Innovative Free-Range Poultry Operation Launches in Cannon Falls

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on August 20, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kat Vann, Main Street Project, (612) 879-7578

Innovative Free-Range Poultry Operation Launches in Cannon Falls
Media is invited to tour Prink’s Farm on Saturday, Aug. 22, 10 a.m.
11055 – 317 St., Cannon Falls

CANNON FALLS, Minn. – The Rural Enterprise Center, a program of Main Street Project, is pleased to announce the launch of a unique, new free-range poultry operation in Cannon Falls. Prink’s Farm is the second member of the new Hillside Farmers Cooperative to deploy the Rural Enterprise Center model for raising free-range poultry and other products using sustainable farming practices. The innovative model builds on the experiences, culture and knowledge in intensive farming systems that new immigrants bring to the southern Minnesota region, while incorporating the resources of established farmers looking for ways to diversify their farms and support the community.

Todd Prink, owner of Prink’s Farm, is an investment manager and life-long Cannon Falls farmer who began raising organic products in 1985. The new poultry operation is a partnership between Prink and Eladio Evan-de Carpio and family – another member of the co-op. “As a long-time farmer, it’s very exciting to be part of something with this much potential,” says Prink. “We’re working together to raise happy, healthy and great-tasting chickens, and actually improving the environment in the process.”

The first poultry operation, called Finca Mirasol (“Sunflower Farm”), began a year ago and is located in Northfield. The co-op has a distribution partnership with Thousand Hills Cattle Company, also of Cannon Falls. Both co-op locations also sell whole chickens direct to the public.

“This is an important step in building out what we call an ‘economic unit’ in the development system,” explained Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Rural Enterprise Center Director and model’s creator. “We’ll continue to improve the system’s efficiency while also offering a superior product to local and regional customers.”
The public can purchase Hillside Farmers Cooperative free-range chickens or tour Prink’s Farm operations on Saturdays, 8 a.m. – noon, beginning Aug. 22 through Oct. 31. Prink’s Farm is located at 11055 – 317 St., Cannon Falls, and will sell Finca Mirasol poultry until their own flock matures.

The Rural Enterprise Center is a program of Main Street Project that focuses on economic development. Our mission is to strengthen communities by bringing together the support infrastructure, resources and projects that rural Latino entrepreneurs need to succeed. For more information, visit ruralEC.com or MainStreetProject.org.

Prink’s Farm Gets Ready for Free Range Poultry Production

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on August 19, 2009

I visited Prink’s Farm yesterday as they get ready to deploy their first free range poultry production unit. Todd Prink who also runs IEA Wealth Management in downtown Canon Falls, dedicated half an acre for a free range poultry training site at his farm just East of the city, and has set aside 8 acres as part of a partnership aimed at launching Eladio Carpio-de-Evans and another family as producer.

Eladio will continue to build productive units for a total of 8 in 4 of the 8 acres set aside. While this is happening, another family will be trained at the unit currently under construction. This unit is designed to train families on free range poultry production, once the training facilities are fully built, there will be opportunities for families to train on one or two of up to 12 different farming enterprises through these small scale units.

This training unit is being built with financing support from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, contributions by Prink’s Farm, and Robert Fales of Cannon River Machines. This is the second training unit to be deployed and the first fully operational free range poultry farm under deployment. In order to make this production units compatible with small scale agriculture systems, with the economic conditions of Latino families in our region, and with the needs of established farmers to test our system at a low risk, we have designed buildings, pasture paddocks, management processes and applied agronomical sciences that maximizes the return per area of production but can start with as little as half an acre.