Marbleseed Annual Report | 2021

From the Executive Director We kicked off 2021 with our first ever totally virtual Midwest Annual Organic Farming Conference. We knew that a virtual event would not be the same as gathering in person, but we worked with allied organizations who also were unable to host in-person events and “Growing Stronger” launched in February 2021 with keynotes, workshops and roundtables equal to our inperson offerings.

Despite the struggle to fund an organization on decreased conference revenues, we were able to secure funding for a Development Director and technology upgrades. Jenica Caudill joined the MOSES team in June as our Development Director and took over communications in August. Many folks have noticed a change in our communications and fundraising efforts this past year. We are glad to have this position on our team and look forward to growing our development efforts in the coming year.

In 2021 we also saw increased funding for our work with historically underserved farmers, receiving grants for Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Queer farmers as well as female farmers and Black, Indigenous and other farmers of color. We honored Changemakers from the LGBTQA+ community, launched a new “In Her Boots-Bootless” podcast, and shifted four Organic Specialists serving their communities onto more stable funding.

This past year has cemented our commitment to being a network and connection for a variety of organic farm operations, as well as the myriad of identities that farmers bring to their land and businesses. The technology funding enabled us to launch the free online community platform, Ag Solidarity Network (agsolidaritynetwork.com) collectively with some of our “Growing Stronger” partners. We look forward to that space becoming one of connection and gathering, as well as action in 2022.

Speaking of 2022, if you have not already heard the big news, in 2022 The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) became Marbleseed! Although our name has changed, rest assured, our work remains the same: nourishing the success of organic and sustainable farmers in the Midwest through hosting farmer-led events, providing educational resources to farmers, and cultivating steadfast community connection.

Changing MOSES to Marbleseed represents adaptability and reflects the needs of an established organic movement—community connection, ecosystem services, regeneration, and resiliency. As an organization working in community with 20,000 small and mid-scale farmers, researchers, ag professionals, and food system enthusiasts, we have become known for our role a connector and networker, a deep taproot for the Midwest organic farming community. Thirty-three years of the MOSES Organic Farming Conference has taught us to be successful conveners. We have always been farmer-led, and the extent to which we rely on a community of farmers to provide the needed solutions and knowledge remains central to how we will continue to do Marbleseed’s work.

Lori Stern, Executive Director

Lori Stern Executive Director

Board of Directors Katie Bishop PrairiErth Farm, Ill. Dela Ends Scotch Hill Farm, Wis. Regi Haslett-Marroquin Salvatierra Farm, Minn.

Clare Hintz Elsewhere Farm, Wis. Charlie Johnson Johnson Farms, S.D. David Perkins Vermont Valley Farm, Wis. Sarah Tedeschi Dog Hollow Farm, Wis. Darin Von Ruden Von Ruden Family Farm, Wis.

During 2021 we: • Showcased 8 successful organic farms, drawing 314 farmers, who gleaned ideas to improve their farms and farming techniques.

• Provided 22 scholarships to help beginning farmers attend the our New Farmer U. • Connected 12 mentor pairs through our Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program.

Resources • Unique site visits: 134,244 • Land link up page views: 3,915 • Job seekers checking Farm Jobs page: 5,661 • People who used the Farm Production Record Keeping Workbook: 5,929 • People who downloaded fact sheets: 661 • People who accessed the podcast: 8,107 • Organic Broadcaster subscribers: 14,500 • Organic E-News subscribers: 9,200 • Field Day video viewers: 498

Organic Field Days Our on-farm field days showcased eight successful organic farms from across the Upper Midwest. We covered season extension, organic row crops and prairie restoration, creative land access and no-till vegetable research, silvopasture use on organic farms, medicinal herb production, and suburban community engagement with the land.

“It was a wonderful experience to see organic production at its finest.”

- Benjamin Casteel, Jamestown, Mo. Marbleseed field days have made a “.…big impact: teaching and learning is key to help people get into farming in an ecological way.”

- Silvia Abel-Caines, Hanover Park, Ill.

Growing Stronger Collaborative Conference MOSES, in partnership with fellow community organizations - Fairshare CSA Coalition, Grassworks, Iowa Organic Association, and OGRAIN – helped 1,616 people gather virtually at this 5-in-1 virtual event, Growing Stronger, where attendees learned the latest organic and sustainable production methodsand connected with the right resources and people to support the success of their farms and businesses.

This online gathering showcased the resiliency and adaptability of our incredible farming community despite the turbulence of the pandemic. Hats off!

“The sessions were great, fantastic speakers from near and very far way sharing the knowledge and experiences that will continue to move our organic and grazing business forward.”- Mary Anderson, Eau Claire, Wis. “I enjoyed every aspect of the conference; it was amazing to see how such a massive operation could be taken totally online! I appreciate all the work put in by staff of each of the sponsoring organizations, the speakers, the exhibitors, and everyone who helped to make this event happen. Thank you!” - Sal Daggett, Roberts, Wis.

New Farmer U New Farmer U was held in Willow River, MN in October 2021 in partnership with Renewing the Countryside. The 2-day event focused on farm business management for intermediate beginning farmers (farming 3-6 years) including workshops on Farm Employment Law, Developing Wholesale Markets and Institutional Sales, Income Diversification: Reining it in, Land Access and Financing, Online Marketing, Relevant Recordkeeping, and a half-day Fearless Farm Finances course. Additionally, a panel of farmers who have been farming for around 10 years provided a keynote on Growth, Profitability, Balance, and Success: What do these benchmarks mean and how have you measured and achieved them?

55 farmers attended from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Three of those attendees are now participating in the Marbleseed (formerly MOSES) Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program. We were able to provide 22 scholarships to help beginning farmers attend the event.

“When I got home to the farm, I was more excited, and more confident. We’ve quickly made some actually quite small adjustments to mostly our plans, and our stress level has decreased. Thank you!” - Hillary J, Wis.

Mentorship Program 2021 was the 14th year of the MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program. In this year-long program, newer farmers are paired 1-to-1 with a more experienced grower in order to move their farm forward, focusing on a specific production, business, or quality of life aspect of their farm. The Marbleseed (formerly MOSES) Farmerto-Farmer Mentorship Program connects farmers and facilitates education to empower strong, resilient organic communities throughout our region. Program participation requires that farmers have been running a farm business for at least one year.

In 2021 we had 12 mentor pairs, including farmers from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Three of our mentors were past participants in the program as mentees and four were long time mentors. We were able to provide scholarships to five mentees.

Mentees came to the program eager to work on everything from starting an on-farm Grade A dairy to prescribed grazing with goats, to a landowner wanting to transition his family’s land to organic production, to Holistic Financial Planning.

Total Expenses Fundraising ($58,254)

Administration ($209,881)

Programs ($678,688)

Gratitude To Our supporters For many of us, 2021 was not the return to normalcy that we hoped it would be.

As the impacts of the pandemic continued to dramatically shape our world, we were moved to hear stories from this community about the ways in which MOSES’ programs, publications, and events kept the flame of community alive in a year marked by distance and isolation.

Throughout the year, this community showed up for each other and for our organization, too. When the 2021 Organic Farming Conference became a virtual collaborative conference, you registered. When the Field Days were masked and distanced, you came. And when our in-person conversations moved to Zoom, YouTube, and broadcasted podcast interviews, you logged in and subscribed. In an unprecedented time, we saw and felt the commitment of this community to MOSES, to each other, and to the organic farming movement—thank you!

We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to the many of you who chose to show your support in 2021 by making a one time or reoccurring donation. In 2021, 480 individual donors gave $48,754. As a 501c3 nonprofit, we rely on individual donations, as well as grants, and strategic partnerships with allied businesses and foundations, to keep our work forging ahead. Every program, project, resource, and event are brought to life by donors like you. Every donation directly supports farmers who are using organic practices that provide nourishment for communities, care for animals, and who are working in relationship with the ecosystems that sustain life on this planet.

We are so grateful to everyone who donated this year to support the development of resources that empower farmers to grow organically, a system of farming that promotes healthy soils, clean water, thriving pollinator communities, and combats climate change. We are especially grateful to our Engaged Donors who gave $300 or more and to our monthly sustainers of $15 or more:

The Ahimsa Alternative, Inc. Amy Alpine & John Grump The Artisan Cheese Exchange, LTC Sam Atkins Gail Barber The Bull Family of Union Grove Farm Heidi Doering Mary Gale Sarah Hannigan Jacek Haciak Emelie Haigh Cherie Hales Todd Huffman Lin Jennewine Huffman Arnold Lau Daniel & Janis Leiterman John Luoma

Doree Maser Penny Molina Renee Morris Ann Nore Linda & Gordon Olson Anne & Jim Patterson Cathy Peltz David & Barb Perkins Tim & Betsy Pierce George Ruhana Brian Schneider Margaret Smith Francis Thicke JoAnn Thomas & Doug Nopar Dale Woodbeck Ben Ziegler

Funding Sources Item Sales

PPP Loans

($7,248.00)

($95,255.03)

In-Kind Contributions ($78,942.00)

Ad & Event Income

Indvidual Donations

($334,634.97)

($42,994.00)

Business Grants ($117,199.00)

Gov’t Grants ($216,581.00)

Thank you to our major funders!

These organizations and agencies support our work through major grants and gifts that provide dependable funding for Marbleseed’s trainings, resources, and the practical advice farmers need to succeed in organic production. We hope you spend some time reading and learning more about these allied partners: • • • • • • • •

Albers-Kuhn Ciranda Central State University, Ohio Clif Bar Compeer Financial FarmAid McGuffin Creative Services New Harvest

Marbleseed was honored with a 2021 Force for Positive Change award from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).