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When Jade (Moret, '15) Hubers transferred to ��͹��Ƶ her sophomore year, she was looking for something she couldn’t quite name at first. Coming from a large state university, she missed the sense of connection and shared values she had grown up with in Sioux County, Iowa.

“I loved agriculture, but I also wanted a Christian community,” she recalls. “I didn’t even realize that’s what I was searching for until I started visiting smaller campuses.”

At Dordt, she discovered an agriculture missions program that brought together her love of the land with her desire to serve people. The program combined community development and theology courses with plant science, giving her a broader view of the role agriculture plays in caring for both people and creation.

“I’ll never forget when Dr. Vos told me, ‘People need to be fed spiritually, but also physically,’” she says. “That made so much sense to me. Agriculture is where I feel closest to the Lord. It’s about sustainability, taking care of the soil for my kids and grandkids someday. It’s the Lord’s, and we’re here as caretakers.”

After graduating, Jade worked in Dordt’s admissions office, helping recruit students for two-year technical programs — including a new agriculture track. She was thrilled to help launch it, even recruiting her own younger brother into the first class. “It was so rewarding to see him form lifelong friendships and gain experiences beyond the classroom,” she says.

But in 2018, another passion began to bloom, quite literally. After the birth of her first daughter, Jade began thinking about the kind of childhood she wanted to give her kids: time outdoors, hands in the dirt, the joy of growing things. She didn’t have the resources for a large-scale farm, but she did have access to unused pastureland on her parents’ property and a growing fascination with flowers.

“I realized I didn’t even like cucumbers, so why was I planting them in my garden? I loved zinnias, cosmos, dahlias,” she laughs. “By that fall, I was hooked. Big dinner plate dahlias are way cooler than a cucumber.”

That year, she planted peonies, tulips, and daffodils, officially launching Holland Flower Farm. Today, the farm grows more than 160 varieties of annuals—not including perennials, dahlias, and other specialty blooms. Jade plants and harvests continuously from spring through fall, in contrast to the single planting and harvest cycle of traditional crops.

Holland Flower Farm is as much about people as it is about flowers. In addition to selling at local farmers markets, Jade offers “you-pick” events, inviting the community to walk the rows and create their own bouquets. She also designs flowers for a wide variety of weddings, serving brides with styles ranging from rustic wildflower to refined elegance. Some flowers are even grown specifically for drying, allowing customers to enjoy their arrangements long after the growing season ends.

Her work also provides jobs and mentorship for local high school and college students. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is getting to be really intentional with them,” Jade says. “They work alongside me, but we also show up for each other outside the farm at track meets, volleyball games, and coffee shops. My daughters get to look up to these young women.”

Jade’s leadership in agriculture extends beyond her own farm. She serves on the Sioux County Farm Bureau board, where she collaborates with other local ag leaders. Having recently been on Dordt’s Alumni Council, she also had a chance to connect with students about her agriculture experiences.

“When you’re in high school, sometimes you’re set on going back to the family farm, and maybe that’s a reality for some students. But if it’s not, how can you think outside the box? There are so many ways to be involved in agriculture that go beyond the traditional paths people think of,” she says. “I love helping students see that even without inheriting land or running a large operation, they can use what they have where they are to make an impact in agriculture.”

Jade also talks about what it’s like to be a woman in agriculture. “I think it’s important for young women to see there are many ways to be involved in ag beyond the traditional crops and livestock,” she says. “Agriculture can be creative, beautiful, and still deeply connected to stewardship.”

For Jade, that unique perspective isn’t just about growing flowers; it’s about cultivating community. “I get to share the joy of God’s creation with people,” she says. “Whether it’s a student I hire, a customer picking their first bouquet, or my kids running barefoot through the rows, it’s all part of something bigger. That’s what agriculture is to me.”