There’s no sophomore slump for Peaceful Valley’s “Freshman Farmer” program. The farm and garden supply store’s venture to support neophyte farmers is now in its second year and has sprouted tendrils that reach across the country.

Last year, the program subsidized just one farmer, Nevada County native Andrew Meyers. This year, Meyers is a veteran of the ag wars who has expanded his farm 10-fold. Peaceful Valley also expanded its program — the new crop of five farms are located not just in California, but in Washington and Missouri as well.

“We want to see more organic farmers nationwide supplying their local communities with seasonal, organic produce,” said Eric Boudier, president of Peaceful Valley.

To help the farmers get established, Peaceful Valley gives them discounts on supplies for four years. In return, the farmers blog about the experience on the company’s Web site.

Just one pair of freshman farmers this year is local — Willow Hein, who grew up just a stone’s throw from the acre she is leasing in Nevada City, and partner Billy Raaen.

Hein left the area to go to school, then eventually returned, determined to carve out a life on the land. Raaen, a Minnesota native, is a beekeeper — hence the name of their farm, Honey in the Heart.

“As I started getting interested in farming, it just seemed more and more like what I wanted to do with my life,” Hein said. “My vision was very specific. It’s about the lifestyle, being able to walk to work, stay local, be around my family.”

Both the timing and the locale have worked out beautifully, the couple said.

“A huge part of this for me is trying to make a change in the system,” Hein said. “With this type of farming, I can change the way things are going, a little bit.”

Before any farming could be done, the two had to put in the infrastructure, including fencing, water supplies and the construction of a greenhouse. Caretaking this land has been a brutally brawny business. Raaen estimated that each bed they have planted has required the removal of a dozen bucketfuls of rocks — and that’s after the field was tilled by a tractor last fall.

“The soil here is really poor, which is pretty common for foothills soil,” Hein said. “But year after year, it will get better.”

This season, Honey in the Heart will conduct a “tester CSA” — six to 10 subscribers will receive a share of the farm’s produce. The couple also will sell produce during at least one farmer’s market, the Thursday night market in Grass Valley.

“This is definitely a tester year,” Hein said. “We are trying to make a little bit of money, so we can at least break even, hopefully. We are both working part-time, but it’s hard to keep up with everything. It’s constant work.”

Sophomore farmer Andrew Meyers has made a quantum jump from last year’s one-acre parcel. He has acquired a partner, Logan Egan, and is leasing a 10-acre parcel in Penn Valley. Four Frog Farm has received its organic certification and plans on expanding its CSA membership from 30 to at least 90, possibly growing to 180 members.

And Meyers isn’t stopping there; he also plans to sell produce to local grocery stores.

“Last year, I felt uncertain,” Meyers said. “I have a lot more confidence now. This year, everything is about taking that next step.”

For more information, visit www.freshmanfarmer.com.

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.