Regional, Sustainable Agriculture

Kate Rolf Photographer
Dry Weather Creek Farm

Why is the Regional, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Important to West Central Minnesota?

Despite demographic and policy changes, small, sustainable family farms remain important assets in our community and provide healthy, environmentally friendly, nutritionally rich foods to our citizens. Organizations like Pride of the Prairie, the Land Stewardship Project, the West Central Research and Outreach Center, and the West Central Regional Development Partnership are working to create an infrastructure to ensure that fewer resources are used on our foods' journey from farm to table, that more people are able to conveniently buy locally, sustainably produced foods, and that people of all ages have access to education about the benefits of purchasing locally grown foods.

Students and other community members are often unaware of where their food comes from or how it is produced, and many have never met a person who produces their foods or experienced the sense of community that results from such interactions.

The local foods initiative seeks to provide education about local foods and direct support to local farmers and consumers. We hope to do this by:

Planning and implementing events and projects that raise awareness of the health, environmental, and community benefits of purchasing locally grown foods for people of all ages;
Providing more opportunities for individual consumers to purchase and eat locally grown foods;
Assisting in the creation of an infrastructure to make the purchase of local foods more convenient and viable for a range of individual and institutional consumers.

Current Community Partners

Pride of the Prairie
Phone: 320.269.2105
Fax: 320.269.2190
E-Mail: lspwest@landstewardshipproject.org

Pride of the Prairie is a collaborative effort of the Land Stewardship Project, farmers, the West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, The West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris Prairie Renaissance, area citizens, and the University of Minnesota, Morris.

Pride of the Prairie aims to:

Work to reconnect people with their food and with the farmers who grow it.
Through a community food system we can nurture strong communities with fresh, wholesome food.
With this process implemented we can retain more of the wealth our rich farmlands produce, and continue to shape a healthy and beautiful landscape, where we call home.

Land Stewardship Project
Terry VanDerPol
301 State Rd. Suite 2
Montevideo, MN 56265
Phone: 320.269.2105
Fax: 320.269.2190

The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture and to develop sustainable communities.

The Land Stewardship Project aims to:

Secure a healthful food supply,
Preserve soil, water and wildlife,
Support diversified profitable family-sized farms,
Organize communities for positive change,
Hold corporations and government accountable,
and create a new sustainable vision for our food and agriculture system.

West Central Research and Outreach Center
Greg Cuomo, Head
46352 State Hwy 329
Morris, MN 56267
Phone: 320.589.1711
Fax: 320.589.4870

West Central Research and Outreach Center aims to:

Provide leadership in the generation and dissemination of research-based knowledge that addresses agricultural and rural issues.
Emphasize interdisciplinary projects, with partners that range from producers to consumers of agricultural products, through citizen-guided programs

West Central Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership
Dorothy Rosemeier, Executive Director
46352 State Hwy 329
Morris, MN 56267
Phone: 320-760-3735 or 1-877-501-3735
Fax: 320-875-2022 or 320-589-4870

The West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership is launching education and research that help people understand and achieve sustainability in their region. The people of the region are key to fulfilling this mission. Therefore, the primary task of the Partnership is to inform, listen to, respond to, and build capacity in the people of the region to achieve and balance three kinds of sustainability: sustainability of natural resources, sustainability of agriculture and other economic enterprises, and sustainability of community.

Farm to School
Lynn Mader
600 Columbia Ave
Morris, MN 56267
Phone: (320) 269-2943

The Farm to School Programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers.

The West Central Minnesota Farm to School's Vision is:

To improve healthy eating habits of young and school age children in West Central Minnesota through educational programs, experiences and school food service that connects farming and nutritious and healthy food.

This will be accomplished by:

Reaching out to families of young children to give them knowledge as well as hands-on experience in harvesting, cooking, and enjoying fresh, local products, to promote a healthier lifestyle
Working with schools in finding creative solutions so they can offer healthy and nutritious foods and explore alternative revenue streams

Examples of Current and Former Courses Participating in the Regional, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative

ARTS 2500: Advanced Photography- Ongoing Course
Therese Buchmiller
Students visit local farms and photograph the farmers. The images are showcased in the community to bring attention to local foods and delivered to the farmers for their own promotional use.
View photos

SOC 1101: Introduction to Sociology- Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students choose from one of eight projects that connect to sociology. Some students assisted with planning, advertising for, and staffing the local foods expo, meal, and farmer's market. Others assisted with research for the Morris Area School District's School Lunch Committee, including research about potentially purchasing more local foods.

Soc 3201- Former Course
Students examined civic agricultural practices in rural Minnesota and Hungary. Students investigated how local farmers' markets, gardens, processing, and purchasing of regional foods affected rural communities. Students also helped plan and host a local foods expo at UMM.

Pol 3401: U.S. Foreign Policy- Former Course
Students studied the effects of globalization on agriculture. Students interviewed local farmers on topics such as: free trade, immigrant workers, and environmental regulations. Students also planned a forum and invited local farmers to discuss such issues.

CSCI 4000: Variable Topics in Computer Science- Former Course
Rob Faux
Students created four databases requested by the Land Stewardship Project to assist consumers in purchasing locally grown foods and to gather information from farmers who are members of their organization for use in promotional materials and program improvement.