Presenters:

Rachel Armstrong, Executive Director, Farm Commons

Rachel Armstrong’s passion for farming goes way back to the days when she proudly proclaimed that she wanted to be a farmer when she grew up. Rachel has lived out that dream in many ways, from working on farms to managing a community garden, starting a catering company that featured local foods and running a nonprofit local foods consulting program. Although she never dreamed of becoming an attorney, when Rachel realized how keenly the farming community needed quality legal information, she found her niche. Now, Rachel loves resolving the business legal issues that hinder farmers from achieving their goals.

Lisa Kivirist & John Ivanko

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko are co-authors of the new book, Homemade for Sale, the first authoritative guide to launching a food business in your home kitchen. They also wrote Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance. This husband and wife duo write frequently on food and business start-ups for publications including Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms, Urban Farm and Natural Awakenings and run the award-winning Inn Serendipity Farm and Bed and Breakfast in Wisconsin, completely powered by the wind and the sun. Lisa also runs the Rural Women’s Project, a venture of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) supporting women farmers.

Field Day Hosts:

Eva Barr & Todd Juzwiak

Dream Acres Farm

Dream Acres is an off-grid land collective that offers a variety of educational and cultural programs in addition to growing organic produce and making pizza. The farm is home to Dreamery Rural Arts Initiative which puts on Flourish Summer Camp, True Leaf and Thunderground Retreats along with many other events and performances throughout the summer months. In addition, the farm hosts school and family retreats, and facilitates custom-planned workshops in appropriate and alternative technologies. Pizzas are made from scratch using ingredients grown on the farm. The certified commercial kitchen is the first off-the-grid kitchen to be certified in the state of Minnesota

Kat Becker & Tony Schultz

Stony Acres Farm

Come experience a highly diversified organic operation at Stoney Acres Farm, a third-generation family farm currently in their ninth season of certified organic production. The core of Stoney Acres Farm includes a 20 week CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) vegetable operation, along with herb, fruit and flower production, grass fed beef, pastured pork and chicken, grains, maple syrup and their newest venture: farm to table pizzas. Tour their new packshed and renewable energy investments (a wood gasification and solar installment), hoophouses, field sites and more. Stoney Acres pizza includes crust made with their own grains.