ABOUT US
A B O U T U S
We are a husband and wife run CSA Share farm, established in 2012 by Owner Ben Brown. 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.
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We are sustainably farming about 15 acres of land this 2024 season. We've got land at our farm that we work and then we also rent land from a neighbor for our sweet corn.
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We started our farm by "sprinkling seeds anywhere, anyone would let us". Being first generational farmers means we didn't inherit equipment or land; we used what we could afford and grew slowly.
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We used to farm 3 acres in Big Lake, 3 acres in Elk River, and another 5 acres in Zimmerman. Of course, it isn’t ideal to have to travel between fields, but we were adamantly working towards owning our farm.
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WE BOUGHT OUR FOREVER FARM IN 2020.
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Now we're farming our land here and we aren't traveling anywhere really. Our corn is next door basically. This is ideal for saving time, energy and money too.
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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This seems to be a perfect fit. Many of my soil sciences and aquatic biology classes have contributed to our understanding of watersheds, wells, surface/ ground water irrigation, and many other biological indicators that we are happy to have as tools on our farm.
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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