All events are located at 14220 Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix unless otherwise noted.   
See Contact us for directions.

April 7, 8 am – noon, Community Workday – Pull Plastic on Tomato Hoop House, lay line for irrigation system. 

May 5, 9 –noon, Community Thread Volunteer Workday  - spring cleaning office, barn, build storage for farmers-in-training, field work with farmers-in-training.

May 12, Noon-4 pm.  Spring Open House and Plan Sale Fall  - Join us for an afternoon of tours,pot luck lunch, purchase flowers and plants for your own garden.  This is also last call for CSA shares, unless we are full by then.   

June 2, 10 am-2 pm., Community Workday- Our projects aren’t identified yet, but they are sure to be fun. 

August, 19, 2012, Dinner On The Farm 5 pm onwards. Family Friendly event – children are free.   

September 23, 2012.  2pm – 8 pm. Big River Slow Food Harvest Dinner on the Farm – Fundraiser for Slow Food MN Twin Cities and MN Food Association. Silent Auction, Dinner cooked by

 October 13, 3:30-8 pm. Harvest Party - Join us for an evening potluck, tours of the farm, a band, bonfire and fun with family and friends.

 Glen

 Glen Hill

Executive Director

Minnesota Food Association

Email: glenhill@mnfoodassociation.org

 May 14, 2012

See you this Saturday!

Glen

Glen Hill

Executive Director

Minnesota Food Association

Email: glenhill@mnfoodassociation.org

May 9, 2012

Check back with us as we will be updating this. 

Tuesdays
White Bear Lake South (35E & Hway 96)
Mahtomedi (WB Unitarian Church)
Stillwater (Broadway & E Pine)
Big River Farms

Thursdays
Mpls South (Butter Bakery @ Grand & 36th)
Mpls South (Mayflower Church @ 56th-Diamond Lake Rd)
St. Paul (St. Anthony, Heath Partners Como Clinic Hwy 280 and Como Ave)
Highland Park (Ford Pkwy & Fairview Ave)
Roseville (Dale St., 1 mi. N of Hwy 36)
Woodbury (Woodwinds Health Center @Hwy 94, 2 miles S. of Hwy 494)

Share Options and Pricing

Gardener’s Special $35
A mixed flat of your favorite herbs and flowers to get your home garden off to a great start! The Special will include a mix of 6-packs, 2” pots & 4” posts of herbs, flowers & specialty variety vegetables to be determined as we move into Spring. The Special is Certified Organic and grown with care in our greenhouse. Flats will be available for pickup at our annual Spring Open House in mid May, just in time for planting out!

Summer’s Best Veggies: farm $540/dropsite $570
18 weekly boxes of Big River Farms’ Certified Organic veggies, delivered to neighborhood sites throughout the Twin Cities and in Stillwater. What’s in the box each week will vary depending on what’s in season and tends to be lighter in the beginning and chock full of goodies come fall. Our Summer’s Best season runs from mid June through mid October - all members receive a CSA Orientation Packet in May detailing everything you’ll need to know about being a CSA member. Members also receive:

* Weekly E-newsletters sharing happenings on the farm, information about what’s in your box, and trusted recipes to try
* Optional MFA Report, a monthly E-newsletter with updates from MFA’s Executive Director, Glen Hill
* Invitations to our all farm events including the Spring Open House, Fall Harvest Party, monthly community workdays, Big River Slow Food Dinner etc.

Fall Harvest Veggies: farm $95/mpls $105
An extension of the Summer’s Best, this share includes 3 boxes of storage vegetables and hardy greens
available for pickup on the farm or delivery to Butter Bakery in Minneapolis. Boxes are packed 10/25, 11/8 & 11/22 - just in time for Thanksgiving.

FruitShare Summer: farm $415/dropsite $425 Fall: farm $123/dropsite $127 - FruitShare offers Organic fresh fruit, picked at its peak, packed carefully and delivered fast - It is NOT LOCAL. Everett Myers, FruitShare founder, grew up on a family farm just a few miles from Big River Farms. After years as a CSA farmer, and then a produce buyer, he developed relationships with organic family farmers throughout the country to bring their best Organic fruit to CSA customers. The Summer FruitShare includes 9 weeks of deliveries of the season’s tastiest Organic fruit, along with an e-newsletter sharing storage tips, recipes and farmer profiles. The Summer FruitShare includes: blueberries, cherries, 2 weeks of mixed fruit that will include pluots and plums and might also include nectarines, avocados, or grapes, 2 weeks of peaches and 2 weeks of apples and pears, some of which may be local. The Summer FruitShares can be picked up at the farm or delivered along with our vegetable shares. The Fall FruitShare will include cranberries, apples,and pears. The Fall FruitShares can be picked up at the farm or delivered along with our Fall Harvest Veggies to limited drop sites.

Barter Shares
Our Barter Shares are filled for the 2012 season.

We have a limited number of Summer’s Best and/or Fall Harvest shares available for work/trade.

We are especially interested in certain skill sets including but not limited to mechanical, foodies who like to create recipes and general office help. Each trade is valued and arranged based on type of work performed. For example, a barter of a mechanic’s services may require fewer hours than a barter of general office help.

Both parties will sign an agreement to the terms of the trade to ensure clear communication regarding expectations on both ends. We’ve had great success with this in the past and look forward to another season of trade relationships in 2012.

• Turn LEFT, heading NORTH on Manning Ave/Cty. Rd. 15 for 7 miles
• Turn RIGHT onto Square Lake Trail/Cty. Rd 7 for 3 miles
• Turn LEFT on Oldfield Road  for 1 mile
• Turn RIGHT at the T in the road for 0.1 mile.
• Take a left into Wilder Forest and follow the signs to the Minnesota Food Association (MFA)

To e-mail a staffperson, please click on the name.

Glen Hill  Executive Director, Ext. 11

Joci Tilsen  Assistant Director, Ext. 14

Aaron Blyth  Big River Farms Manager and CSA Marketing Coordinator, Ext. 12 

Katie Kubovcik  Big River Farms Training Coordinator, Ext. 17

Carleen Kadlek  Big River Farms Production Coordinator, Ext. 13

For broken links or information on the web site, please e-mail the webmaster.

Simple good and tasty - April 30, 2012
A Return to the Fields: Immigrant and Refugee Farmers Find Refuge at Big River Farms by Leigh Ahmad

Twin Cities Daily planet - February 10, 2012
Minnesota conference brings together immigrant and minority farmers by Jeanette Fordyce

Star Tribune - January 18, 2012
Helping farmers to grow skills by Kevin Giles

Pioneer Press - October 13, 2011
At Wilder Forest near Marine on St. Croix, immigrants learn how to be successful organic farmers by Mary Divine

Mpls Star Tribune - October 8, 2011
Immigrant Farmers Plant Seeds for a New Lifeby Kevin Giles

HARVEST FOODSERVICE JOURNAL - JUNE-AUGUST 2011
Training to Meet Demand by Mike Mitchelson
Read about MFA's Farmer Training Program in this summer's issue of Harvest Foodservice Journal.

STAR TRIBUNE - JUNE 22, 2011
"CSAs are a Growing Revolution" by Kim Palmer
"The community-supported agriculture movement is changing the way many Minnesotans shop and eat -- and health professionals are taking notice..."

NEW ROOTS FOR REFUGEES - APRIL 7, 2011
Four farmers from the New Roots for Refugees program traveled to Minnesota to attend the Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference in February.  Read about their experience here: New Roots for Refugees Article

CBS MINNESOTA - APRIL 3, 2011
Story and video about Minnesota Food Association, featuring May Lee.
Metro Farm Teaches New Farmers to Live Better

THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD PROJECT REPORT
ASSESSING FOOD SECURITY AND ACCESS IN SAINT PAUL, MN
The Neighborhood Food Project is pleased to share with you the findings and recommendations of our recent community food assessment.  The assessment was aimed to be a grassroots approach to look at food security and access issues in four communities in Saint Paul, MN.  Our assessment process included designing and piloting resident surveys, surveying neighborhood residents, conducting neighborhood focus groups and obtaining critical feedback on the process and the results from the community. We were pleased to find that the majority of people surveyed and interviewed were highly interested in eating more healthy food. We were not surprised to find that economics (price, living on limited income) tends to be a major limiting factor. The details of the findings and initial recommendations are included in the full report, which can be downloaded here:
Neighborhood Food Project Executive Summary March 2011 final.pdf
Neighborhood Food Project REPORT Nov 2010 final version.pdf

TC.COM (PIONEER PRESS) - MARCH 5, 2011
An Interview with Aaron Blyth, Farm Manager with big River Farms
Washington County Pushes Support for Local Produce Farmers

POEM FROM ALLAN LAVALIER, WRITTEN FOR MFA- JANUARY 29, 2011
I sing to the soil beneath my feet,
but all I have are shoes on the street.

Born to be a farmer on the earth,
is what I was given at my birth.

I see the maize growing high in the mountains near our villages and the collards 
rich with vitamins pumping up.

Don't trick me here with your rich quick trips that end up in a bin.
Just give me some soil I can feel my ancestors in.

'I know what I know' is what I say
Just a little aid is what I ask of the MFA.

Give me a little earth
for a future rebirth!

MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO - JANUARY 2010
"Immigrant Farmers look to move from markets to grocers" by Nancy Lebins
Listen to story or read transcript. 

WCCO - MAY 2009
"Finding Minnesota: Straight from the Farm"
MFA and Big River Farms were featured

KFAI RADIO WITHOUT BOUNDARIES - FEBRUARY 20, 2010
Listen to Glen Hill and others discuss the need for minority and immigrant farmer training. 
Go to KFAI archive page

TWIN CITIES DAILY PLANET INTERVIEWS MFA FARMERS - FEBRUARY 20, 2010
 at 2010 Immigrant and Minority Farmers' Conference
Read article at TCDailyPlanet.net site

MEET THE U OF M EXTENSION'S 2009 FARM FAMILY
of the Year for Ramsey County: 
May Lee & Mhonpaj
Read article at MinnPost.com site. 
Or click here to open PDF of article.

ST. CROIX VALLEY PRESS ARTICLE ABOUT MFA
Writer Ed Day interviews farmer Moses Momanyi & executive director Glen Hill. 
Great pictures of Yia Lee at work. 
Read article on St. Croix Valley Press's site
Or click here to open PDF of article.

*Irrigation, Tractor Basics, and Post-Harvest Handeling classes are open to all participants.  All other classes are restricted to those enrolled in Big River Farms Farmer Training Program.

2012 Winter Class Schedule 651-433-3676

Click HERE to view/download the schedule in PDF format. 

All winter classes are at Knox Presbyterian Church at 1536 Minnehaha Ave. St. Paul from 5:45-8:00 (with noted exceptions for ½ day workshops).

Rondo Community Outreach Library is located at University Ave and Dale St. in St. Paul. 

For those not enrolled in the BRF Training Program, classes are $20 per class or $60 for a series of 4. Please pre-register by calling Katie Kubovcik at 651-433-3676 or by e-mail at katie@mnfoodassociation.org. 

"Passion translates as suffering and I would contend that in the political context, as in the religious one, it implies suffering by choice: a deliberate decision to grasp the cup that we would rather let pass. It is not a decision made lightly -- we do not enjoy suffering; we are not masochists. It is because of the high value we put on the object of our passion that we are able, sometimes in spite of ourselves, to choose suffering."

Glen

 Glen Hill

Executive Director

Minnesota Food Association

Email: glenhill@mnfoodassociation.org

 April 10, 2012

Does anyone notice a significant increase in food allergies in the past 20 years? I never realized how many people are allergic to peanuts. I don’t remember any kids allergic to peanuts when I was a kid.  We talk about the increase in diet-related diseases in the past 20 – 30 years, and we talk about the need for “good, real food”. But it is about both the food and what is in the food. What’s wrong with taking a drought resistant gene from a nut in Argentina and a pest resistant gene from a nut in Tanzania and splicing them into the good’ol peanut grown here in the US? Maybe we are finding out now.

Numerous studies and surveys show that people want to know if there are Genetically-Modified Organisms  (GMOs) or Genetically Engineered (GE) components in our food, and they want it labeled as such.  Hawaii, California, Vermont and even Minnesota all have state legislation pending that would require it for food products sold their states. Large Agribusiness, specifically Monsanto, is lobbying hard against this.  Despite overwhelming public support, and support from a clear majority of Vermont's Agriculture Committee, Vermont legislators are still hesitating to bring a proposed GMO labeling bill to the table. The reason is that Monsanto has threatened to sue the state if the bill passes. It’s probably going to hinder free commerce or something, and the Vermont doesn’t want to spend it’s resources on a legal battle with an Agri-Giant. You can read more here http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_25180.cfm

California is an even bigger player in this movement. As the 8^th largest economy in the world, forcing the labeling of GMO foods would have a hugely significant impact on the labeling of GE foods. Food manufacturers and food retailers in California know that when they are forced to admit and label GE components in their food that it's only a matter of time before people stop buying GE food. And then food manufacturers stop making it.

The European Union, the largest agricultural market in the world, requires GE Foods to be labeled, so there are essentially no genetically engineered crops under cultivation. Oh, you can grow them, but people won’t buy them. More than 50 countries, including Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, Australia, South Korea and China, have either passed mandatory labeling laws or outlawed GMOs altogether. Why hasn't the US? Don’t we pride ourselves in being at the forefront of the world? A world leader? Whya re we dragging our feet on this?  It’s because the US also has one of the most corporate influenced political systems in the world and the Big Ag and Big Food companies are more concerned about protecting their profits than the safety of our food supply.  So when Monsanto threatens, you listen. Did you know that 194 countries in the world have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and only two countries have not? Somalia and the USA. Why would the USA not sign this; because of strong political lobbying

How about Minnesota? Well, Minnesota recently tried to pass legislation requiring the labeling genetically engineered foods. Rep. Karen Clark authored a bill (HF 2808) requiring Genetically Engineered Food Labeling to the MN State House of Representatives. It was denied a committee hearing in the House Agriculture Committee. She then offered a stripped down amendment to the House Omnibus Agriculture Bill to create a genetically engineered food labeling study committee which would have reported their recommendations back to the 2014 legislature. This was defeated 81 – 44, almost exclusively along party lines.  It appears that the message at the legislature was, we don’t want this and we don’t want to spend time and money on some “study” either. The Senate companion bill, SF 2563 is still active.

Glen

Glen Hill

Executive Director

Minnesota Food Association

Email: glenhill@mnfoodassociation.org

April 10, 2012