April has brought us many highs and lows.  

On the 22nd it was 97º in Olivia and on the 7th in Hibbing it was 2º - that's Minnesota!

Other Highs:

We wrapped up an amazing series of Farm to Kids roadshows with over 300 farmers and food service professionals. Many connections were made and, as a result, there will be more locally sourced foods on the menu in schools and early care centers around Minnesota resulting from these events.

Our Farm Business Management program held a graduation for their latest cohort of 25 FBM students. They shared their business plans and visions for their farms - it was so inspiring! Congratulations to Wililyn Dowell for winning the prize for "Best Business Plan!"

See below for more inspiring recent work at Renewing the Countryside.

and... one more low.

The USDA has terminated $1.5M in funding to Renewing the Countryside for the Farmland Access Hub. This is a devastating loss of support for beginning and transitioning farmers in MN, WI, and IA. We cannot continue to offer support for beginning farmers in their search for land without this funding. But we are trying to fill the gap with both individual donor and foundation support. We really need to have our community step in and say "I want family farms and local foods!" by making a contribution to Renewing the Countryside today.

p.s. If you sign up for a monthly donation of any amount we will send you a sticker and certificate as a member of the 1000 Friends of the Countryside. (I'm told it will be a nifty sticker!)

Farmland Access Success!

On March 3, 2026, I received this email from staff member Laura Cullip:

Hi Jan,

At some point I remember you said you knew a donor that wanted to donate funds to help an emerging farmer with upgrades to their farm. I am working with a client on a Farm Service Agency loan for farm ownership and he has the Down Payment Assistance grant from the state. He is a rising leader in the emerging farmer community, working with our Farm Business Management team and others. He has a purchase agreement for a 3 acre farm with a home (his family now lives in a mobile home and will sell that to help pay for the farm), but the cash flow is very tight. If a donor was available to put $5-$10k for a down payment, it would help us secure the FSA loan—we are so close. If you have any connections or ideas, let me know. Just leaving no stone unturned!”

Laura

Laura was right. I had mentioned that - but it had been at least six months, maybe nine - since I had talked to this individual - who is both a friend and a colleague. This person inherited one third of her family’s farm in Iowa. When she sold her portion to her brother - she decided to donate those funds to emerging farmers to help them get their own farms. Straight out donation - no strings attached. 

But it had been a while - and I knew she had disbursed most of those proceeds over the last couple of years, but as Laura said - no stone unturned. So I reached out — and she asked me to connect her to Laura. After they talked, this amazing supporter agreed to contribute $7,000 - a relatively small amount, but the critical amount needed to secure the loan.

This past Thursday, Laura had to leave the staff retreat early to go join the family at the farm closing. She also mentioned to me that I had sat next to the family at “Presentation Day” a couple weeks ago. It was the graduation of the Farm Business Management class - where each participant did a 4 minute presentation of their business plan. The family I sat next to had a young daughter and a very cute baby. 

It really doesn’t get much better than this - knowing that we were able to play a role in helping a young family move toward their dreams. We also want to express our gratitude to Mhonpaj Lee at Inspire Access Realty for their help with the deal!

—Jan Joannides, Executive Director, Renewing the Countryside

In Harmony: A Minnesota Farm Transition Story

Also related to farm transition, we’re excited to share the final result of the transition video executed by the Engaging Landowners working group in 2025. 

In Harmony: A Minnesota Farm Transition Story, was produced by Phil Kraus at Kraus Creative Company in partnership with Renewing the Countryside, Land Stewardship Project, and Region Nine Development Commission in southern Minnesota. 

This story highlights the debt-free farm transition by Harvey Benson and his partner Bonita Underbakke in Harmony, Minnesota — to friends and neighbors, Amy and Aaron Bishop who are beginning farmers who had been unsuccessfully searching for land in their area for years. With exorbitant real estate costs, especially in southern Minnesota, they had nearly given up.

We learned about this story through this Root River Current article, published in 2023. Harvey and Bonita worked with Karen Stettler through Land Stewardship Project’s farm transition program, and with the assistance of a transition-savvy local attorney, transferred ownership of the farm to the Bishops, completely debt-free, using a Quit Claim Deed with Right of Re-entry. The Bishops have been working hard over the last few years to remodel Harvey's corn crib into their new home, and provide financial support to Harvey to replace the rental income he had previously generated from the tillable land. 

A symbiotic relationship between these four individuals is clear and has been delightful to witness. Certainly not all farm transitions can be this seamless and beautiful, but it feels awfully good to lift up such a heartwarming and inspirational story. We hope to secure funding in the coming year(s) to share more of these transition stories through documentary-style story telling

The 2026 FEAST! Local Foods Tradeshow brought fantastic energy, support, and turnout. On March 19 we gathered for our 5th time in Cannon Falls to connect local food businesses, wholesale buyers, service providers, and food-entrepreneur peers. (57% were considering carrying 3-4 new products)

Buyer attendance increased over 2025, with 92 buyers representing 55 stores, foodservice entities and distributors. With 60 booths, vendor participation was at capacity, filling faster than ever. (51% with sales pending + 18% already made sales from event connections.)

Following the Industry Awards, the Founders Forum featured technical assistance from two different partner organizations, Naturally MN and the Food Finance Institute.

This will be the last FEAST! event to be led by the Renewing the Countryside power duo of Elena Byrne and Marlene Petersen. Many thanks to them their tremendous work with FEAST! Local Foods and Local FEAST! magazine. We wish them the best on their new adventures!

“FEAST! was a better trade show for us than any other trade show we've been to overall! The concentration of truly good people who care about local food producers, food manufacturers, retailers and distributors far exceeds any other venue we've ever been to. Thank you!”  — FEAST! Exhibitor

Speak Up for Conservation in Your County

Every county in Minnesota holds an annual Local Working Group (LWG) meeting, usually during the spring or summer. These meetings are hosted by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Farmers, landowners, and community members are invited to share input on local conservation needs. LWG recommendations can influence how programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) prioritize funding and conservation practices in your area. 

Many growers aren’t aware these once-a-year meetings are open to the public—yet they’re a simple way to make sure local and diverse farming perspectives are heard. We encourage you to attend yours!

RTC has contributed to putting together these helpful guides to better understand these meetings and prepare for them:

• NRCS Local Working Groups: What are they and should I attend?
• Farmer Guide to Preparing for LWG Meetings: What to know before you go

In the midst of all the work we do, it’s important to pause and recognize the things that ground us, inspire us, and bring us joy. Grounded is a space to share those moments each month—big and small.

Whether it’s a book that’s shifting our perspective, a meal that brought comfort, or an experience that filled our cup, this is what's been grounding us lately! What's been grounding you? Tell us what’s been grounding you and we’ll share with our community. Maybe you will inspire others?!

The much anticipated annual Summer FUNdraiser is on schedule for June 25, 2026 at the Dodge Nature Center.

Our 2025 fundraiser was an absolute smash and we're so grateful for our community, friends, families, and supporters who came out to celebrate our work and help raise funds to help it continue. We ate delicious food from Gardens of Salonica, listened to live music by the Squid City Slingers, sipped on local beverages from Lake Monster Brewery, Sweet Haven Tonics, Far North Distillery, and Bauhaus Brewery, had folks bid on a silent auction thoughtfully curated of local goods and experiences, played games, made art, and overall had a blast catching up and hearing everything going on at Renewing the Countryside.

• Great food from local farms,
• Silent auction with local foods, art & experiences,
• Program updates,
• FUN!

Q: Spring is here and there is an amazing forageable food that you can easily find in wooded areas. No... not a morel mushroom - something way better. It's called pṡiŋhuskada in the Dakota language.

Remember, there are responsible ways to harvest this plant and be sure that you have permission to forage on the land where you find them.

Can you guess what it is?

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

(Thanks to Neil McKay (C̣aƞtemaza) for the translation)

Looking for a way to make a greater impact?  To help foster just, sustainable, and vibrant communities?

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