November 2025

We are so grateful to have gathered & celebrated RTC’s longtime team member, friend, and financial wizard, Jody Padgham, who retired earlier this month.

Jody officially came on staff in 2021, but her involvement with RTC stretches back nearly two decades when she helped write and edit RTC’s Wisconsin Book. Jody has been on the board, written grants, and ultimately became our financial manager. She has been instrumental in our growth and ability to serve more farmers, food systems and rural communities.

Jody plans on traveling with her camper, biking more with her dog Scout, spending time with friends and family, and embracing this new adventure.

Congratulations on your retirement, Jody!

Farmland Access Bus Tour

Renewing the Countryside hosted a Farmland Access Bus Tour showcasing two successful farmland transitions supported by the Farmland Access Hub. The first stop featured Relyndis and Marius, who recently purchased farmland from a local farmer ready to transition after 15 years of stewardship. 

With support from the Farmland Access Hub and partners like FSA and Compeer Financial, they turned their long-held dream of owning a Minnesota farm into reality. Once growing African and Western crops in her Roseville backyard and through The Food Group’s Big River Farms, Relyndis has now expanded her production and is selling to local markets, caterers, food shelves, schools, and more.

The tour then visited Earth2Table Farm—a partnership between Vincent and Gloria Kimaiga and Vincent’s parents, Japheth and Eucabeth.

After immigrating from Kenya in 2008, the family began growing food in community gardens and later at Kilimo MN, an incubator farm for African immigrant growers. In 2024, with support from RTC’s Navigator Program and an FSA Beginning Farmer Loan, they purchased a 9-acre farm in Northfield, bringing their vision for a family farm to life. Seeing these transitions come full circle is a powerful reminder of how collaboration, intention, and patience can protect farmland and ensure it ends up in the hands of new and emerging farmers. Thank you to everyone who joined us—and to Keepsake Cidery for the delicious lunch. The Farmland Access Hub, launched in 2017, is a network of organizations providing services, education, and support for emerging farmers. Learn more at farmlandaccesshub.org.

Farm to Kids Month

October was Farm to School Month and Renewing the Countryside’s Farm to Kids initiatives, and new Regional Local Food Coordinators, were busy celebrating local food in action. RTC hosted an engaging farm tour for school representatives, with stops at Wescott Orchard to learn about their apple operation and farm-to-school partnerships, and at Hidden Stream Farm to meet the Klein family and tour their diversified livestock farm. The day concluded with a locally sourced dinner highlighting products from the region.

RTC’s Farm to Kids staff also joined an event in Winona, where the school district is working to expand its use of locally sourced foods in cafeterias. Representatives from the MN Department of Agriculture, local farmers, and legislators attended to show their support for building stronger farm-to-school connections.

Throughout the [Farm to Kids] event, I had the opportunity to connect with colleagues from other districts in collaborative conversations that sparked new ideas and shared solutions. The resources presented will be incredibly valuable as we continue to grow our Farm to School footprint and strengthen our commitment to sourcing local."

-Dale Winham, Director of Student Nutrition Services for Rochester Public Schools 

 

Minnesota Women in Conservation Stories from the Field Gatherings

• RTC's Soil Sisters team is hosting a FREE, virtual series - Women Farmers Aging Strong - designed to support women farmers and help preserve and protect their most important farming tool: their bodies.
  
  The series includes a women farmer-led curriculum, featuring a diverse team of women sharing their expertise and experience to build community and resource share together. Learn more and sign up at soilsistershub.org/events.
  
  The series consists of two virtual events that run in tandem and support each other: A Learning Circle Series and a Body Mechanics Retreat. The Learning Circles are bi-monthly from Nov. 5- March 11 on Wednesdays at Noon-1 p.m., covering various health topics to support women in farming as they age. The Body Mechanics Retreat is a three-day intensive focused on how to care for oneself in the farming profession. The retreat is available two more weekends: Jan. 20-22 and Feb. 3-5.
  
  
• The Land Stewardship Project’s Winter Farm Transition Planning Course, now entering its 10th year, is expanding into South Dakota for 2026. Designed for farmers and landowners preparing for the future of their operations, the course blends peer learning, professional guidance, and values-based planning. Register HERE today! Participants can choose between a seven-session online Zoom series running Tuesdays from Jan. 27 to March 10, or a new, in-person South Dakota series offered in partnership with Dakota Rural Action and Rural Revival from Jan. 31 to March 14. Both versions cost $250 per family, with registration open through Jan. 9. 
  
  Throughout the course, farmers, legal experts, and financial professionals share real-world insights to help participants begin shaping their own transition plans. As LSP’s Karen Stettler notes, “It’s never too early to start thinking about your farm transition.”

 

The third annual “Shop Minnesota” Gift Guide by Meet the Minnesota Makers is now live, connecting you with 140 makers from across the state. The 2025–2026 guide features an incredible range of Minnesota creativity: cottage producers, textile upcyclers, farm goods, embroidered pillows, gourd jewelry, hand-poured candles, gourmet treats, experience gifts, and so much more.

You can browse by product or business type using the two easy drop-down menus. The popular Favorites List is back this year—just tap the heart on any listing to have your custom list emailed to you (perfect for organizing your shopping… or dropping a hint). Each maker listing includes up to three featured products, three retail locations, three upcoming market events, plus direct website and social media links, making supporting local makers as simple as ordering online.

Half of the 140 makers are also offering exclusive discount codes for MTMM newsletter subscribers. Explore the full guide HERE.

 

The 2025 Farm to Kids Annual Report is here! Renewing the Countryside is a part of the MN Farm to Kids Alliance and is deeply a part of the work to bring healthy, fresh, local foods to kids, schools, institutions and more. Read through the impact that Farm to Kids work as has in MN by clicking the image below!

 

November is peak season for which Minnesota-grown crop that appears in over 25% of Farm to School menus statewide?

October Trivia Q&A

Q: What are Renewing the Countryside's monthly supporters called?
A: Renewers!

Email your answers to mikell@rtcinfo.org