ABOUT US
A B O U T U S
We are a husband and wife run CSA Share farm. We come from humble beginnings, starting our farm on just a few of acres of family land with a handful of seeds. We didn’t have any equipment, seeding trays, or even a tractor, but we made it work. We were young and persistent, investing our income back into the farm every season for years to grow our operation into a viable business that could support our family.
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We rented fields all over the place and in one season had fields in 3 different cities (Big Lake, Elk River and Zimmerman). Being first generational farmers means that we didn't inherit anything when we started, we used what we could afford and grew slowly. Back in 2012 we started our CSA program with 18 Members. Now in 2026 we'll be offering CSA Shares to over 400 families in our area!!
We saved money and waited for the perfect property to come along... In 2020, we were able to make the big jump into a farm property of our own! We bought our Forever Farm in Oak Park, MN. We can manage the acreage how we want and now have complete control of the investment into our soils and drainage.
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Now we're farming our land here and everything is in one place. Except for 2 varieties- we still grow our potatoes in Elk River because the sandy soil it perfect and we also rent land from our neighbor for our sweet corn because we grow so much of it, we don't have room at our farm.
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Since we bought our own farmstead in 2020, we've slowly added livestock to our lineup. Now we're raising heritage hogs every summer and several batches of meat chickens too! I'm excited to see what the next 10 years of our farm holds.
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Literally, our family dream come true.
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If you eat our food, you have a hand in what we create. Thank you for supporting us and our farming endeavors through our CSA program. We are so proud to grow for our community. Thank you for your encouragement and motivation!
H O W I T A L L B E G A N
Ben & I met at Central Lakes College. He was going for a Horticulture degree and I was going for my Natural Resources degree. Fast forward through us finishing our degrees and getting married & starting our family, we knew what our calling was.
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Ben has over 20 years of experience working for the neighbor’s farm, at just 33 years old. His experience has been crucial of course. Ben would help the Nelson's start the greenhouses for bedding plants and potted flowers. Then, transition into farm season with a variety of crops that they grew. A big part of his experience was being at the farmer’s markets. At a young age he was getting experience selling bedding plants and veggies at the St. Paul & Minneapolis Farmer's Markets.
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Ben is the rock in our farm, without him, nothing would be possible! He brings his education and passion together in the fields, and even gets a little giddy when there is a cool cross pollination of colors in the winter squash.
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Hi! I’m Jodi. I am the voice behind our website, our blog posts, and emails. During the harvest season, I enjoy washing, packing and delivering a great majority of your food. Being able to work with the beautiful bounty of the season is my passion!
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I don’t come from a farming background. I grew up in Apple Valley and pursued a career in Natural Resources. Prior to starting our farm, I worked for the DNR in their specialty AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) programs.
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I was the program supervisor for the Brainerd Public school district’s afterschool Science and Nature Program. Through that program, I coordinated many projects with the Soil and Water Conservation District including taking the kids on field trips for fishing and entering an AIS poster contest that was shared throughout the state. We were raising crayfish and tadpoles in aquariums in my class, anything to do with bugs and dirt is my favorite!
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Fast forward a decade and that seems like a different lifetime... We've been operating our family farm full-time for the last decade while raising our kids, learning about life and loving the food we raise here. Wouldn't have it any other way!​
Ben & I are happy to have the opportunity to pursue what we enjoy and sharing it with our 3 kids is very special! They understand a lot of complex natural relationships and enjoy digging and harvesting with us. We're very lucky in that they are so interested in what we're doing. They work on the farm a little bit to save for things they want and it's just such a joy as a parent to see your kids succeed and work hard.
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We are happily growing produce for our community and showing our kids what we think is really important in so many ways. Thank you for supporting our family farm!
You know the expression: THEY GROW LIKE WEEDS.
Thank you for the opportunity to grow for you this season!!
~The Brown Family