As we look back on 2023, we are grateful for all of the dedicated farmers and donors that helped us accomplish many of our goals. Here are some of our highlights:

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New office space: We've received a welcoming reception to our presence at the Mission house on the People of Hope ELCA campus. We are grateful for the use of this space, the people who make it happen, and the new capacity that it creates for our organization to gather and grow. 

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Small tractor with loader, mower, tiller implements: Through a generous gift $25,000 from the Mardag Foundation, we were able to purchase a 25 HP John Deere tractor with a tiller, mower, and front loader attachments. We paid more than $3000 to contractors to help manage our land in 2023, and we hope to cut these costs and do the work ourselves in the 2024 season. 

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16 x 24 Shed for the History Center, and 8 x 12 shed for the Rochester Covenant Church site:  We love it when our community loves what we do, and Minnwest Bank showed their appreciation by purchasing a Sturdi-built shed for our farmers and for market storage needs. Additionally, the Mardag Foundation gift went toward purchase of a second smaller shed for supplies at RCC. 

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Refrigerated trailer, washing/packing stations, and shade structures: They're completed!  Big thanks for our State Health Improvement Partnership, Mayo Clinic, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, and the USDA for providing us with the funding to see these projects through. It's important that our farmers follow health and safety guidelines to keep our community safe, and these new additions help us stay up to code. 

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Completion of three high tunnels: Spanning the 2022 and 2023 seasons, we've constructed three tunnels with two in production for winter research. We will continue to work on installation of seed-starting infrastructure and a heating system at the History Center site to enable our farmers to cut costs on their seedlings in Spring of 2024. 

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Health campaign for cancer prevention: Mayo Clinic continues to recognize our efforts to reduce health disparities in our community by providing support for cancer prevention. Led by Miguel Valdez-Soto, our farmers engaged by creating videos on why their grow their own foods and the importance of protecting our skin from the sun, no matter the amount of melanin one might have. 

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Market Fun - over 30 art vendors, 28 food vendors, 22 musicians,  and 13 first-time licensed food vendors: Our markets at the History Center were so much fun and we're so grateful to the dedicated patrons that made the journey to see us week after week. Our plans may change for 2024 so stay tuned! 

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Land Access forward momentum: We continue to work closely with partners at Renewing the Countryside, Minnesota Farmer's Market Association, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Ag and more to actualize land ownership for our organization and for our historically marginalized farming communities. We met with the national and state leaders of the Farm Service Agency - USDA in November and December to make our plans known. We also visited the Hmong American Farmer's Association to gain knowledge from their journey to land ownership. 

 

Completion of our Sustainable Agriculture - Demonstration Grant, Minnesota Department of Agriculture: We engaged 14 farmers in research on production of culturally specific foods. We successfully identified the best variety of tomatillos to grow in our northern region. We grew and taste-tested varieties of Asian greens that our farmers otherwise would not have taken the risk to reclaim, and we attempted to mitigate pest loss on managu, a nightshade vegetable. More work is needed in these areas and we are grateful for the funding which helped us to involve our farmers on the state level. 

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New Program: Minnesota Local Food Purchase Assistance Program

We will receive $100,000 in 2024 (reimbursement funding) to purchase food from historically marginalized farmers and bring that food to our smaller and evolving local food shelves. At least 70% of this funding will go directly into the food costs, creating a significant impact for the food insecure members of our community.

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American Rescue Plan Act, USDA: In coordination with Big River Farms, The Food Group and two other incubator farms, we are working on building more formal farm education programs. This partnership provides five years of funding to support the entrepreneurial development of our farmers. 

 

What we still urgently need: Funding for staffing!! We need further funding for our market coordinator position and would like to hire ½ time office support staff. Also, we need a truck and a trailer!! We've relied on borrowed implements to move materials and supplies, but the LFPA grant will require weekly use during the harvest season, and it's time that we have our own means of transportation to move our refrigerated trailer to the food shelves and also a trailer that can move our small tractor from farm to farm. 

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