Events of Interest

MN Food Association Spring Open House
May 17, 2008; 12 - 4 pm

Minnesota Food Association, 14220-B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN. Throughout the winter, the Minnesota Food Association have been planning and preparing for their 2009 season and now spring has finally arrived! Come see their chickens, guinea fowl, goats and sheep; learn about their new projects. They will have field tours with farmers, hayrides, a potluck lunch (please do bring something to share if you can) and a discussion on local foods access and sustainability. They will also have fresh, free-range chicken eggs and bedding plants for sale. It will be an engaging and relaxing atmosphere for families and friends. There is no admission cost for the Spring Open House. For information or directions, please check their website or contact Glen Hill 651-433-3676.

Autumnwood Farm Grand Opening
Sunday, June 1, 2008; 1:00 – 4:00 pm

19435 Granada Ave. N., Forest Lake, MN 55025, for more info call 651-464-0776.  Since 1902, the members of the Daninger family have run a dairy operation on the south side of Forest Lake, Minnesota. The Daninger’s run a high-quality 21st century operation using the finest in dairy equipment and the latest environmentally sound agricultural methods to put fresh milk and milk products on your table. Their milking cows are raised with rotational grazing, naturally. The micro-creamery puts “freshness” in every bottle of milk or cream as the cows’ milk is immediately processed and bottled on site.

Canoe Farm Tour
June 7, 2008; 10:00 am

Join us for a 3 mile guided canoe trip down the North Fork of the Crow River, followed by a picnic lunch & a tour of two sustainable farms. We’ll put in at Crow Springs Park, with conservation guides who will show the environmental concerns & natural beauty of this designated wild & scenic river.  After lunch, we’ll visit Riverbend Farm, an organic vegetable operation that supplies the finest MN Restaurants, and Nature’s Nest, an organic flower farm and B&B.

Reservations required $60 per boat (up to 3 paddlers) includes canoe, gear, lunch, farm tour & shuttle; $30 per boat if you bring a canoe, includes lunch, farm tour & shuttle.  (We will attempt to pair up solo paddlers, if desired, and you can arrange cost sharing.)  For more info or to RSVP contact Jerry Ford at jerry@marienne.com or (320) 543-3394.  Co-sponsors include Crow River Organization of Water and the Wright Soil & Water Conservation District. Location: North Fork of the Crow River.

LSP Farm Beginnings Field Day - Cedar Summit Farm: On-farm Creamery
Saturday, June 14, 2008

Cedar Summit has been a family dairy farm for three generations. In an effort to sustain their farm for future generations, Dave and Florence Minar have adopted a grazing system where all animals are pastured on the land most of the year. Cedar Summit Farm strives to provide their community with a variety of meat products and has diversified their dairy operation to include steers, hogs and turkeys. The Minars are licensed retail food handlers and have an on-farm creamery that enables them to sell value-added dairy products directly to customers both on the farm and at farmers’ markets.

Hosts' Directions:
Dave and Florence Minar
25816 Drexel Ave
New Prague, MN 56071-8834
952-758-6886
www.cedarsummit.com
From New Prague, go north on Hwy 21 to Co Rd 2
Go east (right) on Co Rd 2 one mile to Co Rd 15/Drexel Ave
Turn left (north) then left again into first driveway

Thomas Farm Tour
June 14, 2008; 9:00am – 2:00 pm

The Thomases open the farm up to the public for charity (The Gifted Learning Project). The public pays a fee for local lunch and lots of sessions of learning: from Architecture professors (looking at the newest green trends) to master gardeners to 4-H kids working with animals. It is a great day for everyone.  Ongoing sessions for kids as well as adult learners. Register online: https://communityed.moorhead.k12.mn.us or call 218-233-6010, Moorhead Adult Community Education. Location: Moorhead, MN

Cannon River/Hiawatha Chapter Field Day
June 15, 2008; Starts at 3:00 pm

Rae Rusnak’s farm will be hosting the second of the Cannon River/Hiawatha Chapter “Third Sunday Farm Tours.”  A potluck will follow.  For more info contact Kathy Zeman, (507) 664-9446 or kzeman@kmwb.net. Location: L&R Poultry and Produce, Kenyon, MN

Intro to Grazing Workshop and Pasture Assessment
Saturday, June 21, 2008; 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Canby, MN (Public event – non-Farm Beginnings participants pay $20)

Part 1
Howard Moechnig, Midwest Grasslands, will discuss issues important in preparing a grazing plan. Topics include paddock location/size, watering options, lanes, as well as general concepts and indicators for developing and monitoring a grazing operation. He will also cover forage management. Bring aerial photos, soil maps and topographical maps of your farm to begin planning.

Part 2
In the afternoon, we will be visiting the Lyle Kruse Farm. Lyle and his family have a 200 acre farm in Western MN near Canby. We will join Howard and Lyle for a pasture assessment of his rotational grazing system. We’ll evaluate the pasture conditions, view the paddock and lane set up, identify forage species, and gain valuable assessment knowledge that can be applied on your farm.

Bring your own lunch, snack

Farmer-Buyer Connection Workshop in the St. Croix River Valley
Thursday, June 26, 2008 1 pm - 3:30 pm

Where: Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, Wisconsin. Renewing the Countryside, Land Stewardship Project and its St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter, River Market Community Co-op, the St. Croix River Scenic Byway and Minnesota Grown are hosting a Farmer/Buyer Connection workshop in Hudson, Wisconsin. The workshop will provide information to assist farmers and food buyers in the St. Croix River Valley to connect and explore best practices in working together. The workshop will include a "speed-dating" inspired networking opportunity—a chance to forge new relationships for the 2008 growing season and beyond!

If you are a farmer interested in getting your product into a restaurant, grocery store or institution (school, hospital, etc.) or a food buyer for a restaurant, caterer, market or institution, register online at http://gotlocalhudson.eventbrite.com or call 612-871-1541 or 1-866-378-0587.

Grazefest Minnesota 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008

Seven Pines Farm -- Kent & Linda Solberg, Verndale, MN. MiddMinn Dairy -- Dan Middendorf, Bluegrass, MN. Keynote Speaker: Joel McNair, Editor/Publisher of Graze Magazine. Dairy grazing focus on low input dairy, irrigated pasture research and demonstration, grazing economics; expert speakers, graziers, grazing specialists, guided pasture tours, and an array of delicious pasture-raised foods!

Grazefest Minnesota Bus Tour, North Central Minnesota
Saturday, August 2, 2008

Tour a variety of grazing systems in North Central Minnesota by bus.  Network with NRCS grazing specialists, scientists, conservationists, experienced graziers, and eat delicious pasture-raised foods. For more information about Grazefest visit www.sfa-mn.org.

Minnesota Cooks
August 26, 2008

The 2008 summer version of Minnesota Cooks will take place at the Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, MN. For more info call 651-265-3682.

Dine Fresh Dine Local
September 11, 2008

Land Stewardship Project’s St. Croix Valley Buy Fresh, Buy Local Chapter will co-sponsor this one-day culinary celebration of good local food served in St. Croix Valley restaurants. In Minnesota and Wisconsin towns along the St. Croix River, restaurants and delis will feature menu items with ingredients sourced from Valley growers and processors. St. Croix Valley residents and visitors who dine will enjoy fresh, delicious and healthy vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy products, honey and bakery goods produced by regional farms  and businesses. Food service providers in hospitals, nursing homes and  schools are also invited to celebrate by serving local food.  Co-sponsoring this event with the St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh, Buy Local Chapter are the River Market Community Co-op in Stillwater, Renewing the Countryside (and the St. Croix Scenic Byway.

The website www.dinefreshdinelocal.com for Dine Fresh Dine Local St. Croix River Valley will be up for viewing by May 15. A list of participating restaurants and profiles of producers and chefs will be featured as they become available. Restaurants, growers and locally owned food businesses in the St. Croix  River Valley who want more information about participating in this event should contact Dana Jackson at 651-653-0618 or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.