Gathering of Beginning Farmers in Northfield

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on August 16, 2007

The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginning Program will be visiting Northfield area Latino farmers and gardeners on August 25th. In partnership with LSP we are organizing a social gathering at my place on 315th. St. W. on August 25th. at 6 pm. The format is simple but as meaninful as a cross-cultural social gathering can be.

First of all there will be food, a pot-luck with food brought in by about 12 current Farm Beginning Program participants, a pot of our own black turtle beans grown behind my house will be cooked, corn tortillas (we are hoping to hand-make some), and of course fruits and vegetables from the variety of farms and gardens that will be represented.

We will also have visitors from Austin, MN, Maria Sosa, who works with Latinos in Austin was here yesterday with Salvador Ruiz, both of them, myself and other folks from Northfield and the Twin Cities are part of a regional Latino leaders network working to create a Latino/a farming and processing corporation and a brand name for some specialty products for the regional and national market.

Maria and Salvador came to learn more about the Latino Enterprise Center’s plans and to look into sharing experiences and strategies for accessing land and other resources necessary to launch Latino farmers in their area. Though we are only starting this process of outreach and business partnership building exploration, the interest is very high. A gathering of these regional leadership group has been scheduled for September 1st. we will be meeting right here in Northfield.

All in all, I hope this cross-cultural farmers and gardeners gathering on the 25th, will leave us with a full stomach, a contented soul, feed our energy to keep connecting folks to the land and to each other, and as always, make strides towards building Latino leadership through meaninful interactions with the wider community and by creating the business and organizational infrastructure to sustain and multiply our small achievements.