West Central MN Sustainable Agriculture Webinar Series
About The Series
The Urban Agriculture Committee is working to improve awareness of opportunities for local food production, at the household scale, as a part-time source of income, and as a full-time profession. Featuring speakers giving ‘lightning talks’ in the style of TED talks, and engaging stakeholders from across West Central Minnesota, this Series is designed to inspire YOU to commit to action!
We've handpicked a diverse array of speakers from across Minnesota to activate your sustainable agriculture entrepreneurial and community-based initiatives.
This series is offered online and is free to attend, thanks to funding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Local Climate Action Grants.
Watch Now
Click on the videos to view the recordings of the webinars! You can also visit our YouTube channel, West Central MN Food Council - YouTube
Learn More!
Click each PDF to view each presenter's slideshow to learn more about their business. You can also view the questions asked during each webinar by viewing the Q+A PDFs.
Q+A Year Round Production
Q+A Small-Scale Livestock and Dairy
Q+A Fruit and Vegetable Community Gardens
Q+A Regional Aggregation Models
Bald Eagle Farm
Lida Farm
Simply Shrimp
Haffner Family Farms
Growing Together Community Gardens
Lake Region Takes Root Community Gardens
Walking Plants Orchard
Manna Food Co-op
Red River Forest Cooperative
Hugh's Gardens
West Central MN Sustainable Ag Webinar Series
Sponsored by the West Central MN Food Council
This educational webinar series was hosted on March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2025. Get to know the speakers below and feel free to visit their own websites or social medias to learn more about what they do for our area.
Speakers on Topics Including:
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Year-round Production: March 4
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Small-Scale Animal Products Direct Marketing: March 11
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Small Scale Fruit + Vegetable + Community: March 18
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Regional Aggregation Methods: March 25
Bald Eagle Farm
Brad Yost
We have a hydroponic greenhouse that we grow lettuce and herb year around. We sell to direct market our product to restaurants and grocery stores in the area.
March 4, 2025
Lida Farms
Ryan Pesch
Lida Farm has operated a winter CSA off and on since 2014, growing greens in a winter greenhouse and incorporating storage crops from an on-farm root cellar. Ryan will share about getting started with season extension and his experience selling in a wider time window.
March 4, 2025
Simply Shirmp
Paul Damhof
We are dedicated to providing Simply Shrimp customers fresh, all natural, never frozen great tasting
shrimp.
Paul set out (and still does) to sell “MN farm grown 100% hormone and antibiotic free” shrimp to the public. Simply Shrimp are all natural, never frozen and the freshest shrimp you will find in MN. Simply Shrimp sells direct to the consumer from the family farm on Hwy 71, 7 miles south of Willmar, in the shadow of 4 tall silos. By buying directly from the farm you know they’re fresh. At Simply Shrimp, we feel that shrimp brings families together. We are excited be a ground breaker in an industry that is emerging in the United States. As we grow in the number of shrimps produced our favorite part of all of this is still the people we meet. Simply fresh, all natural, simply delicious, Simply Shrimp.
March 4, 2025
Fiskness Family Farms
Jed Fiskness
Facebook: Fiskness Family Farm
We are a family operated farm that does many different things. Related to the topic, we do rotational grazing for cattle, goats, poultry and direct marketing for all of them. Mostly related to finished pasture-raised broilers and eggs. We are also planning to expand our farmers market presence and opening a farm stand this year.
March 11, 2025
Haffner Family Farms
Becky Haffner
I started direct selling meat to consumers 12 years ago. I have a mobile retail license and direct sell all the beef and pork raised on my farm. It has provided a substantial part of my family's income.
March 11, 2025
Acres of Eden
Joel Haugen
I will be discussing how we currently are marketing our eggs through local co-ops around MN and how we direct market our beef. I would then like to discuss our new membership program that will connect consumers to local producers. The goal will be to shift the food system in MN from giant centralized food production to a more sustainable, decentralized local food production.
March 11, 2025
Ten Finns Dairy
Speaker Coming Soon!
Most dairy cows produce milk containing both A1 and A2 proteins. The A1 protein is often the cause of digestive discomfort in many milk drinkers. Our cows produce milk with only the A2 protein. It’s that simple.
We're Joel and Amanda Hendrickson, fifth-generation Finnish (and proud) dairy farmers in Northern Minnesota.
We know the great nutritional value of dairy for our kids, your kids, and adults everywhere. We also know that regular milk doesn't work for everyone, so we made the switch to A2/A2 cows.
This is a family affair — including our cows. That's why instead of getting tagged with a number, each cow is tagged with their own name picked out by our kids. The kids play a big role in the daily love and care of the herd.
March 11, 2025
Growing Together Community Gardens
Carol Krabbenhoft
Our model Growing Together Community Gardens can work any where in the world. Our 9 community garden which produced over 50,000 pounds on less than 3 acres. We have also developed programs within our organization.
March 18, 2025
Lake Region Takes Root Community Gardens
Jason Bergstrand
Lake Region Takes Root Community Garden grows on average 12,000 pounds of produce each year for three area food shelves in Otter Tail County. Learn how this unique food security model can be replicated to benefit your community.
March 18, 2025
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Moorhead Food Forest
Trent Wise
Our project was brought about through a partnership with Resilient Moorhead and several local organizations. We planted a food forest at M.B. Johnson Park made up of 100 fruit trees and 40 berry bushes. Everyone in the community is welcome to visit and utilize the fruit on a first come, first served basis.
Walking Plants Orchard
Philip Stowe
Walking Plants Orchard is a Honeyberry (Haskap) grower located in Douglas county Minnesota. The first cultivars were planted in 2011. Each summer berries are harvested using 'we pick' methods and frozen. Once the fruit is frozen, it can be processed or sold later.
Manna Food Co-op
Ryan Pesch
Manna Food Co-op is a retail food co-op in downtown Detroit Lakes. We started in 2016 and have been an outlet for the last 7 years for local food and other local producers. We have approximately 50 suppliers within 100 miles of the store.
Red River Harvest Cooperative
Candace Anderson
Red River Harvest Cooperative is a multi-producer food co-op servicing the Fargo-Moorhead Metro. Formed in May of 2021, RRHC is a collective of 14 local farmers, ranchers, and food makers collectively offering locally produced products on an online storefront for retail and wholesale customers. Open througout the year, we offer a variety of products including meat, eggs, produce, herbs, microgreens, grains, and value-added items. We began offering Subscription services in the last year including a weekly & bi-weekly Chicken Egg Subscriptions, The Harvester's Basket, and the Eat Your Greens Salad Subscription which offers local salad & microgreens 12 months a year! We partner with several local food organizations across MN & ND, and are currently the only local food co-op in the state of North Dakota.
Hugh's Gardens
Bjorn Solberg
The mission of Hugh’s Gardens is simple: to utilize sustainable practices throughout our entire operation; to promote a strong local economy; and to encourage consumers to invest in their health.
Hugh's Gardens LLC is owned by Bjorn Solberg who purchased the business from Hugh Dufner in April of 2019. Hugh's Gardens LLC is an organic potato storage and supply business located in Halstad, MN that works with local organic farmers to store, wash, package, and market their potatoes throughout the region. Because of its underground storage facility, our organic potatoes are able to be stored from September until the end of June--making it perfect for marketing during the school year! We are able to offer red, yellow, and russet potatoes as well as some specialty varieties such as this year's Huckleberry Gold potato, which has a purple skin and yellow flesh, or the Purple Majesty, which is purple throughout.