May 2025 Newsletter

A month ago, I was having one of the worst weeks of my working life. I had let our wonderful staff know that if things didn't change (and I wasn't optimistic that they would), that we would have to drastically reduce hours for nearly half of our staff. We reached out to you, and many of you stepped up and responded with generous support and/or notes of encouragement. It's thanks to that, along with some of our foundation partners providing support or bridge loans, and finally receiving overdue federal funds owed from past work, that we were able to keep critical programs moving forward and avoid needing to reduce staff time.

While one of our grants was cancelled, and funding is still suspended on two others, we are optimistic that we'll eventually see the suspended projects opened up. Thank you for your support and financial gifts—they gave us breathing room and reminded us that we’re not alone in this work!

Jan Joannides, Executive Director

Help us celebrate Renewing the Countryside and raise funds for our work fostering just, vibrant, and sustainable communities!

Last year, we held a 20th Anniversary fundraiser. We had so much fun, and many who attended shared such positive feedback, that we decided to make this an annual event!

Get your tickets for our gathering on Thursday, June 26 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul. Join us for great food, games, music, a silent auction, and RTC updates—all in support of our work and initiatives. You'll even have the chance to make your own local foods t-shirt!

Click here to secure your tickets today!

Find more details on the event at renewingthecountryside.org.

Renewing the Countryside is hiring a Finance Director and a Wisconsin Navigator Guide.
To learn about these roles and apply click here. 

Urban Agriculture Initiative

2024 marked the pilot year of Renewing the Countryside’s Urban Agriculture Initiative and Micro Grant Program, created in partnership with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s National Urban Agriculture Initiative (NUAg). RTC worked with a community advisory board to select 23 individual farmers across the seven county Twin Cities metro area, awarding them micro-grants to support the goals of their unique individual farming projects.

These urban farmers are doing impactful work with the support of their families, neighbors, and community. Listening to their stories has revealed just how much food and farming can bring people together, creating connection and resilience within the city, even amidst political uncertainty.

Stayci Bell, who grows food for people in need around Robbinsdale, expressed how meaningful it was for such projects to be considered worthy of grant funding. She shared that she’s been trying to embrace her identity as both a farmer and an artist, and wants to prove that anyone can grow food.

Betsy Howard was able to engage youth in her growing process and was grateful that there was a grant available to support, "the average planting for a family and busy mom."

Each micro grant recipient has dedicated their time and hard work to a project that benefits their community. They understand the vital role healthy food plays in community well-being and have focused their efforts on increasing access. 

From rain barrels and irrigation systems, produce bags to safely distribute food to those in need, and greenhouses and high tunnels, these individual farmers are working tirelessly to enhance urban agriculture efforts in their communities.

Read more on our website.

• Want to kick-start the summer with some great healthy, local food?! Head to the first Come & Get It event of the season! The Clear Lake Garden team is hosting the Aitkin Food as Medicine Festival. This free event is open to the public and will focus on the importance of fresh and local food to one’s diet. The festival will have two panel discussions from Riverwood Hospital and the Aitkin Public Health Department, cooking demos that will inspire you to eat your greens, and will be held in conjunction with the Aitkin County Farmers Market.

  Come & Get It is an initiative led by RTC in partnership with the Sustainable Farming Association and Minnesota Farmers Union. This is our third year working with seven teams across the state to support them in hosting local foods events. This year’s events are supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture & USDA through the North Central Region SARE program.

  Stay tuned for more Come & Get It events this summer—all to help you access local food, support local farmers, and empower your community to thrive independently!

• Women in Conservation (MNWiC) will host a webinar on Wednesday, May 28 from Noon-1 p.m.
  Bonnie Warndahl, Farmland Access Navigator with RTC, will cover all things Farmland Access, transfer, preservation, and conservation. RSVP Here.
  
  MNWiC, led by RTC, is made possible through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

• Women Farmers Aging Strong is a project led by University of Vermont Extension Project in partnership with RTC. The project included a series of virtual learning circles where women farmers came together to develop plans to, well, "age stronger!"
  
  Check out the new webpage that includes resources and templates for planning your own wellness path. Our longtime friend and associate, Lisa Kivirist, led RTC's portion of the project in partnership with Beth Holtzman at UVM Extension. This project was funded by USDA, NIFA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

• Join RTC's Go Farm Connect at Cimarron Community Farm on Tuesday, May 27, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for the first field day in a risk management series. Register and learn more HERE!
  
  Tour Cimarron Community Farm and hear directly from Madeline and Elise about how they use crop planning as a key tool for managing risk. Food will be provided for the first 20 registrants and members of the Go Farm Connect team will be on hand to share additional resources and provide follow-up support for attending farmers.

RTC has been lucky to have two incredible interns on staff over the last year, both working on communications. Lauren has been with RTC since August of 2024 and Nicole joined the team in February. Both just wrapped up their finals week in early May - congrats Nicole and Lauren! 

Lauren Lugbauer has been helping with communications for the Urban Ag and Come & Get It initiatives. She has had a blast visiting farms across MN, learning the importance of good, local food in building resilient communities and witnessing the power of strong communities driving lasting change together.

Originally from Houston, TX, Lauren loves the MN outdoors and spends her time running, reading, sewing and hanging out with her very cool cat. Lauren just graduated from the University of Minnesota in May with a degree in Sustainable Systems Management -- and gave the commencement speech. (We think it is directly related to her internship at RTC.) She will work with Metro Transit this summer on transit sustainability. In the future, she hopes to bridge her background in sustainability with her passion for communities and people.

Nicole Dix has always dreamt of helping the world in some way, often asking herself, “Why would you want to do that? There’s no money in it.” But for the same reasons she creates art, exercises, gardens, and volunteers—it brings her joy and meaning. Nicole is drawn to work that connects her with others who share her vision of a greener world. "I’ve found a strong community in this field, and with the people around me."Nicole will graduate soon with a BS in Environmental Communications and has plans to move to Texas in the fall. "I don’t have a strict five-year plan, but I know I want to continue working with organizations like Renewing the Countryside. There’s so much to think about, but I can’t wait to find fulfillment in my soon-to-be new home.

Did you know RTC is working to help develop a Midwest elderberry (and other berries) industry?

of the things that makes RTC unique is that we work across food and farming systems. Perennial berries, like elderberries, have the potential to be a win-win-win-win for farmers, for the environment, for eaters, and for rural communities. Thanks to funding from the Builders Initiative and partnerships with the Food Finance Institute at the University of Wisconsin, the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative, and the Savanna Institute, we're making progress towards this major infrastructure goal.

After a decade of work, the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative's (MEC) vision for an American elderberry crop aggregation and processing hub is turning into a reality. Join MEC on Sat., May 31 from 8 a.m.- Noon, along with key stakeholders, growers, and makers for a field day at Fountain Ark Farms. See the fabrication progress on an innovative, high-volume elderberry de-stemmer, their new commercial dehydrator, and frozen storage container. Light morning beverages/snacks will be provided and admission is free. Secure tickets here. 

Greener Pastures and Meet the Minnesota Makers for a live, virtual workshop designed to help sustainable farmers and farm educators sharpen their storytelling and digital marketing skills.

Whether you sell at farmers' markets, through a CSA, or direct to local retailers- or support farmers who do- this training will help you connect with your audience in ways that drive customer conversion to increase revenue.

Virtual Workshop is Thursday, May 29, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Zoom link provided upon registration. $20 registration fee. Spots are limited. We never want cost to be a barrier. If the registration fee is a hardship, contact us to request a waiver.

Register and learn more here!

Q: What was the book published in 2002 that served as the foundation of RTC and the model for several books to follow?

March's Trivia Q&A:

Q: What is the name of the RTC project that helps local farmers and food advocates in creating, publicizing and conducting on-farm events in their regions to bolster their communities' access and commitment to buying local?

A: Come & Get It: On Farm Events

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