SUSTAINABLE
FARMING
Active farm management that supports optimal soil health and overall diversity.
OUR FARMING PRACTICES
We grow our produce with integrity knowing that we are doing everything we can to produce the highest quality, most nutritionally dense, & flavorful! We grow a huge variety of fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs for our Members every season. I will go over some of our farming practices below.
Transparency and trust are both very important to our CSA, know your food & know your farmer!
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CROP ROTATION
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Crop rotation is one of the most important sustainable farming techniques. Ben has a map of what produce was planted in which field, every season. With Crop Rotation we can plan our fields accordingly to help eliminate disease transfer while using the nutrients in the field strategically. Some varieties of produce and fruit use larger amounts of certain nutrients like Phosphorous, Nitrogen & Potassium than others so it is strategic to plant one variety (needing a higher nutrient quantity) after a previous variety was planted in the same location (that used less of that certain nutrient). Crop Rotation also helps deter pests, especially boring insects.
HERBICIDE FREE
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We do not use herbicides. We weed by hand or weed with a hoe. This is a very important maintenance task in the field and is important to keeping good root structure in our plants. Even though we recognize how much time this takes to hoe an entire field, we feel that we are willing to put in the extra time because it is important to keep things as natural as possible for all of us.
We have always had bees on our farm here. Over the course of all of our field locations over the years we've had 4 different beekeepers working with us. This year we will have another 6 colonies at our house by the pond!
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*Farmer Ben did use a propane torch one time and that did work well but we realized quickly we wouldn't be able to use that on a scalable level, it wasn't very fast. ​
BLACK MULCH
In some parts of our fields, black mulch is laid down the entire length of the rows. Black mulch is beneficial because it warms up the soil increasing plant growth early in the spring; it can help insulate from frosts, it reduces topsoil drifting, and it keeps the weeds down. Black mulch is a common technique used by organic farms. We are not certified organic, but we will use sustainable farming methods whenever we can.
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We use black mulch with a few varieties, a great example is the vining crops like melons. Watermelons send shoots out in every direction which makes it very difficult to use a hoe without damaging their vines. Using black mulch eliminates the need for hoeing at all, and it gives the melons extra heat in the spring which results in more blooms and more melons!
PESTICIDES ​
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We use as many natural methods in our fields as possible, but we would use a pesticide if we were at risk of losing a whole crop. Though we have a lot of practices in place to deter pests in the first place.
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We rarely need to use a pesticide but when we do, it's always a low-impact pesticide that is sold over the counter at stores like Menards. We don't use any restricted use or high-octane chemicals. ​
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DRIP IRRIGATION​
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We use Drip Tape Irrigation instead of overhead watering systems because it conserves water and energy. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture declared this is the safest type of agricultural watering system for food safety.
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Drip tape irrigation is a basically a thin plastic hose that runs the length of the rows, it has small pin-prick holes every 6 inches and waters the plants slowly allowing more water to go to the roots, also reducing run-off.
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Another perk to drip tape is that the water doesn’t reach the middle of the rows where weeds like to grow. That allows for more time between hoeings of those fields because the weeds obviously don’t grow as fast if they aren’t watered.
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NATURAL FERTILIZERS
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Nutrient management is a huge task on a produce farm. Of course crop rotation does help, most farms end up supplementing. We raise heritage hogs here and they eat free choice grains and fresh produce every day.
Composted manure is spread across the fields to help supplement nutrients! We are utilizing every tool at our disposal, and proud to make this a full circle, sustainable farm.
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CERTIFICATIONS
​We were recently certified by the State of Minnesota for our land stewardship! The process required soil tests and other historical data about our farming practices, nutrient management, etc.
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We received the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification from the Dept of Ag.
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"Through this program, the public received assurance that certified producers are using conservation practices to protect Minnesota's lakes, rivers and streams."
We are proud to do right by our family, our customers & our farmland! Read more about our certifications and associations at the link below.