Prioritize What’s imPortant: Farmer summits at the organic Farming conFerence Volume 33 • issue 1
Winter 2024-2025 in community
organic agriculture From the start: groWing organic seed usage
Marbleseed is a nonprofit committed to supporting the Midwest’s organic and sustainable farmers through farmer-led events and educational resources that help your farm grow.
organic Broadcaster contriBUtors
Editors: Alexandria Baker, Marguerite Rapp
Content Outreach: Tay Fatke
Graphic Designer: Jo Facklam
Advertising Coordinator: Sophia Cleveland
The Organic Broadcaster is a quarterly magazine published by Marbleseed. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of a product. Content may be reprinted with permission.
Manage your subscription by emailing info@marbleseed.org
cover photo credit: Early Frost Farms, Embarrass, Minn.
Marbleseed was founded by a small group of farmers who gathered in the dead of winter to share knowledge, connect over production methods and build community together. In 1992, they publsihed the first edition of the Organic Broadcaster—a publication for organic farmers, by organic farmers A donation to Marbleseed helps us continue to foster farmer-to-farmer learning, through resources and publications like the Organic Broadcaster.
By donating to Marbleseed, you become an essential part of our mission to foster the growth of this remarkable community and directly support resources like this magazine! Together, we can sow the seeds of a more sustainable and resilient future for farmers in the Midwest.
Donate online at marbleseed.org/donate or by mail to PO Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767.
From The execuTive DirecTor
The statement “The only thing that stays the same is change.” seems trite and holds no comfort. It negates the fact that, although this may in fact be true, we often lack the capacity to cope. This is the kind of “change” that feels done to us and out of our control. It is uncertainty and unclarity. But what if in this new year, as we look towards our gathering as a community in February, we look toward building a vision of the future we want to see?
As the days lengthen, with the hope and clarity of light, is it possible to reframe all of this uncertainty? This past season I have been doing a lot of reading. I have revisited historian--authors who put history into social context. Authors like Howard Zinn, Heather Cox-Richardson, and even Malcolm Gladwell. I so desperately needed a clue about the future from revisiting the past. And then in one interview, Richardson commented that she was a historian and not a future-teller. I began to understand that although there are rhythms and cycles that have repeated throughout history and offer clues to gather and learn from, there cannot be comfort taken there. In Richardson’s “Letters from an American” from November this year, she recounts the 1850s when wealthy slave owners in the South purposefully banned media, books, and abolitionist mailings ensuring “that voters did not have access to news that came from outside the American South, and instead steeped them in white supremacist information.” When we lament social media and misinformation that seems to be fueling a huge cultural divide today, it has also had a place in our past. The enormity of this challenge, which seems to present an impossibility that we will ever be able to find our way forward together, cast a shadow over me that seemed to be deepening with the shortening of days and weather that drives us all indoors.
I have been contemplating the notion that we need to somehow not stay stuck in this current circumstance of disconnection. The “All We Can Save” project is a vehicle for bringing folks together to address feelings of immobility and stress around climate change. The project’s framework developed by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson proposes that “systems change stems from what is small and close at hand. But the real power comes when they hold true for many people, all participating in the great transformation in motion.” As human-scale, organic farmers, we feel the impacts of climate change and inequity in the agricultural system. What is the great transformation we can all see? Can we come together and put it in motion?
The Marbleseed conference creates this opportunity. The current narrative of divisiveness does not account
for our deep agreement on critical issues around small farm viability, access to a farm safety net, and equitable access to land and necessary funding. Our conference general session this year will focus on mutualism and co-dependence within farm ecosystems. Dr. Rob Dunn is an environmental biologist whose research has deep implications for our farming. He also draws on agricultural history to offer insight into the future.
And I know that it also can provide a metaphor and lessons for the humans that make up our community ecosystem. Dr. Dunn reminds us that “The diversity-stability law states that ecosystems that include more species are more stable through time... The law of dependence states that all species depend on other species.” In this moment, there is so much at stake for the food and farming system we all rely on. Our conference theme this year is “Local Food Revolution.” It calls us to be part of a needed transformation. And it will require us to be inclusive in a search for common ground. This year’s conference will showcase collaborations with allied organizations bringing their expertise and content to La Crosse. FairShare CSA Coalition, the Organic Fruit Growers Association, and Grassland 2.0 will present workshops on Thursday. We are bringing back the Farmer Summits this year where we create the most relevant content of the moment together in a mini conference across five themes. This year, each Summit will kick off with a 20-minute talk.
In addition to the critical formal content at the 36th Marbleseed conference, there will be opportunities to gather and network by farm scale and production type as well as by affinity groups. In Yimmuaj Yang’s article on page 16, she explains the deep need for these affinity spaces exclusive to Indigenous, Black, and other farmers of color. We hope this year’s conference will balance both the need to “find our people” with the need to dream together to see a future that can benefit us all.
Onward together,
Lori Stern, M.A. Ed
in community
By Kate Frautschy
Navigating anxiety in my early teen years coupled with undiagnosed ADHD led me into the lifelong journey to understand mental health.
Battling with postpartum depression, the saving grace was being outside and moving the stroller. It kept me going, one step at a time.
After years of substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, and losing my only brother to suicide, I have come to know the importance of mental health tools and support.
The healing connection that can be cultivated with the Earth is something I have experienced. I have come to understand through my own tending of gardens and habitats that without a diversity of living things big and small, it is not possible for any of them to thrive.
Our society is starving for true connection. There is a current deficit in our societal soils. These disconnections from each other and the land are the missing nutrients needed to nourish the resilient seeds that allies and mental health advocates are faithfully planting daily. Those seeds need the nutrients of connection to foster a future of abundant community and reciprocal harmony with nature and all Her beings.
“We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
-Aldo Leopold
Our collective regards for the land we inhabit directly correlates with our regards collectively toward each other. It’s easy to name the differences, to view those differences with fear, and to sever any chance at connection in the name of self-preservation and a false sense of safety.
What if we practiced looking at healthy soil as our teacher? What if we took notes on how full a healthy soil sample is--of uncountable different microscopic elements that all have a place, a purpose, and a need to work in collaboration--and applied our observations to our current societal landscape?
The soil can adjust to variables, but if there is too much extraction or mistreatment, that soil ecosystem dies, becomes dirt, and the seeds we sow lay dormant.
Many of the mental health issues we witness, or experience today are intrinsically tied to our extractive land practices and the false assumption that the land is a commodity that belongs to us.
Photo
“eVery creature is better aliVe than dead, men and moose and Pine trees, and he Who understands it aright Will rather PreserVe its liFe than destroy it.”
- henry DaviD Thoreau
The intentional mistreatment of peoples through oppression, marginalization, and dehumanization directly correlates with the extractive nature of believing that land is a commodity. Through this lens we see all living things as commodities. Natural resources become commodities we must have at all costs. Hyper individualism arises and in turn sets ablaze scarcity and polarization.
Does the land belong to us, or do we belong to the community of the land? Do we advocate for our own personal interests and preservations, or do we advocate for the collective good and the sustainable use of our resources so that all may benefit and thrive?
Allyship is the active disruption of marginalization, oppression, and mistreatment of an underserved or oppressed population because of factors like skin color, gender orientation, country of origin, and so on. Again, our ability to be an ally, or to be an adversary, very much depends on how we view our relationship to the land.
As the world continues to erupt in disparity and inequality, it can feel like too much to take on. It can feel like we advocate for supportive mental health practices and equity for all only to find a new set of challenges and hurdles to overcome on our path to belonging to the land and stewarding Her in a way that is not devastatingly destructive but lovingly respectful.
“Worrying is worshiping the problem.” -Unknown
So often our default reaction to sitting with something uncomfortable is worrying, being in the “freeze” state of despair, invalidating the issue (not acknowledging how an issue affects others even if you are not directly affected), or deciding that any individual action is futile.
Our response to the challenges we encounter doesn’t have to be one of fear. The best first step is acceptance; the second is to unlearn and then learn anew. So much of what has been programmed into us from socioeconomic and environmental inputs is for the benefit of an extractive culture and insatiable consumerism.
Many of the mental health issues we experience are a direct result of the way culture and consumerism seeks to extract resources, ideas, and labor. The idea, “If you
aren’t producing something, you’re worthless,” lives deeply within the American psyche and is a parasite that disconnects us from our true nature of being in community WITH nature.
Nature isn’t worthless in the winter. She is quietly alive and supporting all living beings through what would appear to be dormancy.
The expectation to endlessly produce has its inception at our separation from the “community of nature.” As the separation deepened, the result was to commodify and consume resources. Not enough to sustain the hunger, then extends to now as humans are viewed as consumable resources. There are many other variables that wind this ball of yarn, but it only takes a tug at a few threads to start it unraveling.
The more we employ commodity thinking, the more we see the deterioration of community cohesiveness. The more we abuse the Earth, the more we abuse each other.
If our relationship with the land reflects how we treat each other and ourselves, how can we address the complex disparities we face today?
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” -Unknown
Just like any seed that sprouts in favorable conditions, creating a space for yourself to germinate is the seed of any personal development journey. To address or course-correct the disconnection we are experiencing in our world today, the reconnections must happen first within us.
How do we redirect our course toward regeneration, renewal, balance, and reciprocal connections?
There are plenty of avenues to explore independently. You could seek out supportive, safe group settings. Joining organizations or volunteering your time toward aligned causes is another way to grow and learn. Find credible text and audio resources to explore how you can challenge long held beliefs and assumptions and listen to voices vastly different from your own.
A powerful practice to engage yourself is to examine the lenses you are looking at life and the world with. Here are some questions and ideas to explore:
• Are there scuffs, cracks, and dirt on those lenses?
• Do those lenses even fit or are they restrictive and uncomfortable?
• Choose a different lens to look through.
• Find a lens of love, find a lens of curiosity, find a lens of observation.
• Cast aside the lenses of “fear” and “separate” that distort and diminish the true beauty and innate purpose that all living things hold.
Marbleseed has been a valuable resource in my own personal development regarding both mental health and allyship.
The Mental Health First Aid for Farmers training was an excellent opportunity to expand my ability to be a mental health advocate and support those in crisis. The allyship program allowed me to continue the practice of getting outside the comfort zone that my privilege has unknowingly provided for me. I was able to learn how to use my privilege to safely elevate and support instead of unknowingly oppress, divide, or silence.
Growing up in small towns throughout the Midwest has impacted my views of the world. It limited my experiences with people who do not live, look, or love the same ways I was taught to. In my own personal journey of coming into authenticity, I realized what types of lenses those conditionings put on my perceptions. The work to clean and refine those “lenses of perception” is never finished. Each adjustment brings greater clarity and connection.
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” -Ernest Hemingway
Learning how to identify, accept, and grow from the misinformation and personal stigmas that show up in these conversations requires a curiosity and openness that also requires practice.
It is my responsibility to do the personal work to change me for the better. It is my duty as a community member of the land to learn how to openly listen and learn from experiences vastly different from my own.
I am often amazed at the moment that comes in an active listening practice when I realize the underlying “mycelium” threads that connect us all. The moment of clarity where I see so plainly, within the seemingly stark differences, the connecting thread that unites us all in community with the land.
Our soil is healthier with diversity and collaboration. Monoculture farming for most intents and purposes has proven to be incredibly depleting and destructive to the health of our soils. Our soil is suffering. Our society is no
different. We belong to the community of Earth. We are not separate from it.
It’s time to reconnect to our belonging.
Healthy soil is a rich collection of diversity. It works in symbiosis with all the organisms and elements it is composed of to create fertile ground on which a multitude of life can be supported to thrive. Even in death, the soils possess the capabilities to break down the remnants and create new life again.
“Belonging is the innate human desire to be a part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and seeking approval.”
-Dr. Anna Packard
We must return to a place of belonging with the land to see a positive shift in the alarming rate of mental health illness and oppressive divisiveness we experience. We need to support ourselves in personal growth to support the advancement and survival of our human race.
To be effective in changing the disparities so many are met with, we must commit to the personal development that is required to outgrow destructive values and damaging beliefs that keep us separate and suffering and encourage us to fit in instead of belonging.
It is essential to engage in ongoing personal development and cultivation of a strong relationship with the Earth in order to be an impactful and active ally as well as to have the capacity and willingness to hold space as a mental health advocate.
These are all valuable nutrients to aid a depleted soil.
We see it more and more as farmers are moving to regenerative agriculture.
Once barren land that was extracted from and depleted is now fruitful and thriving because someone committed to being in community with the land instead of seeing it as a commodity. We can apply these same stewardship practices to mend the terrain of our collective psyche.
I believe the key to regenerating our social soils is: Diversity. Inclusion. Acceptance. Celebration.
Getting uncomfortable so that we may expand our understanding and willingly experience what indigenous cultures all over the world know and protect.
A truth that I have come to know through my own personal experiences.
We are a part of the land, not separate from it. We are part of each other, not separate.
When we start to lovingly tend to the community of land, we lovingly mend our connections to each other. We have the capacity to draw on and sustainably utilize our resources for the betterment of everyone. We
engage in selfless action and start to see the soils of our society and the soils of our physical Earth regenerate, flourish, and thrive.
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.” -Henry David Thoreau
Kate Frautschy is an entrepreneur from northwest Illinois who grows and crafts natural products and organic produce. She also offers nature-based education that specializes in cycles and connection.
Paul Dietmann
Sr. Lending Specialist (608) 963-7763
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Sarah Hoerner
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Prioritize What’s imPortant: Farmer summits at the organic Farming conFerence
By Tay Fatke
When I attended my first Organic Farming Conference in 2012, I was in my first year at college and entering my second season as a farm hand at a grass-fed beef operation. My boss, knowing I had an interest in poultry, perennial agriculture, and growing vegetables, encouraged me to attend the conference to expand my knowledge and covered my registration costs. He stated then that the Organic Farming Conference is the best place to learn, network, and most importantly be inspired. I was excited and grateful for the opportunity but did not know what to expect.
Months later, I drove down Second Street in La Crosse and saw “Welcome Organic Farmers” spelled out in the skyway attached to the convention center. I saw the flannel shirts and well-worn work jackets walking through the doors. I parked and collected myself for a moment, nervous to be a suburban kid that may feel like an outsider or be humbled by how little I knew. As those of you who have attended the conference previously know, it’s an incredibly welcoming space, and my worries of being an outlier quickly went away.
I cannot recall the exact sessions I went to that year at the conference, although I believe it was the year I went to a workshop on pastured poultry systems and attended Will Winter’s session on raising hogs on pasture. What I do recall vividly from 2012 were
the one-on-one moments I had with people, like the conversation I had at lunch with a conventional farmer who had finally decided to start his transition to organic journey. I remember running into someone from the same county I was living in and having a long conversation about other farms in my area to visit and expand my knowledge. Most importantly, when I think about my first Organic Farming Conference, I recall understanding I have a lot to learn but THIS is the RIGHT conference hosting the RIGHT people to learn from no matter if they are presenting or simply attending, and I should mark the end of February off every year in my calendar moving forward.
Marbleseed is farmer-led and rooted in organic. We have heard stories like mine where conversations in the dining hall or hallway have major impacts. We have seen the importance of farmer self-organizing throughout the years at our conference, and we know that giving attendees space such as at our farmer summits is so crucial. Farmer summits have no strict pre-defined agenda. Guided by a facilitator, farmers collaboratively build an agenda based on the theme in real time, allowing them to freely explore topics driven by their curiosity, needs, and expertise. Anyone in the room can be a convener and bring up a topic that relates to the theme of the room and is discussed in small groups based on who is interested in discussing the topic. These discussions are captured by a notetaker at the table and reported to the full group. The process is repeated,
Photo Credit: Justine Bursoni
meaning one could be a convener for multiple topics, or attendees of the session can participate in multiple break-out groups or even move to a different themed session within the four-hour block.
This year’s Farmer Summit themes are Land Access & Capital, Climate Mitigation: Seeds & Breeds, Organic is Regenerative, The Right Scale for Your Farm, and Livestock Value Chains. For example, one may be interested in joining the Land Access & Capital room and convening the topic of cooperative farm ownership or joining the Livestock Value Chains room and discussing how they have turned organ meat from their cattle into pet food. Some may feel more comfortable being in the room and hearing options of breakout discussions and joining what may be of most interest to them. With these sessions, we are relying on you all to be the experts, the inquirers, the problem solvers, and the advocates. Our organic farming community is stronger together, and we here at Marbleseed are lucky to work with each and every one of you to build a strong conference every year that is farmer-led and rooted in organic.
Farmer Summits will take place from 2:00–6:00 p.m. Friday, Feb 21, 2025 at the Marbleseed conference in La Crosse, Wis. For more information and to register, please visit: conference.marbleseed.org/
Tay Fatke is Marbleseed’s Farmer Education Manager.
Forget Mars
Big Ag treats soil like dirt, turning shareholder profits until the land is sucked dry. We build our durable industrial hemp Workwear for farmers with boots on the ground. The ones who know that, along with water, soil is the foundation of life on Earth. The ones who understand that real profit is deep roots, rich soil and leaving the next generation a farmable future.
Panelists discuss organic seed usage at the National Organic Coalition pre-NOSB Meeting last October.
Photo credit: National Organic Coalition.
organic agriculture From the start:
groWing organic seed usage
Seed is too often overlooked as a fundamental piece of our food, fiber, and agricultural systems. Yet this tiny resource has enormous impacts on how we farm and what we eat. When farmers plant their seed each season, they rely on the genetics contained within, to defend their plants from pests and diseases and to withstand weeds and weather. Organic farmers are especially reliant on seed adapted to their production conditions and climates because they don’t use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Seed also largely dictates the quality of our food–from appearance to flavor to nutritional content. In this way, seed holds endless potential for transforming our food system, especially when coupled with the principles that built the organic movement, such as diversity, health, and fairness.
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) requires farmers to use organic seed unless the seeds they need, including equivalent varieties, aren’t commercially available. The purpose of the current organic seed exemption is to provide a transition time for the seed industry to catch up to demand and to allow organic growers to find suitable varieties to transition to, with the goal of eventually achieving 100% organic seed sourcing. The allowance for non-organic seed is important for growers who lack access to appropriate organic seed for their operations. While it is no one’s intention to force organic growers to use organic seed that may not be optimal for their operations, continuous
strengthening organic integrity.
Seed holds endless potential for transforming our food system, especially when coupled with the principles that built the organic movement, such as diversity, health, and fairness. Photo credit: Organic Seed Alliance.
The organic seed sector was almost nonexistent when the program began, and the growth of the organic food industry rapidly outpaced the development of the organic seed industry. Although some market gaps remain, the organic seed supply has grown
tremendously over the last 20 years. Meanwhile, the organic food industry continues to experience fast growth, with sales toppling $56 billion in 2020 (a 12% increase compared to 2019). More organic seed sourcing leads to increased investments in organic seed production and breeding, strengthening the diversity of seed available and the overall integrity of organic products. Unfortunately, our State of Organic Seed report, representing fifteen years’ worth of data, shows no meaningful improvement in organic producers using more organic seed. Most organic producers still source non-organic seed for part (if not all) of their operation.
Seed systems are complex with interrelated functions of variety development, supply, dissemination, production and use, and legal framework, all embedded in sociocultural and agroecological systems (Figure 1). The organic community is at an incredibly important choicepoint about whether we will evolve the organic sector to be built on and contribute to a thriving and resilient organic seed system. A system in which the organic sector cultivates its power and innovation for germplasm management, breeding, and seed production that aligns with the principles that built the organic movement. This will take coalition building across the entire organic sector, and we know the immediate tasks in front of us: 1) growing the quality and quantity of the organic seed supply, 2) recruiting and training more highquality organic seed producers and plant breeders, 3) knowledge flow about various production scales and systems, and 4) critical assessment of how seed choice affects each touchpoint.
For these reasons and others, Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) applauds the NOP and National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) for putting organic seed usage back on their work agenda and for their commitment to understanding and strengthening the organic seed regulation and guidance. These efforts signal to the broader organic community that organic seed is integral to the success of organic integrity and that faster progress is needed in the area of organic seed usage and enforcement.
This work focus is especially timely given findings, published in our State of Organic Seed 2022 report. Our most recent data provides a progress report on the status of organic seed in the U.S. We’re encouraged by the progress identified since our first reports in 2011 and 2016, but major challenges remain. Among them is the urgent need for more coordinated efforts on a number of fronts, including more clarity and consistent enforcement of the organic seed regulatory requirement (find the full report at www.stateoforganicseed.org). Today, the organic seed sector is at a critical juncture, and it is time for organic seed policy to catch up with the progress that has been made in organic seed availability.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) convenes public meetings twice a year–in spring and fall–to discuss and vote on proposals that aim to improve and clarify the organic regulations. In advance of their fall 2024 meeting, the NOSB released a discussion document on consistency in organic seed usage, inviting public comments about organic seed usage in the NOP. This was part of the Board’s efforts to understand the “current state of organic seed use, potential tools for increasing the amount and variety of organic seed that is commercially available, and methods for strengthening enforcement of the existing commercial availability requirements.” The Board received several written and oral comments in response, and the members had a robust discussion on the issue during the fall meeting.
As part of OSA’s organic seed usage advocacy work, we collaborated with the National Organic Coalition on an organic seed usage panel that we convened at their preNOSB Meeting. Panelists shared information about why organic seed usage is important, barriers to organic seed usage and availability, and discussed possible strategies leading to a thriving organic sector with organic seed as a foundation. One of the goals was to engage the broader organic community for collaborative efforts to improve organic seed usage. Panelists included 1) Louisa Brower, an organic seed producer and plant breeder who co-owns and operates Ferry Boat Seeds in Washington State with her husband, 2) Adrienne Shelton, the R&D Manager for Organics at Enza Zaden & Vitalis Organic Seeds, 3) Aaron Varadi, the Contract Production Manager at High Mowing Organic Seeds, and 4) Johanna
Figure 1. The five functions of a seed system embedded in sociocultural and agroecological systems. Adapted from Christinck et al., 2018.
Phillips, the Director of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs with Strengthening Organic Systems. The panel was well received and generated an engaged conversation among meeting participants.
We know there’s plenty of work ahead on this issue. As part of these efforts, OSA is conducting a survey to understand U.S. certified organic farmers’ and seed growers’ perspectives and ideas on sound and sensible ways to improve organic seed usage. While the goal remains working towards 100% organic seed usage in the future, this may not be possible in certain crops and markets. Data from this survey will help inform the NOP and NOSB’s work on continuous improvement of organic seed usage. All organic farmers and seed growers are encouraged to take the quick survey via OSA’s website at https://seedalliance.org or directly at https://forms.gle/k4ENfKEEoacjsrwe6
In conjunction with the survey, OSA is hosting an inperson listening session on organic seed usage at the Organic Seed Growers Conference, which will be held Feb. 26–March 1, 2025, at Oregon State University in Corvallis. The event, hosted by OSA, is a chance for seed stewards and advocates from across the U.S. and beyond to gather in celebration of the growing seed movement. Centered around the theme “Weaving Visions of Organic Seed Communities,” the event will offer pre-conference intensives, keynote speakers, panel discussions, farm tours, lightning talks, a seed swap, synergy spaces, and more. Learn more and register at www.seedalliance.org/conference.
Organic seed usage is anticipated to be a topic of discussion at the next NOSB meeting to be held April 29–May 1, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. Save the date to participate in person or tune in virtually. If you’re traveling to Tempe for the meeting, be sure to join National Organic Coalition’s pre-NOSB Meeting on April 28th (learn more at nationalorganiccoalition.org/ events/).
It is critical that policy follows suit to protect the progress made in organic seed supply development and ensure that organic farmers plant more organic seed. It will never be OSA’s intention to push growers to use a variety that isn’t appropriate for their operation; however, more consistent enforcement of the seed requirement, including consistent tracking in improvements, is necessary if we’re to see significant increases in the availability and sourcing of organic seed. OSA has been committed to navigating an equitable path to 100% organic seed usage for over 20 years and will continue to do so in partnership with NOP, NOSB, and the organic community. Get involved and stay in touch with OSA by subscribing to our newsletter and advocacy alerts at https://seedalliance.org/subscribe
Dr. Cathleen McCluskey is the Policy & Advocacy Director for Organic Seed Alliance. She leads the organization’s legal and cultural advocacy work developing policies
that support organic agriculture and farmers’ rights to save seed. She co-directs OSA’s State of Organic Seed project and leads federal policy initiatives targeting Congress and federal agencies. Cathleen’s research focuses on seed systems, intellectual property, market concentration, germplasm management and diversity, data access and transparency, and democratization of science and knowledge. She can be reached at cathleen@ seedalliance.org.
About Organic Seed Alliance: Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is a non-profit that works nationally to put the power of seed into the hands of growers. Through research, education, and advocacy, OSA’s work promotes an abundant and diverse supply of organic seed, tended in perpetuity by skilled, diverse, and interconnected communities of seed stewards.
BIPOC Spaces are Freedom from White Oppression
As Marbleseed gears up for our 36th Organic Farming Conference this February 2025 in La Crosse, Wis., we are looking forward to offering affinity group spaces at the conference. Defined as “voluntary groups that share a common interest, background, or goal, such as promoting diversity and inclusion,” affinity groups are intended to provide safe spaces for networking, mentorship, and professional development. Read Yimmuaj’s words below to learn about the importance of these spaces in the context of conferences.
black, indigenous, PeoPle oF color (biPoc) sPaces
are Freedom From White oPPression
By Yimmuaj Yang
Before writing this article, I was contemplating which tone of voice I should be using. Once my words are out, there is no going back. This article will be out in the world, and it may come back to haunt me. Should I sugarcoat my words and do my best to be diplomatic so White people’s feelings would not be hurt, or should I be unapologetically blunt? Who am I trying to impress? What repercussion may I face personally and professionally?
I know I’ve been in White spaces where I have told White people to check themselves for being offended by the true lived experiences I would be sharing. What I must share in this article isn’t anything I haven’t said to White people before. Therefore, I’m going to be unapologetically direct, knowing I will offend people. I’m also sure there will be people who may disagree with me. That’s okay. I must continue to be vocal on platforms where I’m offered a voice. With that said, here I go.
It’s conference season, and I enjoy attending these events very much. However, I’m always on the lookout for another person of color. At the sight of one, I’m overjoyed! But we share the same sentiment about these conferences; we feel suffocated by the overwhelming Whiteness that we can’t escape. There is no safe space for us because conferences are designed for White people by White people. They make decisions that adhere to White norms that don’t resonate with us but rather exclude and silence us.
I’m tired, frustrated, and angry. I don’t want to have the same conversation and hear the same excuses that never lead to systemic improvements. What often happen is White people think that by changing the words they use, which only accommodate their need to feel good, they are playing a role in addressing systemic issues. However, the actions and meanings of the words remain racist and discriminatory.
When will White people understand that they cannot fully know the struggles we live with every day of our lives because humankind has made skin color a determinant of power and dominance? They need to give us space to be free from their oppression.
as a person of color, i need a space With people Who look like me
Conferences are an opportunity for people of color to be together. We need a space with people who have similar lived experiences to voice our frustration and be heard. We need to know that White people cannot retaliate or silence us because they don’t like what we have to say. In the absence of White people, we can share our true, honest experiences. In predominantly White settings, experiences of systemic racism are often met with denial, minimization, or rationalization, which can exacerbate feelings of isolation and frustration. Phrases like “it’s just a miscommunication” or attempts to reframe lived experiences can undermine the legitimacy of these narratives, leaving people of color feeling unheard or gaslit.
Bipoc spaces alloW for taking Back poWer and control
White people live with White privileges and exercise those privileges without consciously thinking about how their actions and decisions will affect people of color. Privilege, in this sense, isn’t just about blatant displays of power or wealth; it is the subtle and ingrained assumptions, biases, and behaviors that perpetuate inequality. For instance, White people might not think twice about voicing their opinions in a meeting, but for people of color, there is often a heavy calculation involved—will I be perceived as too aggressive or too passive? Will my ideas be dismissed because of my identity? In BIPOC spaces, these considerations fade away, and we can focus on leadership and empowerment rather than navigating these exhausting dynamics. We can reclaim our power and make decisions for us, by us.
Bipoc spaces create healing
Trauma exists to this day and will continue to exist because we haven’t learned to and aren’t willing to accept positive changes. Historical injustices, like colonization, slavery, and segregation, have left deep scars, and these wounds are reopened every time we encounter microaggressions, systemic barriers, or blatant racism. Healing in BIPOC spaces happens because these spaces allow us to process our pain without censorship or judgment from White people. They provide a place where we can vent, cry, and rebuild our strength without White people. Healing also comes from the recognition that our struggles are shared and our resilience is communal. It is in these spaces that we know we are not alone, and together we can overcome the barriers that have been put in place to prevent us from thriving.
Bipoc spaces are safe
When White people think they’re doing better than the White people before them because they have good intentions, they fall right into taking an active role in perpetuating systemic racism. I’ve come to accept that I’m willing to be the villain for White people because I’ve chosen to fight for people of color. White people can easily silence and deny me because they have the power to do so. However, I’m safe from them in spaces that are for people of color. Safety in BIPOC spaces isn’t just physical—it is emotional and psychological. It’s the assurance that we won’t be interrupted, invalidated, or gaslit. It’s the knowledge that we can speak our truth without fearing repercussions. In these spaces, we don’t have to explain why something is racist or educate others on why certain words or actions are harmful. The safety comes from being surrounded by people who “get it”—people who understand without needing a detailed explanation.
Bipoc spaces alloW for people of color to learn, groW, and connect With each other, together
In an environment designed to nurture our unique experiences and needs, where everyone’s voice is valued, we are empowered to show up as our authentic selves. Connection is a fundamental human need, and in BIPOC spaces, this connection is amplified by shared experiences and mutual understanding. These spaces become incubators for creativity, collaboration, and innovation. They are places where we can brainstorm solutions to systemic problems, celebrate our cultures, and build networks of support. Growth happens organically because we are free from the weight of stereotypes and the pressure to conform to White standards. Instead, we can explore our identities, embrace our heritage, and thrive on our terms without a White savior.
the issUe of the White savior complex
White people put on their White savior complex attitude when they think they are doing people of color a favor and aren’t afraid to brag about it. This complex often manifests in performative allyship—actions taken to appear “woke” rather than to affect real change. For example, White agricultural professionals claim to “mentor” BIPOC farmers while ignoring the expertise and lived experiences those farmers already bring to the table. True allyship means stepping back, listening, and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities without seeking recognition. It means understanding that people of color don’t need saving; we need solidarity and respect.
people of color need spaces WithoUt White people
These spaces are not about exclusion; they are about healing, liberation, and empowerment. For many of us in the BIPOC community, our lives are shaped by
the pervasive influences of White culture and systems, whether overtly or indirectly. These spaces provide a rare opportunity to exist, express, and engage without the need to navigate the pressures of White gaze, privilege, or dominance.
We’re not asking for your presence in our safe spaces because your presence, no matter how well-intentioned, can reinforce the very dynamics we seek to escape. Instead, what we ask is that you honor our need for these spaces and support us in maintaining them. Allyship doesn’t require being in the room—it requires trust, respect, and the understanding that stepping back is sometimes the most powerful way to step up.
BIPOC spaces are places where we can set down the weight of systemic racism, prejudice, and microaggressions that we carry every day. Imagine carrying a heavy backpack every day and finally finding a place where you can set it down. That is what BIPOC spaces mean to us. We can renew our spirits, foster community, and build the resilience we need to navigate a world that often marginalizes and silences us.
This isn’t limited to conferences or formal gatherings—it’s about creating a culture where BIPOC safe spaces are understood, valued, and protected in all areas of life. Whether it’s in workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, or community events, these spaces should be available and embraced without question or hesitation.
When White allies respect and advocate for these spaces, they actively demonstrate their commitment to equity and justice. They show a willingness to let go of control, to listen instead of lead, and to create a world where BIPOC voices and experiences can thrive without compromise. It’s not about stepping aside forever—it’s about creating balance and restoring what’s been taken.
Ultimately, respecting BIPOC spaces is about recognizing our humanity and our right to exist fully, authentically, and unapologetically, even if just for a moment. Supporting these spaces isn’t just an act of solidarity; it’s a step toward collective liberation.
Yimmuaj is a dedicated Community Director at Groundswell Conservancy in Madison, Wis. where she champions equitable access to farmland for emerging and BIPOC farmers. With a passion for sustainable agriculture, her efforts include expanding access to farmland, creating pollinator habitats, promoting soil health practices, and advocating for equitable access to agricultural resources and economic opportunities. As a vegetable farmer, Yimmuaj has had firsthand experience with systemic racism and constantly fights to ensure farmers of color are able to break through institutional barriers. In her free time, she loves cooking, baking, and going on walks with her family.
harry and Jackie hoch celebrated as 2025 Farmers oF the year
Harry and Jackie Hoch
By Clare Hintz, Ph.D.
I have a vivid memory of Harry and Jackie Hoch at an early field day on their farm in La Crescent, Minn., proudly showing their pest management strategies and soil conservation measures in their hilly orchard. Their expertise has shaped my own perennial farm, and their presentations at the Marbleseed Conference for so many years inspired my lifelong passion for all things apple. The Hochs will be celebrated at the upcoming Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference as the 2025 Farmers of the Year.
The Farmer of the Year recognition is meant to honor farmers who have contributed to the organic farming movement through significant experience and to network those leaders with less practiced farmers. Farmers of the Year serve as important guides to our organization as the organic movement continues to evolve. Capturing their stories and legacy improves the integrity of the movement. In some way, they represent a circle of elders for our community (although many are not old!). They can speak from experience about the persistence and resilience needed to have a full career in farming and the vision and values for good food, fiber, and medicine needed to get through the inevitable tough times. Farmers of the Year are certified organic producers in the Midwest.
The Hochs were instrumental in founding and maintaining the Organic Tree Fruit Association, now the Organic Fruit Growers Association (OFGA), and have been a mainstay at the scionwood exchange at the conference, showing people how to graft and inspiring many beginning orchardists with a wide array of tree varieties. Tom Galazen of Northwind Farm reflected:
The Hochs contributed a lot in the early and mid-term formation of the fruit group, through their participation and leadership and board involvement. That’s often unseen work. They are both very knowledgeable and committed to organics as well as being just nice folks to talk with!
Harry was one of the teachers at a day-long MOSES Organic University session who encouraged me to think big about my own orchard ambitions, and that early nudge has borne fruit now nearly two decades later. Says Chris McGuire, coordinator of the Organic Fruit Growers Association,
The Hochs have been extremely generous sharers of information through many field days at their farm, conference presentations, posts on the OFGA list serv, teaching at the UW-Madison Beginning Apple Growers School, and individual (usually unpaid) consulting and advice. Both Harry and Jackie were candid and very willing to describe specifics of their farm’s production, marketing, and labor management, what worked and did not work, why they made the decisions they did, and how farming intersected with their personal and family lives.
Hoch Orchard & Gardens apples have been used to make hard cider distilled at La Crosse Distilling Company just across the border in Wisconsin. Turisimo Winery and Fermentations in La Crosse used the farm’s apple juice to create their hard ciders that are available in cans at Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, along with Keepsake Cidery in Dundas, Minn., which has collaborated with the farm on several dry ciders.
Perry-O and David Sliwa, of Plum Ridge Farm, also remember the Hochs’ many contributions to the organic fruit sector in the Midwest. Says David,
Perry-O and I count ourselves among the orchardists inspired by the Hochs. They hosted many field days which almost always included food, usually a full meal. They were interested in Michael Phillips’ approach to organic orcharding and brought Michael to their farm and to the Conference. They studied Elaine Ingram’s emphasis on testing for soil biology; got microscopes and started looking for bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoa. They started a cidery bringing in an expert cider maker as a partner. They had international interns for many years. Jackie would bring them to visit our farm to compare experiences with our interns and to acquaint them with an off-the-grid homestead. They incorporated pigs into their orchard management and became biodynamic certified. They bred apricots, crossing hardy Sungold and Moonglow apricots with very good fresh eating Goldcot and Harlayne apricots. Four selections they named Early yellow, Plummy, Peachy, and Blushing Beauty. We are growing a couple of these. We look forward to celebrating them at the 2025 Marbleseed conference.
The Hochs share the long vision required to be perennial farmers. They have renewed their family farm, perhaps realizing the dreams of the many settlers that tried to farm it before them. They also embody the slightly crazy gutsiness that it takes to be a farmer in America, both quitting good jobs at different points in their farm’s history to farm full time. Harry worked at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center and Jackie worked at Hennepin County Medical Center and later at Gundersen Health System. As we celebrate their many contributions this year, the moment is bitter-sweet, since they are retiring from farming and planning to enjoy some international work. They plan to build a permaculture farm in Belize. Their legacy lives on in the many new orchardists they have inspired. You can hear more about their work at their workshop at this year’s Organic Farming Conference from Feb. 20-22, 2025.
Clare Hintz is Marbleseed’s Board President and farmer at Elsewhere Farm in Herbster, Wis.
“a
By
natural history oF the Future”
roB
By Sofia Caracci
Dunn
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how deeply connected we are to the natural world, even when our daily routines seem designed to shield us from it. Rob Dunn’s “A Natural History of the Future” captures this truth with striking clarity, reminding us that the same biological forces shaping the natural world apply equally to humanity. Instead of speculating about technological breakthroughs or apocalyptic scenarios, Dunn draws on the unchanging principles of biology: evolution, competition, and adaptation to explore how life’s laws will shape our future.
Reading this book felt like pulling back the curtain on patterns I’ve sensed but never fully had the capacity to articulate. Dunn’s writing is both scientific and deeply observant, offering insights grounded in life’s rhythms. His core argument is that the future will not occur as a series of sporadic events but will emerge from processes that have been in motion for billions of years. The laws governing life on Earth will continue to act upon us, regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge them.
The book’s message is humbling but also empowering. Rather than attempting to dominate nature, Dunn encourages us to learn from it. Our survival, he argues, depends on aligning with the systems that sustain all life. For me, this perspective was a welcome shift--a reminder to step back from the chaos of the modern world and pay closer attention to the broader nuances of life.
Understanding oUr place in natUre
One of the book’s strengths is its invitation for readers to rethink humanity’s place in the natural world. Dunn doesn’t view humans as separate from nature but as one species among many, shaped by the same forces that govern all life. It’s a perspective that feels particularly resonant in a time of ecological instability.
Dunn’s exploration of pathogens is a powerful example of this interconnectedness. He explains how human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and global trade create ideal conditions for microbes to adapt and thrive, often in ways that challenge us. He reframes pathogens not as enemies but as organisms responding to the environments we’ve shaped. This isn’t to diminish the threat of disease but to place it within a broader ecological context.
dunn doesn’t Just exPlain the natural World; he reminds us that We’re a Part oF it.
This insight felt particularly relevant given recent global events. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how deeply interconnected we are, not just with one another but with the systems that sustain life. Dunn’s perspective encourages curiosity and adaptability rather than fear, emphasizing the importance of understanding the natural world rather than trying to control it.
the importance of Biodiversity
Dunn’s reverence for biodiversity is one of the most compelling threads running through the book. He weaves together stories that show how life’s diversity underpins resilience for ecosystems and humanity alike. From the microbes in our guts to the species that thrive in untended forests, Dunn illustrates how life flourishes through complexity and connection.
This celebration of diversity feels like a call to action. Modern systems often prioritize efficiency and uniformity, but Dunn makes a compelling case for the value of life’s inherent messiness. Thriving ecosystems-and thriving human communities--are rarely neat or predictable. They’re dynamic, interconnected, and alive.
The way Dunn explored soil microbes fascinated me: these tiny organisms, largely invisible to the naked eye, underpin much of life as we know it. They shape soil health, influence plant growth and even impact human immunity. Yet modern practices, from industrial agriculture to urban development, often disrupt these relationships. Dunn’s writing emphasizes the importance of valuing these unseen players, not just as resources to be managed but as essential partners in the web of life.
This was a gentle reminder of how often we overlook the smallest contributors to the systems we depend on. What would it mean to care for them, to build systems that nurture life’s complexity instead of simplifying it? Dunn doesn’t offer easy answers, but his questions linger, inviting reflection and action.
stories that resonate
Dunn’s ability to connect scientific concepts with compelling stories makes his writing especially engaging. He draws on a wide range of examples, from ancient empires shaped by disease to modern cities grappling with invasive species. These narratives don’t just illustrate his points--they bring them to life, making complex ideas accessible and relatable.
One particularly striking story involved the phenomenon of “enemy release,” in which species thrive in new environments without their natural predators. This concept helps explain the disruptions caused by invasive species, a pattern often tied to human activities including trade and agriculture. It’s a vivid reminder of how interconnected the world is and how our actions can ripple through ecosystems in unexpected ways.
These stories resonate because they connect scientific principles to real world challenges. They show that the crises we face today, such as climate change, global pandemics, and extreme biodiversity loss, are not isolated events but part of a larger pattern shaped by biology’s timeless rules. Dunn’s ability to weave threads together creates a sense of clarity, even in the face of daunting issues.
a call to pay attention
One of the book’s central messages is that the future doesn’t just happen to us--it’s shaped by how well we pay attention. Dunn doesn’t preach or prescribe, but he does ask us to slow down and notice the connections all around us. What kind of soil are we planting our seeds in, literally and metaphorically? What are we nurturing, and what are we neglecting? These aren’t questions for scientists alone; they’re questions for everyone.
Reading “A Natural History of the Future” felt like a reminder to step back and think about the bigger picture. It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of day-to-day problems, but Dunn’s perspective challenges us to consider the long-term consequences of our choices. How are we shaping the future, and what legacy are we leaving behind?
I took this perspective as both sobering and hopeful. It’s not about avoiding challenges but about facing them with a deeper understanding of the systems that sustain life. By aligning our actions with nature’s laws, we can build a future that is not only surviving but flourishing.
Why yoU shoUld read this Book
“A Natural History of the Future” is a book that stays with you. Dunn’s insights resonate far beyond the scientific community, offering lessons for anyone seeking to understand how to navigate a world in flux. His writing invites reflection, curiosity, and action, making it a valuable read for anyone concerned about the future of life on Earth.
Dunn doesn’t just explain the natural world; he reminds us that we’re a part of it. For farmers, conservationists, policymakers, or anyone passionate about sustainability, this book provides a framework for seeing the connections that shape our lives. By paying attention to life’s patterns and respecting the systems that sustain us, we can work toward a future defined by resilience and balance.
This isn’t a book of easy answers, but it’s a book of necessary questions--questions that challenge us to think differently about the world and our place within it. For anyone willing to engage with these ideas, “A Natural History of the Future” offers a path toward understanding and hope.
Dr. Rob Dunn is the keynote for Marbleseed’s upcoming 36th Organic Farming Conference. Hear him speak on Friday, February 21 at the conference.
Learn more at: conference.marbleseed.org
Sofia is the Organic Transitions Resources Coordinator with Marbleseed. Sofia is a dedicated advocate for sustainable agriculture and food equity with a background in recipe development, farmers market coordination, and a BA in Food Systems from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
as a commercial croP american elderberry
By Christopher J. Patton, MA, MBA
Hundreds of American elderberry acres are farmed today--mostly on a modest scale by small farmer--marketers who sell their flowers, berries, and farm-made value-added products directly to the public at local markets and/or online. But millions of Americans remain underserved and consume imported elder berry and flower ingredients found in US manufactured foods, beverages and supplements. When you see “elderberry” on the label it is almost never grown in the United States. Midwest Elderberry Cooperative (MEC) was created in part to provide U.S.-grown American elderberry ingredients to the broader commercial market. That purpose is nearing realization.
So, how did we get here, and what’s next? Does growing elder fit into your farm plan? I trust you will find this article informative and helpful. You can find much more information at: grow.midwestelderberry.coop/
american elderBerry--a JoUrney of small steps
If you decide to trial this specialty crop, no matter when you stick your first order of hardwood cuttings or plants into the prepared ground, the following becomes part of your story, too. Down in Missouri twenty-five years ago, organic farmer Terry Durham and the University of Missouri (MU) Southwest Extension’s Patrick Byers and researcher Andrew Thomas met informally and decided to pull wild American Elderberry plants out of the wild and plant them into farmed fields. Thus began a journey of discovery and commercial development, and it continues, as there is still much to learn and develop.
In 2011, I attended my first annual MOSES Conference in La Crosse, where I heard long-time organic farmer, Terry Durham, give his presentation on the plant’s history, its potential health and economic benefits, as well as how to farm American elderberry cultivars selected from the wild. At the time I was exploring the feasibility of buying and farming my own land north of St. Paul, Minn. with one of my twenty-year old sons. In the
following June we attended our first Elderberry Growers Workshop hosted by Terry’s River Hills Harvest with MU Extension field personnel and faculty. I was excited to grow elderberry, but the marketing logistics, state of technology, and economics made me pause.
That dream didn’t work out largely due to other personal, practical reasons, but then I met Paul Otten while helping Terry at his booth during the 2012 MOSES Conference. Paul was 12 years older than me and a long-time berry/currant farmer, international nurseryman, healthy soils, and healthy foods evangelist. We farmed elderberry together for six years, and I learned much from him that remains with me still.
With Paul’s extensive experience and knowledge to rely on, I founded MEC in September of 2012 to apply for a USDA grant to fund a feasibility study led by Cooperative Development Services. A primary goal was to accurately represent the opportunities and challenges of farming and selling elderberries to potential growers.
It would take a small book just to describe what went on in those early years, but I can summarize it. We conducted multiple meetings, including on-farm events, with those interested and a few already growing. During these events we
collectively shared our experiences, information, and resources. We ended up recruiting a dozen or so others who were successfully making their own elder berry and flower products for personal use and/or selling their berries, flowers, and products directly into their local and regional markets.
Most of us were committed to the foundational principles of “Make America Healthy Again” long before that slogan was promoted. My vision for a co-op was, and remains, structured on a decentralized network of grower--producer hubs capitalizing on, and adapting to, each area’s human and market resources or interests. A few of the more successful elderberry farmer-marketers have essentially grown their operations into regional hubs independent of MEC and can be found scattered across the country.
Where We are today
Commercial American elderberry research and production has been, and continues to be, centered in Missouri, led by those same three original dreamers and MU faculty and graduate students who have been joined by dozens of others along the way. American elderberry farmers with access to good local markets successfully reach thousands of consumers with healthy elder berry and flower products. Midwest Elderberry Cooperative supplies hundreds of small businesses with elder berry and flower ingredients across the nation, but the broad US consumer market has not yet sampled our better tasting American elderberry.
Publicly available information from Techavio.com on the global elderberry market indicated a 2019 U.S. market size of about $100 million, dominated by imported ingredients. They project that market demand will continue to grow globally, while almost doubling in the U.S. over the next decade.
At present, the rate of planting and cultivation of American elderberries is moving faster than the development of the supply-to-market chains needed to make them economically viable over the long term. The MEC’s focus remains on the middle of the supply chain: crop quality, handling and processing, market development, and financing these early stages. My participation in this industry includes working with the Agroforestry Council Markets Working Group hosted by Savannah Institute. Over the years, MEC has submitted a number of grant applications with good success and support from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the USDA, and NRCS. The cooperative would not be where it is today without that.
Where We are going next
Early on, MEC benefitted from Paul Otten’s long relationships with a number of other bramble and sustainable agricultural associations and organizations. For over ten years, MEC worked closely with Renewing the Countryside, led by Jan Joannides, the many folks
at Savannah Institute, as well as the University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative, where the late Don Wyse was quick to see the potential of these small, nutrient-dense berries and aromatic flowers.
During the past two years, Renewing the Countryside, the Food Finance Institute, and MEC have been working with other partners to support growth of the “functional berry” (elderberries, aronia berries, and black currants) industry in the Upper Midwest. This effort has been funded by Builders Initiative and the Walton Family Foundation. Their support is making a huge, concrete difference.
Midwest Elderberry Cooperative needs to develop commercial-scale infrastructure, operations, and sales to support a staff. Due to the years of work and the dedicated involvement of many people--farmers, agricultural professionals, academic, nonprofit, and research organizations--I am humbly thankful to report that MEC is stepping through the doorway of establishing its first regional hub in Montrose, Minn. with the construction of a high-volume, new design, continuous-flow destemmer (goal of destemming 1,000+ lb/hr), frozen storage facility, and a commercial kitchen and dehydrator in a trailer. Planning and significant funding is in place to further develop both the physical infrastructure and operational knowhow needed to produce flash-frozen, often called Individually Quick Frozen (IQF), elderberries.
It’s time to gradually add more elderberry acres in central Minnesota and later in other parts of the Upper Midwest. We will do our best to grow demand and supply in synch, at approximately the same rate, to support farm profitability. God willing, three years from now, MEC will be able to provide high-volume, dependable production capacity to supply the needs of a few large, annually contracted customers. With advance contracts for IQF berries or other ingredients, farmers will have the confidence to increase their elder orchard acreage because MEC will be in the position to buy their berries to resell or process into marketable ingredients for wholesale distribution, as many established co-ops do successfully.
Midwest Elderberry Cooperative will always support its smaller acreage members. I strongly believe in the small farmer, make-your-own strategy, as well as buying local food in general. Together we can be a modest but important part in the economic and social renewal of rural America. Elderberry will never be a primary crop, but it can be an inspiration, a catalyst for positive, regenerative, and organic change broadly in American agriculture.
Christopher J. Patton, MA, MBA is the Founder and President of Midwest Elderberry Cooperative. Learn more at www.midwest-elderberry.coop/index.html
What kind oF hooP house
Will Work For you?
By Ryan Sullivan
In the winter of 2011, we took a Farm Beginnings course in Sioux Falls, S.D., where we were living at the time. We knew that in the not-too-distant future we would make a move to Wisconsin to start our own farm. We wanted to learn as much as we could before we began that endeavor, and the class was a great way for us to get our feet wet. We envisioned starting a market garden with a CSA, and another couple told us that if we planned on growing vegetables, we should make sure a high tunnel was part of our plan. We were such newbies to farming we really had no idea what a high tunnel was, but we were sold on the idea and couldn’t wait to learn more as they told us they were producing tomatoes earlier than all the other farmers in their area and growing crops later than most people. We were really fortunate to be able to visit a farm in the Sioux Falls area that was growing in multiple high tunnels and really producing so many wonderful veggies. We participated in the farm’s spring CSA and were just amazed at the beautiful vegetables we were getting so early in the season. We were looking forward to experimenting with high tunnel growing ourselves.
In February of 2014, we made the 500-mile move from Sioux Falls to Manitowoc, Wis. and settled into our new 5-acre farm. Our first year in Wisconsin we focused on setting up the farm—fixing up the barn, converting a shed into a chicken coop, and making plans to put up our first high tunnel, a 20x24-foot starter hoop house. We were growing fairly small scale at this time with two young children, a full-time job for Jackie, and monthly guard drills for Ryan. Ryan made sure to stop and meet our NRCS representative, and by the time we completed construction on the 24-foot tunnel, we already had a 48-foot one up through the NRCS cost-
share program. We’ve added to that count over the years and now have an additional two 30x72-foot tunnels and another 30x48-foot long tunnel. We use them for season extension purposes and are still growing hardy greens in the beginning of December and will plant them as early as February to get a jump start on the next season, which allows us to be regularly harvesting by the beginning of April. As the weather heats up, we transition our tunnels to heat-loving annuals such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. We’re still learning what works and what doesn’t, and since we do not heat any of our tunnels, we are dependent on what Mother Nature does, but we can’t imagine growing vegetables without our high tunnels.
Our first three high tunnels we purchased through Growers Supply. They were excellent to work with, helping guide our purchase to make sure we had all the needed parts. There were some supplies that we purchased locally like the baseboards and lumber for the end walls. One thing that we did not consider with our initial purchase was shape, and our first small high tunnel has a rounded roof. Fortunately, it has held up over the years, but since we are located along the lakeshore, we can see fairly high amounts of snowfall, which has led to us sweeping snow off the canopies. With our subsequent purchases we made sure to get Gothicstyle structures that would help to facilitate the snow just sliding off the canopy. Snowfall levels are always something to keep an eye on. Even with Gothic-style roofs, snow can accumulate and collapses your structure if it gets too heavy.
Our fourth and fifth high tunnels were put up this past fall, and for these last two, we worked with Nifty Hoops out of Michigan. We met them at Marbleseed in 2023. We had another NRCS contract to put up two more and the fact that Nifty Hoops helps assemble the structures (for an added fee) was really appealing. When we broke down the construction costs, the Nifty Hoops
structure was fairly in line with the Growers Supply cost. Additional features that made the Nifty Hoops a winner was that the canopy was double layered and there are two vents and one steel door included in each structure. The side wall cranks are also so much easier to use versus the long handle cranks on our Grower Supply models. The Nifty Hoops also have the first 4-foot section on each corner covered underneath the side curtain standard. The steel is strong and American made. We made the decision to use the community build assembly option and were able to get the construction done at the very end of October 2023. In four days with a crew of 5-6, we were able to put up two high tunnels. We’ve been growing in these two new tunnels now since February of this year.
Our two different construction/vendor experiences have offered us some considerations we wanted to share with you to help better guide your decision making when determining what kind of high tunnel to put up and what vendor to utilize.
Our first high tunnels were purchased from Growers Supply. Some advantages to using Growers Supply were: customer service was helpful in walking us through purchase options, they offered financing while waiting for NRCS reimbursement, and they had many options available. Some disadvantages in our opinion were: lighter weight steel, and most options are add-ons and not considered in base price. Rafter support kits are essential, and they are currently an additional $240 each. If you add 18 of the kits to a 72-foot hoop house, that adds $4,320. We have nine of the additional kits, and our 72-foot hoop house has been doing just fine, although we wish that we had installed support kits on every single rafter. The side walls can be challenging to roll up with the supplied rod, but this is made much easier if you cut the hook off the end and stick it in a drill. There is also no standard venting.
Nifty Hoops advantages are that the steel is American made and every kit includes a dual canopy with inflation fan, standard thermostatic controlled venting kits, four door frames, and one steel door. The conduit for the wiring to and from the thermostat, the fans, and power supply are also included. They also offer a “community build” option for an addition fee. If you decide to go with them and it’s within your budget, we highly recommend this option. They are absolute experts, and the level of effort they put into helping us was nothing short of heroic. Honestly, that’s probably an understatement.
The Nifty Hoops high tunnels are also pre-drilled and primed. The methodology and engineering that has gone into the layout and fabrication of the structure make it very clear that they have a lot of experience building and really make it a joy to assemble.
Two other points that we really appreciate about the Nifty Hoops are that you don’t have to buy additional lumber for the door frames, shoulder boards, or the
baseboards. The door frames are metal so you don’t have to dig and set posts in the ground. The “shoulder boards” are where the overhead canopy meets the side curtain. The Growers Supply models have a 2x6 mounted horizontally in which you install the upper and lower channels for the “wiggle wire” that holds both the canopy and the side curtain. The Nifty Hoops model uses a heavy-duty double aluminum quick lock that bolts right onto the frame. They utilize 4-foot long “cam inserts” to secure the canopy and side curtain instead of wiggle wire. If you’ve worked with the wiggle wire before you’ll appreciate what a genius idea this is, and it’s so satisfying to whack those inserts in place with a big mallet!
So, to sum up our experience, the high tunnels are an essential part of our farm. The Growers Supply Gothic models that we first built have served us well and with new canopies installed will continue to for the next 30 years. The Nifty Hoops are just cream puffs that we really appreciate as we are learning the in and outs of not only producing in hoop houses but maintaining them through the years. Our experience is probably a common story, and I’m sure that there are many of you reading this that are laughing and nodding your head. If you’re considering building your first hoop house, we hope this helps, and we would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Ryan Sullivan is retired from the Air Force and South Dakota Air National Guard with 26 years in military service. He and his wife, Jackie, started out on their Wisconsin farm in 2014 with egg layers and a few raised beds. They are passionate about what they do and are eager to connect with other farmers and mentors to share experiences and learn together. Learn more about them here: https:// www.sullivanfamilyfarm.org/about
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organic Pigs & rye in minnesota
By Diane DeWitte
As part of the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) Agriculture Experiment Station network, ten Research & Outreach Centers (ROCs) are strategically located across the state. The ROC network hosts scientists studying water quality, forest conservation, sustainable cropping systems, renewable energy, and livestock production.
The West Central Research & Outreach Center (WCROC) at Morris is the site where alternative, niche, and organic production styles are investigated. In addition to typical nutrition, water consumption, and pig growth research projects, during the past two decades, WCROC has been the home of pig studies using alternative feedstuffs, trying out group gestation and farrowing, using different energy sources for heating and cooling, constructing alternative housing structures, and conducting an array of behavior studies overseen by Animal Science Department professors Yuzhi Li and Lee Johnston.
The WCROC has distinguished itself in the UMN ROC system as a center for energy, carbon, and climate research in addition to housing an organic dairy herd and an organic sow herd. Since September 2021, a multidisciplinary team has implemented a multiyear USDA grant to study organic hybrid rye and organic pigs. Piloted by professor Yuzhi Li, the grant explores substituting organic rye into the swine diet in place of organic corn and putting a numeric value to the practice.
Dr. Li collaborated with a UMN multidisciplinary team to complete this project, including Lee Johnston, swine nutrition professor; William Lazarus, Extension Economist; Melissa Wilson, Extension Nutrient Management Specialist; Axel Garcia y Garcia, agronomy professor; Ryan Cox, meat science professor;
Joel Tallaksen, renewable energy scientist; and Diane DeWitte, Extension Educator with a focus on swine. In addition, two animal science graduate students, Megan Kavanagh and Gabriella Lima, worked tirelessly on the swinerelated aspects of this project throughout the two seasons of pig growth and harvest. Countless WCROC farm personnel assisted with the logistics of growing and harvesting rye and pigs.
the nUtrient story early on
In 2023, as a part of the larger grant project, Extension Nutrient Management Specialist Melissa Wilson completed the two-year small-plot field experiment evaluating manure management strategies for organic hybrid rye production. Hybrid rye is being grown in Minnesota as an alternative to traditional winter rye varieties. In organic production systems, the grain may be used as an alternative feed for livestock while the straw can be used for bedding, so we wanted to know if various types of swine manure (liquid, solid, or composted) could be used as a primary nutrient source. Dr. Wilson shares her methods and findings below:
• In the first year of the study, the use of liquid swine manure tended to produce higher grain yields than solid or composted swine manure.
• Application rates that supplied 60 to 120 pounds per acre of first-year available nitrogen optimized yield without significantly overapplying phosphorus and potassium.
• Hybrid rye grain and straw produced for the larger study was tested as an alternative feed and bedding source for organic swine production.
In fall 2021, the WCROC field trial began. We applied five different rates of each type of manure in early September to supply 0—240 lbs of first-year available nitrogen per acre. We assumed 75% of the total nitrogen would be available the first year for the liquid and solid swine manure and 40% would be available from the composted swine manure. After application, we incorporated the manure within 12 hours and planted hybrid rye within the next few days. The following summer, we harvested the rye and analyzed the grain for crude protein.
We found that use of liquid swine manure resulted in the highest grain yield (around 100 bushels per acre) compared with solid and composted swine manure, which produced around 80 bushels per acre each at the highest application rates. Interestingly, the crude protein was not affected by nutrient source, suggesting that nitrogen may not have been the primary reason for the decreased yield with the solid and composted swine manure.
In general, crude protein increased with increasing application rate regardless of the nutrient source.
Hybrid rye yield was not significantly increased when liquid swine manure was applied above 120 lbs of first-year available N per acre (about 5,000 gallons per acre). This is in line with fertilizer recommendations for conventionally managed hybrid rye (110--150 lbs of nitrogen per acre depending on previous crop). For solid and composted manure, yield was not significantly increased above 60 lbs of first-year available nitrogen per acre (about 4--5 tons per acre). Higher rates improved yield slightly but significantly overapplied phosphorus and potassium (anywhere from 60--400 lbs of phosphorus and 115--480 lbs of potassium!). When working with manure, there is always a balance between optimizing the use of nitrogen while preventing buildup of soil phosphorus to very high levels.
2024 organic field day
On a rain-threatened day in late May, organic farmers, university researchers, and personnel from WCROC gathered to hear the results of an ongoing organic swine and hybrid rye project. The field day began after a pulled-pork lunch with an hour of presentations reviewing the research and its findings. Folks in attendance had the chance to ask questions of the presenters; however, in a “first” for the researchers, the gathering appeared as a Facebook Live event from the WCROC Facebook page.
Dr. Li provided an introduction of the organic projects and explained that the UMN WCROC hosts the only certified organic swine facility on a land-grant university in the United States.
organic hyBrid rye
Dr. Garcia highlighted the value of adding rye to a farm’s cropping system, whether conventional or organic. Hybrid rye, in contrast to traditional varieties and other small grains, provides superior traits that result in higher yields, better disease resistance, and improved stress tolerance. Its robust performance makes it desirable for use in organic and other sustainable agriculture applications. He discussed hybrid rye’s disadvantages, primarily its higher seed cost compared to other small grains. In addition, some hybrids tend to be site specific.
However, hybrid rye can grow well in light to heavy soils, has a tolerance to poor soils and drought, and has excellent tolerance to very low temperatures. Of course, hybrid rye performs best when appropriately fertilized according to soil tests and thrives within an effective weed and pest control program. His final remarks pointed out that hybrid rye has more advantages than disadvantages; it fits our region, and it fits organic production.
feeding hyBrid rye to organic pigs
Gabriella Lima, UMN master’s student, shared the basics of the organic rye feed trial. Hybrid rye has a high energy content that is 92% of the energy of corn. Rye in the diet increases phosphorus digestibility; researchers have worked for years to reduce the amount of phosphorus excreted in livestock manure because of the potential for high phosphorus loads in soils. Soluble fiber in rye is an added benefit in a pig diet.
In the study, the control pigs were fed a classic organic corn—soy diet. The rye-treatment pigs were fed an organic diet that replaced 50% of the corn with hybrid rye. The control and rye pigs were raised side-by-side across the fence in the WCROC’s swine hoop barn. There were 50 pigs in each treatment (100 in the group), and we are currently finishing the fifth group. In all, 500 organic pigs, born and raised at WCROC, have gone through the feeding trials.
Gabriella reported that she and Megan Kavanagh recorded and calculated the pigs’ individual weights, feed intake, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed/gain ratio (F/G). The pigs spent 10--13 weeks on the feed trial and were harvested once they reached 270 lbs.
In this study, Gabriella and Megan used a new identification and weighing technology called LeeO. Pigs were tagged with an ultra-high-frequency ear tag. Using an electronic reader on a long arm, a Bluetooth-enabled electronic scale head, and a tablet computer, the students scanned the pig’s ear tag as it entered the scale; the scale connected with the tablet and recorded the pig’s weight on the tablet. This technology offers ease, accuracy, and record-keeping simplicity to pig farmers who adopt it.
While data collection is still in progress, preliminary results are positive:
ADG, average daily gain; ADFI, average daily feed intake; F/G, feed/gain ratio
The takeaway from this portion of the study is that hybrid rye can replace 50% of corn in swine diets without compromising overall performance.
economics of groWing hyBrid rye and feeding it to organic pigs
Master’s student Megan Kavanagh shared the costs and expenses that she and Dr. Lazarus determined from the
2022 and 2023 growing seasons and the first 300 pigs through the study. Organic rye grain and rye straw used in the project were grown in the project; organic corn, organic wheat straw, and organic soybean meal were purchased.
The 2022 rye crop at WCROC yielded 104 bushels per acre of grain and 1.8 tons per acre of straw. In 2023, the yields were affected by droughty conditions with a grain yield of 69 bushels per acre and 1.0 ton per acre of straw.
Megan shared the production costs per acre of growing organic hybrid rye:
Replacing 50% of corn with hybrid rye - 195 lbs of corn with rye
Rye growing costs (per acre)
Grain Costs
Seed: $60
Fertilizer: $96
Machinery + Labor: $222
Rent: $132
Miscellaneous: $80
Total cost: $590/acre straw costs
Baling + Storage: $50/acre
$150/ton paid by WCROC 2022 + 2023
The following table provides cost comparisons and potential savings in organic pig production using hybrid rye as a substitute for part of the corn in the pigs’ diets. Drought effects on the 2024 season’s production reduced the potential savings considerably.
carcass qUality and taste test
Megan reported on the work done in connection with Dr. Cox at the UMN meats lab. From two groups of 100 pigs, sixteen 270-lb pigs were selected twice (total= 32) for the carcass evaluation. Sixteen control pigs (8 barrows, 8 gilts) and 16 rye pigs (8 barrows, 8 gilts) were harvested at the UMN meats lab.
Three objective measures were taken. Carcass pH was collected at 45 minutes and 24 hours post-mortem. Lower pH contributes to a brighter, redder meat color. Pork color was measured, and the Warner-Bratzler shear force test was performed. Shear force is the force required to cut through a sample and is considered an indicator of meat tenderness.
Two subjective measures were taken: Color and marbling scores.
There were no significant differences in pH at 45 minutes or 24 hours between control and rye pigs. Shear force measurements were not significantly different either. There was a higher objective color measurement in the control pigs, indicating a lighter colored meat.
Subjectively, there were no significant differences in the color or marbling scores between control and rye pigs.
The UMN Food Science and Nutrition Sensory Center at St. Paul provided 73 taste test panelists aged 18 years and older. The likeness ratings were a 120-point scale that evaluated the overall liking, liking of flavor, and liking of texture. The intensity ratings were a 20-point scale that rated juiciness, toughness, and off-flavor. Panelists were provided a sample of cooked pork loin, unidentified between control and rye pigs.
The likeness ratings of overall liking, flavor, and texture were comparable between rye and control pigs. In the intensity ratings, panelists judged the rye pork to be tougher compared to the control pork. To summarize, replacing 50% of corn with hybrid rye did not negatively impact pork quality or consumer eating experience.
organic sUpport partners
This project was funded by a three-year USDA Organic Ag Research & Extension Initiative (OREI) grant and continues as the final group of pigs are currently being fed.
Additional support for the project was provided by Forever Green Initiative (FGI) at UMN and the Midwest Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), which is a program that connects transitioning organic producers with mentors. More information can be found at organictransition.org/region/midwest/
Matt Leavitt is the project’s contact from FGI who provides current opportunities available to transitioning organic farmers. Additionally, Matt created a FGI technical bulletin about hybrid rye using data from this project: https://z.umn.edu/FGIryeTechBulletin
What’s next? A team representing the WCROC, UMNMorris and UMN-Twin Cities has received an OREI grant to develop an organic agriculture curriculum, and the project is currently underway!
Interested in learning more? Diane and others involved in this project will be leading a session at the Marbleseed 2025 Organic Farming Conference on Saturday, February 22nd. The workshop will help farmers improve organic small grain and pig production efficiency and make decisions on raising small grains for organic pigs.
Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator based in Mankato, Minn. She can be reached at stouf002@umn.edu
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the Future oF organic grain Production:
hoW Producers Will shaPe organic grain Production and marketing through an interactiVe exPerience
By Carmen Fernholz
When I was certified organic for the first time in 1975, little did I realize just how steep the learning curve could be. Good weed management, adequate fertility levels, and beneficial crop rotations were just a few of the areas of expertise that I found myself seeking out. Couple this with the fact that when I did finally have grain to market, I learned quickly how I was at the mercy of the market not only when it came to pricing the grain but also getting paid on time. I learned early on that marketing success was based almost entirely on the integrity of the buyer who was buying the grain.
On two separate occasions I was made whole on a delivery solely through the goodness of the buyer. The third time I was not so fortunate. I was not alone. I was getting stories from other organic growers who were much less fortunate.
As organic grain markets began to grow, so did the price fluctuation from region to region and especially
from buyer to buyer. It soon became apparent to me that I was pretty much on my own and, perhaps unknown at the time, in over my head when it came to marketing organic grain. Buyer integrity, inconsistent grain quality demands, logistics, payment delays, and especially competitive pricing became a part of every transaction.
Not a whole lot has changed over the past 40 years or more since I sent my first load of organic soybeans down the driveway. We still have buyer fraud. Trucking continues to be a challenge at times, and the depressed price of organic grain is certainly on the minds of most experienced organic growers. As the saying goes: “We need to talk.”
And that opportunity to talk will be happening at the Thursday session of the annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis. on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. OFARM will be hosting an afternoon program titled: The Future of Organic Grain Marketing. Much of the four-hour session will be
interactive and center around how producers will be shaping the future for both production practices and marketing opportunities of organic grain.
Attendees will hear about the current state of organic grain production from experienced growers from the leading grain producing states across the Midwest. These reports, firsthand experiences, and commentaries will center on grain production and will include current livestock feed demands, supporting marketing infrastructures, and the evolving organic food industry. Major influences in production and marketing, including the import story, changing domestic regulations, and entry of major corporate food and feed grain companies will be part of the discussion.
With the increasing production and supply of both domestic and imported food and feed grains, competition for organic grains continues to decrease, consequently putting downward pressure on
Photo credit: Beautiful Beard Grain Farm, St. Paul, Minn.
prices while allowing buyers to be significantly more demanding on quality. A part of the afternoon will include experienced growers discussing how they handle grain production from seed bag to semi load out.
Discussions will include planting dates, seeding rates, creative weed management practices, harvesting for best out-of-the-combine quality, and most importantly, proper storage to assure ongoing grain marketability when the buyer demand peaks. Topics like crop insurance, government programs, certification agencies, and certification cost share will be touched on with ample opportunity for interactive discussion, including conversations about mistakes as well as success stories across all of these areas.
But in the end, even if we are the best grain producers, how are we assured that prices offered truly reflect the market? How do we negotiate on a level playing field with the buyers who are fast becoming the international players we are all familiar with from the conventional arena. Through a well-planned interactive venue that will rely heavily on your input, we hope to share many of organic grain marketing myths and realities that OFARM marketers and their respective co-op members have dealt with and encountered these many years.
So, whether you are in the early stages of transitioning to organic or are old hands at production and marketing, we welcome your participation in this discussion to help
define, strategize, and plot the course for the future of organic grain production and marketing.
Carmen Fernholz is a family farmer from Madison in western Minnesota. After a short career of six years in public education, he and his wife Sally bought an 80acre farm which, over some 46 years, has grown to more than 400 acres today.
BoarD Q&a
dela ends
Dela Ends, former Marbleseed Board Chair and organic farmer at Scotch Hill Farm, is interviewed by Alexandria Baker, Marbleseed’s Development and Communications Director, to mark the end of her tenure on the Board.
Alexandria Baker: What motivated you to join the Marbleseed Board initially, and how has your understanding of the organization’s impact evolved over your term?
Dela Ends: The board was very different when I originally joined in 2016. I had served on FairShare’s Board and helped start South Central Farmer’s Union chapter. This was helpful knowledge and experience to bring to Marbleseed (then MOSES). I really enjoyed being on boards for farming organizations but didn’t know how much work I was getting into on the MOSES/Marbleseed Board. This board requires a great deal of time and attention, particularly because I served as an officer for most of my time on the Board.
A.B.: How did your work on the Board influence your own farming practices?
D.E.: Being a part of the changing landscape of the food and farming movement is very important, although my personal farming
practices would be the same whether I served or not. I have been an organic farmer since the mid-1990s. By the time I joined the Board, my farming business was well established.
A.B.: What have been some of the most notable changes or challenges in the organic farming community during your tenure on the Board, and how did the organization address them?
D.E.: The conference grew substantially over my time on the Board. Money that once sustained the organization was primarily from the conference. Now that isn’t the case, which is a huge challenge. The Board would like to see a balance between grant funding and in-house programming, projects, and conference earnings. There are exciting new ideas brewing.
A.B.:Can you share a moment or initiative from your time on the Board that particularly inspired you or reinforced your belief in the importance of this work?
D.E.: When I originally joined, MOSES’ first Executive Director, Faye Jones, was leaving, and she had really gotten the ball rolling. After Faye left, there were some challenging times to get through, and direction
was changing. When Lori was hired, things stabilized. The Board had a lot of work to keep things moving. I learned a lot about people management and what the organization really needed. We had the biggest years of the conference in 2017 and 2018 in terms of attendance at the conference. I wonder what was drawing so many people in at the time? COVID turned things upside down, and that’s when Lori became Executive Director. I’ve learned that staying ahead of the curve and being cutting edge is really important for the organization.
A.B.: As you step down from your board role, what advice would you give to the incoming members to help them continue advancing the organization’s goals?
D.E.: Time is hard. It takes time to learn, takes time to be on a board. Ask a lot of questions. We need to focus on the future, and the future challenges are big. In terms of fighting climate change, organics is a great answer, but the climate crisis is very serious. How can we be prepared? Flooding and storms are terrible for soil health. To me, the top priority is addressing climate change. But we also must address the corporate takeover of organics. The word regenerative is getting
co-opted, and it’s an important word. How do we keep the integrity of the language or find better language to describe what we do? Educating consumers is very important.
A.B.: Looking ahead, how do you plan to stay involved with organic farming and education, and what are your hopes for the future of this field?
D.E.: I think more political action needs to happen with farming. I plan to continue advocating for local entrepreneurs. We haven’t finished our efforts to make cottage food products legal in Wisconsin. Value-added products can make a big contribution to the financial stability of small farms. On our farm, Scotch Hill Farm, we always tried to be innovative. I am an advocate for local production, because I believe in building a strong local and regional food system. The importance of buying local is imperative. Local, organic food. It’s unfortunate when the word community in CSA becomes a commodity. Being part of a community, we need to act and think differently. And that’s what MOSES/Marbleseed is--a community. One thing we have to remember is that it’s important to move with a changing landscape, but it is equally as important to remember our legacy. Marbleseed does a great job of bringing in new farmers, but there needs to be a bridge to the older generation. The tent needs to be big enough for everyone. There was a time (in the 90s) when the elders were young, and they were the organic innovators.
A.B.: What were some of the biggest lessons you learned about leadership and collaboration while serving on the Board?
D.E.: I’ve really enjoyed my leadership role on the Board. Enjoyed being on the Executive Committee, knowing everything that was going on. I was on the Board Nominations Committee my entire tenure as well, which gave me a lot of influence on who is/was leading the organization. This work is time consuming. We have had wonderful board members who were able to lead the organization as a team and for that, I am grateful.
A.B.: How do you see the relationship between organic farming and broader issues like climate change or food equity, and how did the organization work to address these connections?
D.E.: I am very proud of Marbleseed’s work on the WI Local Food Purchasing Assistance program and uplifting small-scale farmers. Marbleseed is definitely on the right track with this work, and any way to continue supporting small/mid-sized farmers to get a foothold is necessary. Marbleseed did a great job with this program, and I hope this effort can be re-directed/continued in some other way. The Marbleseed/MOSES community doesn’t always know how many things are going on outside the
conference in terms of programming at the organization. It would be great to continue spreading the word about all the other amazing programming.
A.B.: Anything you’re looking forward to for the 36th Organic Farming Conference?
D.E.: I will be presenting and looking forward to being there in a different capacity. I am also thinking about how there used to be more legislators at the conference and the Board would meet and talk to them. Maybe we can revive this? I think it’s very important to have the Board (and staff) talk to these decision-makers.
A.B.: Anything else you’d like to share?
D.E.: Nine years is a long time on the Board, and I am ready to pass the torch! It’s important to keep new voices and people coming through the organization, and we have some great new faces on the Board right now.
minnesota Women in conserVation launches thanks to Wisconsin’s success
By Dr. Esther Durairaj and Burke Murphy
Innovative opportunities and resources for women interested in conservation are blooming in Minnesota through the launch of a new initiative: Minnesota Women in Conservation (MNWiC).
Modeled after Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC), which started in 2020 and has grown into an award-winning program pioneering women-focused, learning circle-based education for women landowners, this new initiative in Minnesota is led by Renewing the Countryside (RTC) with support from USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS). The Minnesota program is bringing together women across the state for peer-based learning to better steward the land.
“Renewing the Countryside is honored to continue and build on the success of WiWiC and lead the first expansion of this program to a new state,” shares Jan Joannides, Executive Director of RTC. “Once we saw the impact of WiWiC, we needed to expand this into Minnesota.”
Wisconsin roots
The initial seeds for Wisconsin Women in Conservation actually started at the Marbleseed (then MOSES) Conference, back in 2020, when the NRCS State Conservationist at the time, Angela Biggs, expressed a need for more targeted programming for women in Wisconsin. This launched the conversations that resulted in WiWiC, a partnership program led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) in collaboration with RTC, Wisconsin Farmers Union, and Marbleseed.
Since then, WiWiC has hosted hundreds of events and connections for women throughout the state, uniquely utilizing a peer-based learning model called “learning circles.”
“Research has shown that this learning circle environment works exceptionally well for women interested in conservation, especially in creating a welcoming and inclusive space for women to connect on these topics,” shares Dr. Esther Durairaj, WiWiC Program Director at MFAI. Through Durairaj’s leadership, WiWiC has expanded into a now five-year award-
winning NRCS program, receiving Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives award from Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.
“WiWiC’s success is rooted in collaborative partnerships, bringing together organization and agency staff to be participants and resource connectors in this welcoming space where women can share their thoughts, goals, and challenges in their journey stewarding their land. We are so excited to support our new ‘sister’ initiative of MNWiC in Minnesota.”
innovative program portfolio
The heart of this Women in Conservation program is to connect women through various events, from learning circles where sufficient time is given for ‘knowing’ the other women who are there, to field days where women can see and learn about conservation practices that are implemented on the land. As a result of launching during the pandemic, WiWiC became adept at using virtual spaces for innovative programming such as a fun “Summer Camp” series of webinars providing conservation information alongside opportunities for women to connect.
“Having NRCS and other conservation professionals at our events helps women learn about conservation and the programs out there to help them implement it on their land,” adds Durairaj.
“WiWiC just completed four years of operation, impacting 30 counties across Wisconsin and connecting almost 4,000 women. In 2024 alone, WiWiC conducted 43 events, 33 of which were in-person.”
Another key element of this project is supporting women landowners with free technical assistance to
Photo credit: Justine Bursoni
develop a conservation plan for their land, adding up to almost 200 conservation plans over a four-year period in Wisconsin, 20% of which are Environmental Quality Incentives Program plans, where the landowner or farmers receive a cost share for the conservation practice adopted. A conservation professional walks the land, hears about the landowner’s conservation interests, shares types of practices that could be implemented, and develops a conservation plan for the landowner.
Additionally, this program supports a team of Conservation Coaches, women who are landowners themselves and have implemented conservation practices on their farm. These coaches mentor women interested in conservation, open up their farms for visits, and help network in the community.
In Wisconsin, WiWiC has also created a network of Conservation Educators and runs various events for them, including virtual networking events and a week of happy hour gatherings across the state celebrating an official proclamation by Governor Tony Evers designating a week in July as the “Wisconsin Women in Conservation” week.
To learn more about WiWiC programming, please visit wiwic.org.
expansion in minnesota
“Minnesota is the perfect state to take the WiWiC model and learnings and bring a new era of conservation programming to women in our state,” explains Burke Murphy, the new State Coordinator for MNWiC, based in Red Wing. Murphy brings extensive expertise as a practitioner, educator, and community network builder to this new role, along with an educational background in sustainable community and economic development.
“Thanks to the close partnership with WiWiC, MNWiC was able to launch quickly,” adds Murphy. With this fertile ground in mind, MNWiC launched in the fall of 2024 with Burke leading a team of four regional coordinators, all working closely with Wisconsin and Minnesota Communications Lead, Kriss Marion, to initiate outreach and engagement with women farmers, landowners, land renters, and beginning farmers in four tri-county areas of the state.
“With legs on the ground and enthusiasm high, our team already hosted one field day in northwest Minnesota and a Learning Circle in all four regions, all with conservation topics from soil health and land restoration to tree planting and climate change,” Burke explains. “Each Regional Coordinator is working in concert with regional staff from NRCS, as well as reaching out to the myriad of agencies and organizations working to serve women on the land.”
“From the moment we hosted our first events in Minnesota, we experienced the magic of this networking model of education and connection for women,” Murphy
reflects. “All women-identifying folks are welcome at our events, whether you are just getting started in conservation or a seasoned expert. It is this diversity of perspectives and experiences, shared in a safe setting, that are so empowering to women to build confidence along with an action plan in stewarding their land and connecting with NRCS resources.”
Ways to connect
Looking ahead, MNWiC is planning to keep the momentum going with winter webinars and plans for spring and summer field days. See mnwic.org for more details and to sign up for the newsletter for updates or contact Burke Murphy, State Coordinator, at burke@rtcinfo.org. All events are free for anyone woman-identifying to attend.
Readers are also warmly invited to come meet the WiWiC and MNWiC teams at the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference at a joint workshop on February 22 at 9:00-10:15 a.m. This event will be a place to network with women landowners, farmers, farmworkers, and urban growers who value conservation practices and the professionals who can help you achieve your stewardship dreams.
Share stories and struggles, learn how to expand your network, and see how a professionally prepared conservation plan (provided for free through the program) can both create a roadmap and open opportunities for funding. Bring ideas of what you would like to learn more about in regard to conservation and soil health. See the Marbleseed Conference program when available for more details and location at conference.marbleseed.org.
Dr. Esther Durairaj is the Education Director at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and is also a trained agronomist. Apart from leading the Wisconsin Women in Conservation, her research includes work on cover crops, industrial hemp, and millets. She can be reached at eshekinah@michaelfields.org
Burke Murphy is the MNWiC State Coordinator and brings years of experience leading regional initiatives in the U.S. and Latin America, focusing on cultivating resilient communities, advocating to retain value with shorter supply chains, training and hiring locally, and trusting that inclusion is the path to progress. Burke is highly motivated to elevate the strength and diversity of experience that women bring to the practice of conservation.
marbleseed’s local Food Promotion Program: Funded meat Processing study nearing comPletion
By Sara Mooney and Thomas Manley
On October 1, 2024, Grassworks, a membership organization that provides leadership and education to promote grass-based agriculture, partnered with the Wisconsin Local Food Purchasing Assistance program, the LFPP, and Marbleseed to host a multi-day event titled “After the Farm.” Farmers, teachers, cooperative operators, and ag professionals gathered to talk about making the most of each animal after it leaves the farm. It was an opportunity to make connections between farmers, educators, and groups working to make inroads to increase meat processing capacity in the region.
Held at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building (MSABDB), the event aimed to connect small meat farmers working to increase local meat processing capacity in the region. At an opening reception, farmers shared innovations, tales from the field, and challenges in their communities and at their farms. Jared Siverling, owner of Siverling Century Farm in Bloomer, Wis. shared his farm’s answer to the question of quality, humane processing by opening an on-site butcher shop to custom process his farm’s grass-fed beef and hogs as well as those from several other local small farms. With the demand for locally raised and grass-fed meats on a long, steady increase, Siverling Centennial Farm has taken the on-farm concept farther still by opening an on-farm market. He encourages others to become involved in their animals’ processing at their local butcher shop saying, “I don’t know a processor who wouldn’t welcome a farmer to work in the shop, wrapping their own meat. This work requires some physical effort. People need to know that this is real, hard flippin’
work!” That connection between producer and processor, according to Siverling, is vital to his operation adding, “You’re not going to make yourself independently wealthy building a butcher shop, but we’re happy we did.”
As an owner of Nordik Meats in Viroqua, Wis., Rod Ofte, also a panelist for the day’s producer panel, places special emphasis on the retention of qualified meat cutters. “Nordik cross trains and promotes from within,” adding, “because we are super fair, pay well, and keep them happy and have a profit-sharing plan, we have a waiting list of people who want to work at Nordik.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Jill Gaskell, attendee and board treasurer of Meatsmith Co-Op. The co-op is actively working to open a facility in southern Wisconsin where fair wages and for employees is a stated value. Heather Opporn, Meatsmith member and meat processing coordinator at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, teaches Artisanal Modern Meat Butchery, a technical diploma program that inserts students in all aspects of the meat production industry. To bolster development of a dedicated workforce, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has funded tuition for all enrollees through the Meat Talent Development Grant.
The MSABDB, which opened in 2020, is a state-of-the-art meat science resource as well as community resource. The building serves not only as a teaching and research facility but as a site of collaborations that will advance meat sciences and promote healthy and safe meats. A side of beef hung ready for processing in a refrigerated processing room behind floor to ceiling glass. After an introduction to the facility and the programs and mission, Jeffrey Sindelar, Professor
and Extension Meat Specialist in the Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences, led a beef carcass breakdown for the assembled group. A cameraman followed the action in the cutting room, and the images were projected to large screens so participants could view the action in close detail while witnessing the physical labor of cutting a beef. Listening and questioning as the process unfolded gave the participants a unique opportunity to understand the physicality as well as the artistry required to turn a carcass into beautiful cuts of meat. There was palpable respect for the animal and the act of butchering on the part of Sinclair and his assistants. As the beef was broken down, an interactive and lively discussion of factors that contributed to the quality of each cut, and how that cut’s quality is graded, was going on between farmers and Sindelar’s team of staff and graduate students. Next, a lamb carcass was tackled and the conversation continued.
The butchering demonstration was followed by a tour of the MSABDB. Food safety is of paramount importance in the facility, so everyone donned red smocks, hair nets, and shoe covers. Then farmers broke into smaller groups to get a close-up look at the methods and equipment used in modern meat processing. The importance of worker safety and comfort, humane animal handling, and product quality were on display throughout the facility. The facility houses several room-sized meat smokers, used to test and teach smoking techniques, and another room was prepped and ready for the creation of pork sausages. Conversation during the event often returned to the shortage of skilled butchers that are important to the success of small meat-producing farmers. Cooperative efforts and continuing education programs point to the need to increase capacity for locally processed meats. Farmers in the
region continue to struggle to find and keep good working relationships with processors. Efforts to restore the viability of a career in meat processing as well as respect for the craft are gaining traction throughout the Upper Midwest. For example, the MSABDB hosts a series of workshops that advance the Master Meat Crafter accreditation. The day’s participants included members of a new meat processing cooperative and regional aggregators who echoed the need for greater capacity while networking to build upon existing capacity.
The tour was followed by another eye-opening and interactive session--this time in a learning space equipped for cooking. Here, Chef Jack Kaestner of Milwaukee Area Technical College explained how the different muscles, which function as a part of an animal’s musculoskeletal system, affect the texture and marbling of the resulting meat. A special surprise guest chef and James Beard award winner, Justin Aprahamian of Sanford restaurant in Milwaukee, cooked alongside Chef Kaestner as he explained savvy uses of some of the less glamorous cuts of beef and lamb. During the demonstration, an informal but very natural picture of how chefs work best with local meat producers took shape. Chef Kaestner shared incredibly rich and hearty stock and jelly recipes vital to the restaurant business, reminding us of their importance in the efficient utilization of every scrap our animals have to offer. Farmers sampled humble, inexpensive cuts of meat like lamb shoulder made elegant with the use of flavorful sauces and appropriate cooking techniques. Farmers also learned how the coarseness and fat ratios of ground meats affect taste and texture. While also being delicious, the session reminded meat producers to respect the humble cuts and to promote their utility to buyers.
After a lunch break and still more lively conversation and networking, a farmer panel took place on raising animals for wholesale markets. Panelists included Rachel Bouressa of Bouressa Family Farm, grass-fed beef and dairy farmer Carl Flaig, Niman Ranch’s Cody Hiemke, Beth Heinze, and Laura Paine. Conversation centered around building relationships with buyers to deliver the best possible product for each buyer’s needs. In the last session of the eventful day, producers in the room shared methods, ideas, and contacts, hopefully indicating more to come in supporting each other while growing capacity.
Sara Mooney is one of Marbleseed’s Local Food Purchasing Specialists and Thomas Manley is Marbleseed’s Climate and Conservation Director.
Marbleseed’s Pasture, Process, Plenty: Studying a Local Meat Supply Chain, funded by the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) was initiated to address the meat processing challenges, both current and anticipated, that are impacting farmers, processors, and consumers in northwestern Wisconsin. The project began during the pandemic at a time when processing capacity was stretched to the limit everywhere and was presenting very real difficulties for small and medium-sized producers in the region. Two-year wait times for processing dates were a reality forcing farmers to make tough decisions to limit the economic and management impacts on their operations.
Much has changed in the two years we have been working on our study. Investments in infrastructure and equipment, made possible by state and federal funding, have had some impact, but two problems have emerged as primary issues to focus on to both improve and prevent further weakening of the system and capacity that the region currently has:
• Much like farms themselves, many processing businesses in the region are owned and operated by folks who are “aging out” and looking for a strategy or opportunity to transfer their businesses to new ownership. This has historically been shown to be difficult to do successfully for both parties.
• Limited labor resources and the difficulties associated with recruiting, training, and retaining employees to do this demanding work is the biggest hurdle preventing processors from utilizing available grants and supports to expand their operations.
As we work to outline our final report and illuminate a path forward for future implementation, we are connecting stakeholders to help guide the creation of a regional network to recruit, train, and connect butchers to the businesses that need them. We know much of this work is being performed now by people from immigrant communities, mostly in larger industrial-scale processing facilities with few worker protections or opportunities for advancement. We know better opportunities exist in more modestly sized businesses across the region. We are working with partners to navigate the immigration, language, and cultural challenges we face in making these connections. We know that many young people who have grown up in these rural communities are looking for rewarding hands-on work that continues to connect them to family farms while offering a livable wage. We need to reach and train these young people. We also know that farmers often have a vested interest in learning these skills and may be willing and even eager to work part-time with their processing “partners.” This feels like the low-hanging fruit.
We will be convening stakeholders between now and the 2025 Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference, where we will host a session highlighting what we have learned and what we believe the next steps are. Our goal is to create a network that recruits and trains workers and connects them directly with fair-wage jobs in the region and ultimately provides paths to ownership as businesses transition. If you are a processor, educator, advocate for immigrant communities, or have any expertise that you believe can help us design solutions and you would like to be a part of the discussions, please reach out. The more voices the better, and many hands make for light work.
This work has been supported by funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (award number AM22LFPPWI1126-00).
not their Fault
By Mark Doudlah
Our school children are suffering from autism, allergies, mental illness, depression, rage, and inability to concentrate. The common denominator across our kids is the USDA School Lunch Act. Children are what they eat--the right food is the foundational building block enabling a great education and productive student.
We are at health crossroads in the U.S. In recent years, food and wellness have risen to the forefront as an important political issue, but the health and education of our kids and the future of this country is not a bipartisan issue! There is a new bill in the Senate that would overhaul the USDA school lunch program by banning foods with contaminants above safe levels. This bill would benefit kids and farmers, and it needs our support.
Why would an organic farmer (me) go to Washington, D.C. in the middle of 2023 harvest to speak to a congressional USDA panel about the school lunch program? Selfishly I have kids too and was asked by Moms Across America. If you have kids, you have skin in the game. Kids are truly the only legacy and future we have. What did we find in our kids through the USDA School Lunch Act?
In one word: toxins. Moms Across America, founded by Zen Honeycutt, asked moms to purchase 43 local USDA school lunches in 13 states, freeze them, and overnight the meals to HRI Labs, founded by John Fagan in Fairfield, Iowa. John’s specialty is “making the unseen seen,” as measured in parts per billion and even parts per trillion for hormones.
Honestly, it’s not the farmers fault either. As a once proud chemical farmer who was programed to “feed the world” (regardless of the environmental harm to this nation), I was shocked by the Moms Across America findings. When I was farming with chemicals, I was bound by regulation and adhered to pesticide product labels that were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). How then was glyphosate, now a household name (Roundup) and a patented boiler cleaner and antibiotic prior to becoming the world’s most popular herbicide, found in 93% of the school lunch samples? Another 74% contained one of 29 harmful pesticides. Four veterinary drugs and hormones were found in nine USDA school lunches. All 100% of lunch samples contained heavy metals at levels up to 6,293 times higher than EPA’s max levels allowed in drinking water. Many of these toxins contribute to or cause neurodevelopment disturbances, immune system damage, hormone disruption, cancer, liver disease, tumors, and more.
Most samples were also low in nutrients, creating hidden hunger syndrome. Kids must have nutrient
dense food to promote healthy behaviors and for their brains to function well.
I, as a once chemical farmer, did not understand that chemistry (including most synthetic and refined mined fertilizer) kills off the biological life in the soil, creating poor nutrition in the food. I was told in UW Extension agronomy meetings in the 80s that a product like Roundup is inert once it hits the ground. Today, as a Tested Clean and certified organic farmer, I know that glyphosate and its metabolite, AMPA, may last up to 25 years in clay soil.
We don’t need any more research studies that would kick the can down the road for 5 or 10 years--precious time that our schools and nation no longer have. It is quite clear from the scientific studies that in as little as one week we can have significant reduction of these pesticides, hormones, and many heavy metals from an organic diet fed to our kids!
Increased nutrient density with an organic diet is a key fundamental building block for education. In addition, 68 million organic meals per day will have a regenerating effect on our local organic farms. The organic foodproducing local farmers need this market pull to remain viable.
Wisconsin is leading the way to create a path with the Farm-to-School grant program for farmers and
Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative for logistic support. Certainly, the farms are local, and many of these farms are even organic. Some farms are even supplying minimally processed organic vegetables and fruit needs to schools. It may take several years to ramp up to 100% organic delivered food to every school, but it is critical to ensure the food going to the school is organic.
Senator Booker (D) from N.J. has introduced Safe Schools Meals Act (introduced Sept. 18, 2024) Bill S.5084 to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to ban foods with contaminants above safe levels in or on the final products served in USDA school meals. If the “safe level” of contamination (tolerances) cannot be agreed to after two years, the standard shall be zero.
Urgent action is needed NOW! The bill currently needs a Republican co-sponsor for the Democratic-introduced Senate bill. Please call your senators and house representatives and ask for them to support and vote ‘YES’ on Safe School Meals Act S.5084 TODAY!
One thing is clear--we will pay these student costs either way. Will we choose “Sick Care” or organic food for our collective future? Let’s let our kids have the ability to be HONOR Students!
Mark Doudlah is a 5th generation farmer. His legacy leaves his farming practices and knowledge of certified organic, regenerative, biodynamic, and Tested Clean to son, Jason Doudlah. Their mission is education and clean food for every consumer and school district across the U.S.
Further resources:
National School Lunch Testing for Glyphosate, Pesticides, Heavy Metals, Hormones, Veterinary Drugs, and Nutrients Revealed. momsacrossamerica. com/national_school_lunch_testing
Health Research Institute. hrilabs.org/
Study Shows Toxic Pesticide Levels in Families
Dropped by 60% After One-Week Organic Diet. commondreams.org/news/2019/02/12/studyshows-toxic-pesticide-levels-families-dropped-60after-one-week-organic-diet
S.5084—Safe School Meals Act of 2024. congress. gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5084/text
economic and enVironmental clusters oF oPPortunity: an exPanded Program suPPorts croP diVersiFication in minnesota
By Matt Leavitt
Diversifying crop rotations is top of mind for many growers across the Upper Midwest this year. The downturn in both organic and conventional commodity markets has led many producers to consider options outside of the standard corn--soybean production system. Diversifying corn--soybean rotations with other crops, especially winter annual grains and oilseeds, adds numerous benefits to a farm system, including building soil health, minimizing soil and nutrient loss, breaking pest and disease cycles, spreading out workloads and income streams, and aiding in climate resiliency.
However, increased diversity can come with some increased risk to growers, especially if crops grown have no crop insurance coverage, markets are far away, and income and contracting are uncertain.
State and federal resources can play an important role in reducing risk to producers growing new and novel crops, specifically those that have tangible ecosystem and farm system benefits, until established crop insurance and crop support pathways exist.
This is where a program like the Forever Green Environmental and Economic Clusters of Opportunity (EECO) comes into play. This program supports the early commercial success and environmental benefits of four perennial or winter annual crops being developed by
the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative, including winter camelina, winter barley, hybrid winter rye, and Kernza® perennial grain.
Roughly half of program funding supports environmental benefit and risk management financial assistance to growers adopting these crops. Specifically, the program offers environmental benefit payments to growers growing these four crops that range from $20 - 50/acre depending on soil type, region, and rotation. Acres located in Drinking Water Supply Management Areas (DWSMAs) receive a premium. It also offers risk protection in the form of a payment covering up to half the cost of production due to crop failure, market failure, or other situations where the crop is not marketable.
The other half of program funding supports technical assistance including a full-time field agronomist and an adoption and contracting specialist. The program has also supported growers to serve as peer-topeer technical assistance providers and agricultural and natural resources conservation organizations to provide community-based support to growers. Lastly, the program supports select grower-led projects that will increase or improve grower adoption of these crops. By coupling environmental benefit payments, risk management, and technical assistance, EECO is a nationally innovative program that supports onfarm adoption of new crops that ‘bake in’ soil health principles.
Funded by the State of Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund, the program was developed in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and is being implemented by University of Minnesota (UMN) Forever Green’s Commercialization, Adoption, and Scaling team along with the support of key institutional and local partners across the state. This program is only available to producers within the state of Minnesota, but we hope to build momentum towards leveraging this model of risk management on state, regional, and national levels in the future. Thus far the EECO program has received three rounds of state funding totaling $1.7 million, and cumulatively about 3,000 acres were enrolled through the 2024 growing season.
We were interested in Kernza® for its environmental benefits because we were trying to find crops that could grow and produce biomass on sandy soils. Unfortunately we seeded it during a drought so our stand wasn’t very good, but that’s where the EECO program came in and helped us to reduce our risk and to still be able to get some income from the Kernza®, in addition to the hay and forage produced. We have been grateful for the support and advice with both the Kernza® and winter camelina that we have grown. Both crops have potential for soil health benefits in our system, and we look forward to continuing to work with Forever Green to fit these crops into our system.
– Benjamin Tabert, Trinity Creek Ranch, Inc.
By prioritizing stateWide development of eecos, this regional strategy Will:
• Site early commercial hybrid rye, winter barley, winter camelina, and Kernza® production in areas with vulnerable groundwater, thereby maximizing water quality benefits.
• Achieve economic efficiencies in production, cleaning/processing, logistics, etc. that will support commercial success.
• Encourage development of related supply chains and markets in these areas.
• Foster community stewardship and leadership around these Forever Green crops.
• Drive the economic, environmental, and social benefits of these new crops to rural Minnesota communities.
Who is eligiBle for eeco?
The EECO program is now in its third round of secured funding from the state. The initial pilot targeted Kernza® growers in four areas of Minnesota plus all Tribal Nations. The second round of funding expanded this program to winter annual grains and oilseeds, hybrid rye, winter barley, and winter camelina. In the third round, the entire state of Minnesota will be eligible, including all Tribal Nations. The EECO program will cover up to 100 acres per crop per operation and up to 250 acres total per operation.
Top priority will be given to commercial row crop acres located in DWSMAs or Wellhead Protection Areas (WHPAs) as water quality is a top concern of the EECO program. For those growers within DWSMAs or WHPAs, a 25% premium will be included in the ecosystem service payment.
ecosystem service and risk-sharing payments for groWers in the implementation program
• The Forever Green EECO Implementation Program includes a de-risking payment program for enrolled growers:
• Ecosystem service payments range from $25--50 per acre per year based on field-specific nitrate leaching reductions as modeled by the USDA Nutrient Tracking Tool.
Economic risk payments up to 50% of the estimated cost of production in the event of on-farm or market failure. This is an outcomes-based and crop-specific payment triggered in the event of loss, much like insurance but with no premium. Documentation of on-farm or market failure must be included to receive payout. If a crop succeeds in the market, bringing in returns above the cost of production, there is no economic risk payout. Cost of production will be based on a standardized enterprise budget using publicly available county-specific average land rental rates.
What other kinds of sUpport are availaBle?
In addition to financial support, the program offers technical assistance from an agronomy specialist and educational resources, field days, and events from university, industry, and community partnerships. There is additional support through the program for mobile grain drying units, grain testing services, and targeted market research.
Growers are also encouraged to seek out additional financial support through federal programs, including opportunities through Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Climate Smart Commodities Program, as many of these can be additively stacked with EECO.
In many cases, federal programs require quite a bit of advanced planning to access; it’s recommended to visit your NRCS office at least one year in advance of planting. Contracts with government agencies must be signed before any planting or management change can be eligible for coverage.
hoW do i enroll?
Minnesota growers can enroll at the following link: z.umn.edu/EnrollEECO
If you intend to enroll a Kernza® field in this program, you must be a registered Kernza® grower. Kernza®
stands will be eligible for program enrollment for each stand’s first three years of production, and existing plantings will also be eligible. If you’ve never grown Kernza® before, you must first apply to be a Kernza® license holder with The Land Institute).
impact to date
Since the rollout of the EECO program in fall of 2022 through fall of 2024, we’ve enrolled ~1,000 Kernza® acres, ~1,200 acres of hybrid rye, and about 800 acres of winter camelina with ~$290,000 paid out directly to growers for ecosystem services and/or risk management.
UMN Forever Green is hopeful that a strong case can be made to expand and replicate this program model for wider adoption of Kernza® perennial grain, winter camelina, hybrid rye, and winter barley. We also recognize that there are many other crops not currently covered by this program that can help diversify crop rotations and confer numerous ecosystem benefits to a farm system (e.g., oats underseeded with plowdowns, winter wheat, etc.). This program is one approach of many that are needed to incentivize diversity and lower the risk of incorporating new crops into rotation.
We also firmly understand that the basis of all decisionmaking on crop rotation is availability of markets for new and diversified crops, and without a market, growing new crops won’t be a profitable or feasible option for most folks. Forever Green’s approach to crop diversification includes breeding and development of new perennial and winter annual crops but also includes market development with food companies, agricultural industry partners, and small and mediumsized businesses. Durable and profitable market outlets are critical to the long-term success of diversified production systems, and Forever Green has dedicated staff and deep partnerships in this work.
We hope that this model of state investment, university support, local leadership, and risk-sharing can be a model for advancing environmental and economic solutions for producers in the Upper Midwest.
Matt Leavitt is the Perennial and Winter Annual Agronomy Specialist with University of Minnesota Forever Green, helping farmers of all types around Minnesota and the region adopt new and novel continuous living cover crops into their rotations. Prior to this, he worked for 12 years as the organic seed lead and agronomist at Albert Lea Seed, a diversified farm seed company in Albert Lea, Minn. He also serves as the national steering committee chair of the Organic Agronomy Training Service. Matt completed his master’s degree in agronomy at the University of Minnesota studying organic no-till production with cover crops. He lives in Minneapolis with his family.
Further resources:
UMN’s Forever Green EECO program overview: forevergreen.umn.edu/eeco-implementationprogram-helps-farmers-diversify-crop-rotationsprotect-soil-and-water
UMN’s Forever Green Initiative webpage: forevergreen.umn.edu/
Green Lands Blue Waters Kernza® field trial results: greenlandsbluewaters.org/wp-content/ uploads/2022/06/Research-Summary-KernzaField-Trial-Results-Pipestone-and-Chatfield-MNMar2022.pdf
Enter your address to see whether you farm in a DWSMA or WHPA: z.umn.edu/MN-DWSMA-map
Apply to be a Kernza® license holder with the Land Institute: thelandinstitute.submittable.com/submit
Local NRCS office finder: nrcs.usda.gov/contact/ find-a-service-center
NRCS program sign-up deadlines: nrcs.usda.gov/ ranking-dates
EECO enrollment form: z.umn.edu/EnrollEECO
C OWSMO COMPOS T
forages
For Sale: Alfalfa and Alfalfa/Grass Bales
Alfalfa and alfalfa/grass large square bales. Organic certified. Quality tested. Shipping available throughout country. Price varies on cutting. Located in Linton, ND. Dave Silbernagel 208-867-9939.
For Sale: Small Square Bales
Small square bales for sale. $5 each. No rain. Some alf/ grass mix and some straight grass. The straight grass is Albert Lea Seed Dan Patch Blend. Perfect for horses. Local delivery available. Call 507-259-1964 or email pschmidty86@gmail.com.
land
For Rent: Certified Organic Storage Facility
272,000 bu of grain storage located on Interstate 29. 30 miles south of Fargo, ND. Consists of 8 separate steel bins. Please call for more information. Vince @ 701640-3476
eqUipment
Equipment For Sale: Kuhns bale accumulator and tie grabber. $12,000 Comb Cutter. price reduced. $10,000 GT grain cleaner. 12 feet in length. $2700 IH 20 ft grain drill with grass seed attachment. $5,000 Call 612-290-8436 or email stan@vkfarmmgt.com
miscellaneoUs
Free Aged Horse Manure: 11 tons of aged horse manure available in Deerfield, WI. Free, estimating 4.3 lbs of N, 13 lbs of P2O4, and 9.5 lbs of K2O per ton. Call 608-347-4739 or email trident. farm3@gmail.com
For Sale: Custom Plant Starts Onion plant starts: paterson, redwing, candy, and leeks. Order form on our website www.gitsfresh.com or call 563.379.3951 to order. Other custom organic plant starts available upon request.
classified ad placement
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