Digging in to Farm to Table

Farm to Table means different things to different people. But everywhere I look people are digging into the backstory of their food. I see more of us asking questions about local, organic, sustainable and regenerative. What I don’t often hear are questions about the farm families that bring us that food. So, when the Twin Cities Mom Collective invited me to talk with some women farmers of Common Ground Minnesota, I was all in.

The two organizations recently brought together local moms like myself with Minnesota farm women to ‘talk turkey’ and corn, soybeans, beef production, etc…

The Setting

We met at the iconic “Farm at the Arb” which has been restored to all its glory. The barn itself is rustic chic and the gathering lawns, landscaping and vistas put it over the top! As stunning as the Farm is, it is only one historic chapter in the story of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (the Arb).  

The University of Minnesota has managed the Arb’s 1,200 acres since 1958. It boasts seemingly endless display gardens, plants, tree and shrub collections and educational offerings. This place is a mecca of sorts for Midwest gardeners and nature lovers alike.

I took the opportunity to meander through a few of the gardens before the event began. I visited the Home Demonstration garden displays, spending lots of time in the Fruit + Vegetable and Herb Gardens. The Arb is such a treasure, and a beautiful example of community coming together.

The event was another example of communities coming together.

The Farmers

CommonGround is an organization of women in agriculture from across Minnesota who volunteer their time to share information about food and farming. Three Minnesota Farm women were there to share stories and facts from their farms with us. The Organization CommonGround was developed by farmers of two national checkoff programs, the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board. “CommonGround’s goal is to share personal experiences, as well as science and research, to help sort through the myths and misinformation surrounding food and farming,” as stated on their website. It was good to have faces behind the corn, soybean and cattle operations you see on the news.

31% of Minnesota farmers are women, nationally the average is 36%.

The Moms

Twin Cities Mom Collective had some of their own volunteers on hand, and invited other local moms involved in the local food, gardening and farming scene to attend. As moms we have limited resources and have to make efficient food choices while still keeping meals (and all those snacks) fun and healthy. I think the main question all the moms gathered at this event was basically, “How do we balance convenience with quality”?

What I learned

The moms at the event leaned towards organic and healthy foods for their families. The farmers, all conventional, kept the dialogue open and honest. They explained why they farmed conventionally and like any business, that they have to hit a bottom line.

I’m a lover of local food and all it can do for the earth and the economy. Still, local grocery stores carry peppers from Canada and California instead of Minnesota grown produce even in the height of local harvests. As for why, the basic answers I got from the farmers boiled down to supply and demand. That was also their response when I asked about if/how they were looking to move towards more organic farming practices.

By interviewing farmers over the years, I’ve come to know and love the deeply resilient, hardworking and independent personalities of the farmers and their families. Farmers, whether first generation or fifth, are tied to their land in ways most of us can’t fully understand.

And as much as I want us all to eat from local farms, as a country, that’s not how we operate. There are no physical difference between corporate and family farms, (just a label we throw around). But they do have different connotations! Even the smallest family farms are likely ‘incorporated’ as a business. However, the more land you farm the more you tend to farm it “Conventionally” or “Industrially.” This increase in acreage tends to be where farms switch over to round-up ready crops and pesticides, instead of organic practices. 

Seventeen million acres are in some way certified organic (USDA farmers Survey Results 2019). Yet, only a small percentage of the top U.S. field crops (corn 0.3% and soybeans 0.2% and wheat 0.6%) were grown at certified organic farms.

From the Farm

The cattle farmer, Katie, is an Ag Advocate in other ways as well, having been to the US Capitol to talk Agriculture a few years back. Katie spoke of their farm’s advances in adding native plant strips, which help pollinators. Adding strips like these also help with water run-off, enabling them to earn a “Water Quality Plan” certificate.

All the farmers talked about how federally funded programs can be difficult to navigate. They work closely with their local farm extension offices, just like we would hire an accountant to file taxes.

Krista and Lauren, the other two farmers at the event, grow conventional corn and soybean crops. They grow on a large scale and sell on the commodity market- a part of the “Farm to Table” process that we as consumers don’t often think about.

They were explaining that they cover crop, (see my blog on cover cropping for home gardeners) a well-documented way to increase soil life and overall soil health. But I was nonplussed when they added that they routinely spray the cover crop with a pesticide to kill it. There are other ways to ‘terminate’ or kill cover crops. Either tilling into the soil or ‘crimping’ in order for the next crop to grow in place are in practice.  

Take Home

I saw women doing the best they could with the systems they were in. I would urge us all to remember we vote three times a day with each meal. You have the power to make food system changes.

We can keep growing the market for local, organic food by making more sustainable food choices ourselves. The farmers will respond. Maybe slower than we want, and with much federally funded confusion. But they will respond. Farmers in general tend to be early adopters of new technology and practices- let’s encourage them while understanding the difficulties of their working environment. When we see farms as families AND businesses, we’ll be a step closer to lasting change.

I hope this has encouraged you to think a little deeper about your food and the farmers that grow it. If you have questions, please ask away!

Keep Digging In,

Michelle