2025 August Newsletter

August 2025 Newsletter

August is one of our favorite times of the year at Renewing the Countryside! For 20 years, we’ve had the joy of connecting with thousands of Minnesotans at the Minnesota State Fair through our interactive, educational food and farming exhibit in the Eco Experience Building. From hands-on kids activities to daily chef demos and delicious local food samples, our exhibit is packed with opportunities to learn, taste, and connect.

Whether you join us as a volunteer, stop by for a cooking demo, or simply wander through the Eco Experience, we hope you’ll come celebrate with us at the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

Learn more about this year's theme in the spotlight below!

RTC's State Fair Exhibit: Plant Protein Power!

For 20+ years, Renewing the Countryside has curated an interactive, educational food & farming exhibit at the MN State Fair's Eco Experience Building. The award-winning sustainability expo draws over 250,000 people during the 12 days of the fair. Previous exhibits have covered Agroforestry, Farmland Access, and Farm to Early Care, but the 2025 exhibit is all about Plant Protein Power!

Renewing the Countryside's Plant Protein Power! interactive exhibit will offer a special look at some of Minnesota’s bounty: beans, specialty grains and seeds, tree nuts, mushrooms, and their role in the ever-more-inventive landscape of plant-based food.

Stories, photography, hands-on demonstrations, and of course delicious samples, will get visitors of all ages interested to learn: How can soybeans turn into a silky block of tofu, oats make for a smooth and creamy latte, or peas become the secret behind those uncannily meaty plant-based burgers?

Discover how Minnesota is bridging agricultural tradition with the future of sustainable, plant-rich eating.

The Daily Schedule at RTC's Eco Experience exhibit includes:

8 a.m.-8 p.m.— Plant Protein Power! exhibit, local food-themed kids activities & more!
11 a.m.-3 p.m.— RTC’s FEAST! farmers and food-makers will sample their newest and most celebrated plant-based protein products
11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.— Celebrated chefs, food-makers and cooks from across Minnesota will demonstrate how to make their favorite protein dense recipes using Minnesotan ingredients, sharing samples and stories

Sampling partners include Gardner Family Farms, Seven Sundays, MinnTofu, The Amazing Chickpea, and more. Local chef demonstrations include Beth Dooley, Blong Vang, Patrice Johnson, and many more. For the full sampling and chef schedule visit www.renewingthecountryside/mn_state_fair.

Our presence at the fair wouldn't be possible without the nearly 150 volunteers that assist in handing out samples, facilitating activities celebrating MN-grown produce, or lending a hand with food prep.

Volunteering at RTC's exhibit is a rewarding experience that helps to connect fairgoers with vital information about supporting local food systems and a more resilient future AND we still have some volunteer shifts available!

Volunteers also get a FREE admittance ticket to the State Fair for the day they volunteer and a FREE, limited-edition 'local foods' organic cotton t-shirt!

Explore the available shifts and sign up here! Our exhibit this year is also made possible by our sponsors the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Seven Sundays, SunOpta, The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance, and the Plant Based Foods Association.

We’re excited to again bring local food, farming, and sustainability to the State Fair, and this year’s Plant Protein Power! theme promises to be one of our most inspiring yet.

Whether you join us as a visitor or volunteer, your support helps us connect Minnesotans to the farmers, food-makers, and stories that shape a more resilient food future. We hope to see you at the Fair!

RTC's Farmers Market Food Hub Program, in partnership with NRCS, is providing two webinars: Processing for Wholesale and Cool Gadgets: Learn about tools that can help you extend your season and your sales!

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RTC's Come and Get It: On Farm Food Events Initiative is amping back up this August and September starting with Clover Valley Farm Fest on Sunday, Aug. 24 in Two Harbors! Hosted by the 11 farms that host the weekly Clover Valley Farm Trail, this event is an opportunity to spend a summer afternoon enjoying food trucks, local artisans/craft vendors, live music, children’s activities, and the opportunity to meet local farmers and purchase their products.

Learn more about the Clover Valley Farm Fest and the 11 host farms at clovervalleyfarmtrail.com/farmfest.

RTC developed the Come & Get It project to train and assist local teams of farmers and food advocates in creating fun and educational on-farm events in their regions. The goal is to bolster their community's access and commitment to buying local. To learn more and see all events visit onfarmfoodevents.org.

Join Minnesota Women in Conservation's (MNWiC) monthly Welcoming Wednesday Webinar series on August 27 from Noon-1 p.m. This webinar will feature renowned Indigenous Chef Candace Stock for a fascinating look at foraging for food and medicine while keeping ecosystem respect and conservation in mind.

Learn more and RSVP HERE.

In this four-part 2025 Summer Camp webinar series, the Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC) team will focus on next steps in your conservation planning and talk on ways to expand the good work you're doing to provide ecological services to your community through land stewardship.

The Aug. 21 webinar from Noon- 1p.m., the second in the series, will focus on grazing and pasture management! RSVP and learn more HERE!

Minnesota schools, early childhood education (ECE) centers, and licensed in-home family childcare providers looking to serve locally sourced meals can apply for funding NOW through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Farm to School and Early Care Grant and Local Tots Cost-Share programs.

The grant and cost-share program both offer reimbursement for local food purchases of Minnesota grown and raised foods. Grant applications and cost-share letters of intent must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

Visit the Farm to School and Early Care Programs webpage for eligibility and application details. Looking for some assistance on where to get started? RTC can help! We just launched a Regional Local Food Coordinators program this year that helps schools, childcare providers and more access locally sourced food. Click HERE to find a coordinator in your community/region!

The FEAST Local Foods Network is thrilled to announce the founding of The Melvin Giles Emerging Food Entrepreneur Scholarship. Thanks to the generosity of the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance (UFGA), the scholarship will provide funds for one emerging food entrepreneur to have a free booth at the 2025 FEAST Local Foods Marketplace.Applications are due August 31.

The scholarship is named in honor of local-food advocate, and former RTC team member, Melvin Giles, who passed away in July 2025.

Known for his peace bubbles and peace poles, Melvin worked tirelessly to ensure fair access to healthy, local food. He did that in countless ways, including helping establish the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance—a collaboration of community gardens that promote reconciliation, social and environmental justice, peace and healing through the cultivation and sharing of food.

The University of MN/University of NH High Tunnel Cover Crops Trial is recruiting organic high tunnel growers to receive cover crop seed and participate in cover crop planting in fall 2025 or spring 2026. The project aims to enable organic high tunnel growers to reduce their dependence on purchased composts and manures by using nitrogen-fixing legume cover crops.

Participating farmers will receive seed of "best bet" legume cover crops for your chosen time slot, as well as a free soil test. To learn more about participating in the trial, fill out this interest form. Renewing the Countryside's Erik Heimark has been working closely on this initiative and on high tunnel courses with UofM Extension.

No matter how small or big your farm is or what products you sell, agricultural producers of all sizes and practices are invited to fill out this survey and share your experiences. By participating in this survey, farmers have an opportunity to influence agricultural programs, market development, and climate resilience strategies that impact their businesses and communities. Take the survey here. Due August 31.

From our State Fair exhibit to our participation in the Land Legacy Booklet to our Conservation Connection series, RTC has had some great media coverage the last couple months. Check out all topics covered in the articles below:

Land Magazine: Renewing the Countryside’s efforts expand to meet needs
Fairmont Sentinel: Conservation conversation held for farming, land usage
Hometown Source: Landowners connect with conservation experts, programs

Q: Who is one of RTC's State Fair Exhibit Sponsors that will be providing samples all 12 days as well?!

Hint: We spotlighted them on our social media and they have been a longtime supporter of RTC!

Julys Trivia Q&A:

Q: What is the new initiative led by Renewing the Countryside that includes kids and local foods?

A: Regional Local Food Coordinators -- Earlier this year, RTC's Farm to Kids work started a program where five coordinators were trained to assist in helping schools, childcare facilities and more access locally sourced food.

Learn more at renewingthecountryside.org/farm_to_kids

Email your answers to mikel l@rtc info.org and/or look for the chance to answer on Renewing the Countryside's social media. Give us a follow below!

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Follow RTC on social media for even more updates!

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