared her perspective as part of a Soil Stories video series, advocated at the Ohio Statehouse for soil health policy, and has been an especially engaged member of our Policy Caucuses.

“Debra’s commitment to OEFFA has been unwavering, and her connection has deepened in recent years through her involvement with the policy program,” said OEFFA Policy Director Lauren Hirtle. “Debra has offered her passion, perspective, and many hours of her time to our work and mission.”

Debra’s favorite pieces of advice: get out and garden, use compost, and do as little harm possible to the Earth and her inhabitants.

---

To nominate a sustainable agriculture leader for 2027’s awards, visit news.oeffa.org/awards.

To request high resolution photos of award recipients, contact reilly@oeffa.org.