Posted by Kblanchard on March 28, 2011
Kicking off our springtime pre-Agripreneur Training Saturday programs was a great winter farm tour last weekend. Fifteen aspiring farmer-trainees trucked it out to Regi’s place, Finca Mirasol, to learn about the winter poultry production buildings and see for themselves that yes, you really can produce some food year-round in Minnesota!
We all got pretty chilly standing in the frozen mud as Regi gave a brief introduction to the production buildings and process, but as soon as we ducked into the building it was warm and toasty and we all became quick friends with those hens!
Used as a prototype building this season, only about 25 laying hens lived in the building through the winter, but has capacity for 750 birds to have ample space. The building is entirely heated by the sun. It is a simple wood and plastic-sheeting construction, with a large south-facing wall with a double-layer of polycarbonate sheets for extra insulation. The building is tall enough to house a raised tank to keep water flowing through the gravity-fed tubing to waterers. Both sides of the building open up to allow chickens to free range during the day.
Winter poultry production is a marvelous opportunity on multiple levels — first, it will provide southeastern Minnesota with locally-produced, community-based, sustainably-raised meat through the winter season, but of equal importance is the job opportunity it provides to Latin@s whose usual seasonal work means they are more likely to be unemployed in the winter.
After lots of good questions and discussion at the farm, we trekked back through the thawing mud and returned to the office for delicious tamales made with Hillside Co-op chicken by the mother of some of the participants. Regi gave a brief introduction to the Agripreneur Training Program that will commence in the summer, and was met with lots of interested questions and discussion.
Upcoming Saturday programs will cover financial literacy, building credit, budget management, and general popular education activities to begin to build community amongst the trainees.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on July 20, 2010
At least here is one concrete step that our government has taken to accelerate the process of exposing the many ways we now poison ourselves through food and unhealthy farming practices.
For our part, we know there is a lot more than just antibiotics, what about bug resistance to pesticides, corn that produces pesticides and are used to feed animals, think of soil pollution and the contamination of aquatic life supporting systems with suspended matter from the farm’s surface, pesticides and other chemicals that go down the stream as farmers pour stuff down into the soil and our institutions continue to research and government allows corporations to prescribe doing so without regard for our ability to support life systems. But we are not in the business of judging anyone for what they do, accountability is something else, but that is the public’s responsibility and our institutions, for our part, we are in the business of building the new ecology of food and agriculture, one based on a whole system change.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on July 2, 2010
Not a political party yet, but I can see with all of the activity and force behind this local foods movement all over the world, I have the feeling that someone will figure out how to turn this whole thing into something else. For now though, our friends at IATP have engaged in an initiative to have you sign a petition to have first ladies and their respective governing partners to eat local for independence day weekend, read the rest and join the party.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on June 14, 2010
Kat Vann, who runs our communications and development office at Main Street Project just sent me an article that poked some good wholes at the national and global fabric of our understanding of how the food and agriculture industry is organized. I also find it fascinating that despite so much information and knowledge in this aspect of our rural economies, small towns continue to be ran based on policies that invest local resources to outsource our food from foreign producers while our farmer neighbors itching to be part of our food system stand and watch.
This article will shed light on critical issues we need to understand about rural economies and engaging our most important assets, I find it factually accurate and intellectually challenges us to think and research further how we approach wealth creation and the role of food and agriculture in economic rural revitalization.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on January 22, 2010
An article by the Star Tribune that has been on the works for about a month coming out in print, meanwhile, here is the on-line version. Although we do our best to explain what we do, articles can never cover the whole story. I am very impressed with the way Kristin Tillotson wove in humor, facts and story telling. This is serious work and I hope you reading it will start asking more questions about our food system and how food and agriculture affects the social, economic and political fabric of our communities. We are here to build something that will last and that will not deny people living in poverty the opportunity to do something for themselves while providing consumers with top quality healthy products. Feel free to contact us if you feel like you would like more information.
Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on January 15, 2010
I will be presenting at a regional conference and at a workshop in the coming weeks, here is the general information in case you are interested in attending.
Monday, February 22nd
3rd Crops: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
1:00 PM Free Range Poultry and Perennial 3rd Crops
Organized by Rural Advantage, a non profit organization in Southern MN.
The Home Grown Economy 2010
Equipping You to Build Community-Based Food Systems
Local Food Conference
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 8am–4pm Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall
With Interactive Video Sessions at:
University of Minnesota Crookston
University of Minnesota Morris
Bemidji State University
MN State Community & Technical College, Fergus Falls
Sponsored by: Collin C. Peterson – Chair, U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee
