2012 Lakewinds Organic Field Fund Recipients

Lakewinds is proud to grant funding to the following farms and organizations that share our passion for organic food, land stewardship, sustainable agriculture, new farms, and a greater access to healthy food in our communities. Our five (5) recipients received funds totaling nearly $27,000 toward their diverse and valuable projects.

Grow! Twin Cities – Maplewood, MN

  • Grow! Twin Cities is a group of small farming and agriculture businesses that came together in 2011 with the shared vision of creating an organic urban farming co-op on a 13-acre Maplewood property.
  • LOFF funded their project to test the benefits and cost-effectiveness of producing food-based compost in a greenhouse and using the heat generated in the composting process to perform season extension experiments with edible mushroom, micro-green sprout and cool season vegetable transplant production in a northern climate.
  • Total award=$5,000

Sustainable Farming Association of MN  – Frederic, WI

  • SFA is a statewide nonprofit educational organization for farmers practicing sustainable agriculture using environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially responsible farming systems.
  • LOFF funded the advancement of their New Crops project. This second phase will present local demand information to Minnesota farmers and at the same time, assess the need for additional production and marketing education around these specific crops.
  • Total award=$8,000

Prairie Drifter Farm – Litchfield, MN

  • Prairie Drifter Farm was launched as a farm business in the spring of 2010 and 2012 marks their third season in production. They currently operate a 35-member CSA serving Litchfield, Sartell, and St. Cloud as well as providing produce to the local food co-op and two food shelves (Litchfield and St. Cloud).
  • LOFF funded transitioning their land into organic production through cover cropping, soil test analysis and nutrient management. Funding will be used for cover crop seed, seeding equipment rental, field prep custom hire and soil tests/amendments.
  • Total award=$1,048

True Cost Farm, Inc. – Montrose, MN

  • True Cost Farm started in 2009 as a hobby experimentation farm, raising meats for themselves and family. Armed with experience and research knowledge of what better looked like, they decided to offer a meat CSA to consumers where recent experiences and high standards could benefit others in a much more convenient package.  After finding a few other famers with similar philosophy, we started marketing our CSA in the winter of 2011.
  • LOFF funded their project to gain the ability to grind their own chick starter ration to offer certified organic eggs and meat.
  • Total award=$5,000

Minnesota Food Association (MFA) – Marine on St. Croix, MN

  • Since 1983, MFA has fulfilled their mission “to build a more sustainable food system based on social, economic and environmental justice through training, education and partnerships.”  Their focus is on providing new farmers access to certified organic land through their Land-Based Farm Incubator program.
  • LOFF is funding their assisting new farms in the transition to organic certification, as well as training and education programs.
  • Total award=$8,000