Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on November 12, 2009
We posed this question to a group of farmers, food business owners, building/metal contractors, and low-income families in the Northfield/Faribault area. Their response was a solid “YES, it can work.” Of course, if you have ever been at a rally where an energetic speaker gets everyone motivated about something, it is easy to chant “yes, we can.” And even if one does not completely understand whether one actually “can,” it still feels good. Our challenge was to move beyond possibilities and excitement, and figure out how we could turn everyone’s aspirations — especially those of the low-income families (all Latino) — into a successful partnership.
Here is how we made that happen:
First, we worked on a plan for a two-week project to process over 3,000 free range chickens from our two start-up farms in Northfield and Cannon Falls (please don’t try this at home). For the plan to work, we had to secure a physical site on one of the farms, find basic processing equipment, fully pre-train one or two of us on the whole system, design a layout, and complete many other tasks associated with organizing the project and the people. We also needed some cash to purchase basic supplies (boxes, packaging material, ice, LP gas, etc.).
Thousand Hills Cattle Company lent our cooperative (Hillside Farmers Cooperative) the money to purchase the basic processing equipment. Prink Oakridge Farm in Cannon Falls figured out the freezer truck with Thousand Hills, driving and operating the unit, and unloading at the storage facility. Cannon River Machine, figured out the layout and basic processing skills needed so that a team could be trained on the specifics of each aspect of the processing. They also built a large 2 by 8 foot steel platform so we could build a fire under it and heat a large tub of water (saving time and LP gas).
Our program found financial support to cover some of the supplies and materials. Both farms contributed part of their production to compensate each individual who participated in the processing, providing them with a supply of poultry that will feed their families all winter.
A community organizer in Faribault worked to organize 14 individuals to do the processing. In the course of one and a half weeks, we all took turns loading chickens into cages, bringing them over to the site, switching jobs when someone got too tired, wet, cold or all of the above. All this happened during the two weeks that it rained non-stop and got really cold as well. It was physically demanding work under miserable conditions. It was almost as if some higher power was seeing if we would give up on the whole project.
When we finished, all of the birds had been processed and 12 individuals had learned how to do this work efficiently and cost effectively, achieving very competitive production levels. They worked happily and in a relaxed atmosphere. Some children came and played, observed their parents working together, and watched a mix of people of different skin color and backgrounds interact as if issues of race had never existed. Much more happened while this community enterprise took shape. Of course, one part we did not hold back on was the enjoyment of the best chicken stews and grilled chicken you have ever tried.
These families will be ready to start again next spring when the production season begins. Going forward, more families in our region will 
learn that community supported agriculture includes growing chickens, but also processing them right on the farm for freshness and health. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll have more opportunities to connect with each other as a community, while supporting those who have been left behind in our current economic system.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on October 2, 2009
This is the title of the Community Food Security Coalition’s conference in Des Moines, IA from October 10th to the 13th. According to the update from the Sustainable Farming Association of MN, this is “the largest gathering of community food systems producers and advocates in the US.”. I am honored to be a presenter for the morning plenary session on Tuesday October 13th.
If you are going, look me up and I look forward to having a good and engaging conversation about the state of our food systems and the important work going on in our Southern MN region to restore some of the most valuable infrastructure and ethical links in the food system that we lost to corporate farming and conglomerates.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on September 23, 2009
Although the name of the organization sounds very foreign to me, its purpose “Moral Capitalism for a Better World”, is not. That sounds like something we can agree with. I will be a panelist next Wednesday at their event “Conference on Ethics in Food and Health systems & the second Caux Culinary Challenge”.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on December 15, 2008
Red Wing community leaders achieved a major milestone in the process of organizing a leadership network in the larger task of putting together a community-wide infrastructure to support families in moving farther into, and participating in the life of the larger Red Wing area community.
The process was organized by the Goodhue County Hispanic Outreach Program and led by Adriana Thuerauf. The Rural Enterprise Center provided background for the process, materials, training, and other support needed to structure and develop an emergency preparedness plan and community-wide engagement strategies that have been utilized in Northfield to accomplish similar goals.
Last night’s meeting attracted over 75 Latino individuals, many of them whole families with children. Within this group were individuals with clear leadership potential that we will continue to engage as we move from the basic community organizing process into the engagement of these key network in economic development and other community building infrastructure projects.
The organizing process brought together outside forces as well, up to 40 individuals and organizations in the area have signed up to serve as a larger area support network for Latino-led initiatives, this coalition of organizations plus the presence of key regional leaders made the meeting more meaningful not only for the future efforts that were ignited though this building block, but as a motivational component and true show of support for the Latino community leadership development from the larger community leadership.
We had the presence from the board of the Goodhue County Hispanic Outreach, that provided the organizational support for the effort, as well as Darrel Glander, Assistent Chief of Police, Stan Slessor, Superintendent for the Red Wing Independent School District 256, and Jeff Larson, of J.P. Larson & Associates L.L.C. an immigration law firm in Minneapolis providing pro-bono services for Latino families in the area.
Here is a slideshow of some of the scenes from the meeting.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on September 29, 2008
This was the title of a recent article on the Northfield News in Northfield, News Editor Ariel Emery wrote it after attending an introductory on a new business venture under development called Turiventures, an international community tourism company that we are sponsoring here at the Rural Enterprise Center. We meet at the community room of First National Bank of Northfield on September 12 to gather feedback from a selected number of community leaders with expertise and possible interest in this project’s outcome.
The article does a really good job at describing the project, so I would like to point readers directly to it instead of saying too much more about the project here. Here is the direct link to last week’s article. And here is a link to a previous article written by Suzanne Rook about the same project when we first announced the project initiation phase.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on June 11, 2008
Yesterday, I had an opportunity to meet a very nice group of people who are ready to take initiative and launch their businesses in our region.
Carlos Miguel Paredez Valiente, used to own a business in Mexico City, he started a company that consolidated sells of bus tickets to destinations all over the country. He now lives in Northfield and is exploring two possible business opportunities, one in regional tourism, and another in transportation. This exploratory process should clear the picture for him so that we can concentrate on a business planning process to launch him on the best option.
Clemente Lopez Arcos, is also from Mexico City, he lives in Northfield and has been interested in learning more about sustainable home building. He is looking to explore the possibility of starting a solar electrical systems company, to include solar panels, solar shingles, and passive-solar heating and other similar systems.
I ended the day meeting with three other people who have come together to start a residential remodeling 
company. They are Isidory Cornelio “Izzy” a graduate of Northfield High School, Gabriel R. Hitzil and Marie Langlie. A fourth member to this partnership was unavailable for today’s meeting.
Over the coming weeks, we will be holding exploratory and business planning meetings with these folks as we continue to chart a course of action for each of their initiatives.
On Sunday June 1st, I also traveled to Worthington where I met with food vendors and other business owners. My primary purpose for this trip was to meet with Adolfo Avila, an business 
consulting officer with the Southwest Initiative Foundation. Adolfo provides business consulting services to Latino/a business owners in the region and crosses over to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s 20 county South-central region.
My specific purpose was to discuss Adolfo’s own farm operation out of Tracy, Minnesota and his interest in distributing our Northfield grown poultry in that part of the state. He is well connected and respected in the region and a good marketing partner to our organization.
Adolfo owns a 10 acre farm just west of Tracy and is interested in exploring using his farm as another training center for the region’s emerging Latino farmers. Having raised pigs in the past, he already knows the challenges and opportunities associated with livestock and will be a good asset to our rural farmers network.
We have now assembled a group large enough to organize our second formal general business training workshop. After visiting with over 25 business owners, we now have 15 who have asked for business management training. We will organize this training in cooperation with established partners such as the Southern MN Initiative Foundation, the Southwest Initiative Foundation, the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Northfield Enterprise Center, the Northfield Community Action Center and the Faribault Diversity Coalition.
A community organizer in Faribault worked to organize 14 individuals to do the processing. In the course of one and a half weeks, we all took turns loading chickens into cages, bringing them over to the site, switching jobs when someone got too tired, wet, cold or all of the above. All this happened during the two weeks that it rained non-stop and got really cold as well. It was physically demanding work under miserable conditions. It was almost as if some higher power was seeing if we would give up on the whole project.
learn that community supported agriculture includes growing chickens, but also processing them right on the farm for freshness and health. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll have more opportunities to connect with each other as a community, while supporting those who have been left behind in our current economic system.
