July 2024
A big party is always a good way to put a final punctuation on an anniversary—and what a shindig we had for the 20-year celebration of Renewing the Countryside’s founding! There were all the trappings of any good celebration—food & beverage, games, music, laughter, and chatting with old and new friends. Although there was a slight oversight of a cake! (my bad) “A party without cake is just a meeting...” — Sorry Julia, this was definitely a party.
If you missed it and would like to still support our work, 1. Renewing the Countryside is the “round-up” recipient at Lakewinds Food Co-op for the month of August, and 2. There are a few volunteer spots for the State Fair, and 3. You can like and share us on social media or make a donation online!
We hope to see you around at the many events,
—Brett Olson, Co-founder/Creative Director
Anniversary Celebration Recap
THANK YOU to everyone who helped us celebrate RTC's 20th Anniversary on June 27th at the Dodge Nature Center!
Despite the light rain, it was a lovely evening spent among friends, both old and new. The three-hour event flew by as 180+ people enjoyed great food and drink, visited, played games, and bid feverishly on 49 silent auction items—generously donated by local farms, businesses, other nonprofits and individuals. The fundraiser earned over $18,000, which will help fund RTC's work in farmland access, Farm to Early Care, Food Hubs, and so much more. Thank you for helping create more just, sustainable and vibrant rural communities!
Click the image for a peek of the action:
Mini-Forests / Urban Eco-Restoration
The best kind of green screen!
On May 3-4, 2024, Renewing the Countryside and partners planted a “green screen,” composed of 20 native woodland species, along the north and east edges of the community garden at Pilgrim Baptist Church in St. Paul.
This little wildlife habitat will support pollination, cooling, and outdoor education in the Rondo neighborhood. We are grateful for our planting partners at Maxfield Elementary School, Great River Greening, Pilgrim Baptist Church, Urban Farm and Garden Alliance, Ramsey County Master Gardeners and many others. The green screen project was funded by a grant from the USDA Forest Service in partnership with the MN Department of Natural Resources, who created a great video that features RTC staffers Melvin Giles and Hannah Lewis, along with other project partners, talking about the benefits and importance of this mini-forest to this community. Take a peek!
Minnesota State Fair
Can you believe it? The MN State Fair is only 5 weeks away!
RTC has curated an interactive, educational food & farming exhibit at the MN State Fair Eco Experience Building for over 15 years. Being at the fair gives us an amazing opportunity to share information about issues important to agriculture, land stewardship, and sustainability. This year we have a fantastic lineup of partners, free food sampling, and cooking demos from loved MN chefs, business owners, and local food advocates!
See our list of samplers and chefs on our website and visit us at the Fair when your favorite businesses will be featured!
Don’t forget to sign up to volunteer—a fun way to experience the Fair!
Volunteers receive a free admission ticket to the fair on the day of their shift and also receive a free, limited edition, Local Foods T-Shirt! Volunteer shifts are 3 hours long and are available between 9am-7:30pm.
For questions, contact Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly at [email protected]
Farmland Access
Life After Farming… What’s Next for You and Your Land?
America’s farms have hit a critical point. Most of our food and fiber producers are over the age of 55, while young and beginning farmers—due to debt and insurmountable challenges around farming and farmland access—are only replacing these producers at a rate of 9%. Additionally, the devastating and rapid loss of farmland in the U.S. to poorly planned developmental sprawl and foreign investors is pointing toward an impending food system crisis.
The Farmland Access Hub and Renewing the Countryside, along with the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), Region Nine Development Commission, American Farmland Trust, and others, are working to mitigate these issues by creating educational and networking opportunities for landowners and farmers around legacy planning and farmland transition.
The Hub is hosting two online webinars—one in August and one in September—to provide resources to farmland owners interested in transitioning their land with a positive community legacy while engaging in peer-driven problem-solving.
Whether you are interested in renting, selling, or transitioning your farm to a new owner, the information provided during these 1-hour programs is geared to help landowners and retiring farmers identify and overcome fears and challenges as they think through the next steps for their land.
Come to Session 1, Aug. 14 at 11:30 CT with your questions, ready to learn and gather resources. In Session 2, Sept. 12 at 11:30 CT, landowners will dive deeper into specific challenges and scenarios with facilitated support from succession coordinators and land transfer specialists.
Go Farm Connect
Did you know, the Go Farm Connect Facebook page is a great way to follow the many events held to bring together under-served farmers and connect them to technical assistance?
Find us at the following upcoming events:
July 20-21: High Tunnel Build and Learn Weekend in Deerfield, WI
July 25: Flood Relief and Disaster Assistance for All Farmers: USDA Open House in Glencoe, MN
August 14: Field Day at Whetstone Farm, Amery WI
Learn more and register for these events at gofarmconnect.org/events
For questions about Go Farm Connect, contact [email protected]
Come and Get It!
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| Street Corner Letterpress | Brooke, one of the event organizers |
On Sunday, July 14th, folks interested in connecting with traditional homesteading skills and local foods gathered at Alternative Roots Farm in Madelia, MN to kick off the first of nine Come & Get It events of 2024.
Sowing Seeds: Celebrating Local Food and Lost Skills, organized by farmer Brooke Knisley and SFA Southwest Community Organizer, Mary Fischer, was a day of fun that celebrated local foods and rediscovering traditional self-sufficiency skills. Their event had a farm tour, fun kids activities (including RTC’s corn pop game!), a pop-up farmers market, educational demonstrations, and TNT Eats food truck. Street Corner Letterpress was also there with their 100 year old letterpress giving away free local food postcards.
Each C&GI event is tailored to increase consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products through a fun, on-farm experience. The events provide opportunities to develop or expand markets for farmers and food makers while building community around local food, and Sowing Seeds did just that! Read more HERE about the impacts this work can have.
The next C&GI event is on August 1st in Little Falls, MN, and there are many more to come. Visit our On Farm Food Event website to see all that's in store for this summer!
Funding for Come & Get It was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the organizers and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
For questions, contact Maeve at [email protected].
Farm to School via Farmers Market Hubs!
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From Kristine Jonas, Virginia Farmers Market Hub Manager
Farm to School and more in our Northwoods, here on our beautiful Iron Range in Northeastern Minnesota.
I want to highlight three wonderful people I’ve had the honor of working with last winter and am looking forward to working with again this fall.
These three partners have been consistently flexible and just great to work with, from the start of the school year, through the depths of our unusual winter season.
They do so much behind the scenes, from raising animals (Jason, Snapshot Farms), to planning menus and food preparation, serving, and teaching kids how to cook (Chefs Chris and Trevor of East Range Academy of Technology and Science, Vermilion Country School).
Farmer Jason raises the chickens. He has been very accommodating working with me for our hub, from Farm to School to LFPA box orders. He sets aside wonderful chickens when I call and ask him.
Chef Trevor and Chef Chris have amazing culinary expertise, from their knife skills, to their day to day preparations, and constant planning. They are so knowledgeable, and well-read.
If you see them, please tell them they're doing a great job. We all should be so proud of the work they do in our communities. They are making things happen each day, with creativity and heart. I just love them.
Thank you, you are wonderful.
Kristine Jonas,
Virginia Farmers Market Hub Manager
To learn more about the Farmers Market Hubs, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Farmers for Solar
Please join us on Wednesday, August 7th from 11am-3pm for an up-close tour of two Wisconsin solar projects in Black River Falls.
Farmers, rural landowners, and others interested in learning more about solar will have the rare chance to visit established solar projects, observe how solar panels are integrated into the landscape with pollinator habitat and sheep grazing, and learn about solar from fellow Wisconsinites. The tour includes a free lunch and bus between the two sites (15-minute ride). Registrants will receive the exact address and schedule prior to the event.
Please contact Catie DeMets at [email protected] or Chelsea Chandler at [email protected] with any questions about the tour.
Farmers for Solar Webinar
Learn more about how to support solar energy in Wisconsin by attending a virtual webinar on Wednesday, August 28 from 12-1pm
This informational session will review how to submit a public comment on a proposed solar project through the Public Service Commission website, tips for writing a compelling op-ed in your local paper, what the data shows about sharing information on social media, and more.
More on Solar
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On June 12, National Grid Renewables, a farmer-founded solar energy company in Bloomington, Minn., hosted a community event celebrating two new solar projects in Southern Minnesota. As part of the celebration, RTC coordinated a pop-up Farmers Market, featuring nine local food and farm vendors. Attendees sampled and shopped local cheese, chocolate, herbs, spices, coffee and more.
Pictured above, left to right: Roger and Susan of Squash Blossom Farm, RTC Community Outreach Ambassador, Marlene Petersen, with Shanna of Simple Soaps for Simple Folks, and Chris Schad of The Bee Shed.
Wisconsin Women in Conservation
There are so many opportunities to join a WiWiC event in the coming month, learn about soil health and conservation practices, and network with women landowners!
July 20: Northwest region bus tour starting at Blackbrook Farm, Amery
July 21: West Central potluck, Pepin, WI
July 24: Southeast region bus tour, starting at Michael Fields Ag Institute, East Troy
July 25: Conservation Summer Camp Webinar: Prairies and Pollinators
July 31: West Central region bus tour starting at Summit Hill Park
Aug 6: Field Day at Maiv Flower Farm, Eau Claire
Aug 12: Northwest potluck, Colfax, WI
FEAST! Local Foods
The 11th annual FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace festival is the first Saturday in November at Rochester's Mayo Civic Center, and we hope you have it on your calendars!
Exhibitor Registration is well underway, and you can check out the growing list of fantastic food and beverage businesses signed up in our online Directory.
Ticket sales begin August 22nd—opening day of the Minnesota State Fair!
For questions about FEAST! Local Foods Network programs, contact Elena at 608.712.8340 or [email protected].
Looking for a way to make a greater impact?
Become a sustaining donor. Your generous, on-going support makes all the programs above (and so much more!) possible for thousands in our local food system.
We build awareness and support for these initiatives by collecting & sharing stories of rural renewal, providing practical assistance & networking opportunities for those working to improve rural America, and fostering connections between urban & rural people.
