With Apologies to Scott Russell Sanders

I hadn’t heard of Scott Russell Sanders when I wrote this last year. So all my talk in that essay of “I’m staying home” and “we’ll do something profoundly counter-cultural: stay put” wasn’t at all influenced by Sanders’ book Staying Put, but it might as well have been.

I came across mention of Sanders’ work while reading my recently-arrived, long-awaited copy of Beyond Homelessness, which was just released. Expect updates on that book, but for just a bit I’m taking a little detour to read through Staying Put.

Welcoming Another South Dakota Organic Farm to the Blogosphere

Heidi, an intern with Prairie Coteau Farm and Dakota Rural Action, has alerted me to Prairie Coteau’s new blog, which you can find here! I’ve been hearing about P.C. Farm for awhile but didn’t see much online about them, so I’m glad to see their new blog up and running, complete with photos of their beautiful 40 acres near Astoria, SD, and an updated listing of their current available vegetables.

Photo courtesy of http://prairiecoteaufarm.wordpress.com/

A bit about the farm from their website:

Our farm is 40 acres of rolling prairie, trees, fields and wetlands where wildlife abounds, located on the Buffalo Ridge in northeastern South Dakota. We grow a wide range of vegetables, melons and herbs for the local farmer’s market. Heirloom varieties are a focus, as are specific crops such as melons and gourmet garlic. About 50 laying hens freely roam our pastures, and we sell their eggs through a small co-op. We’re committed to sustainable, organic growing methods that preserve the ecological health of our farm as we strive to be good stewards of the land.

Farmers Market stand photo courtesy http://prairiecoteaufarm.wordpress.com/

I’m also immensely pleased to learn that Heidi is a South Dakota native who describes herself as returning to her “rural South Dakota roots. I’ve seized the opportunity to return to my home state and become involved in the good work of sustainable farming.”

Heidi, glad to have you back in South Dakota, and I hope you’ll be sticking around for a long while. And for all those who don’t know about Prairie Coteau Farm yet, below is their contact information from DRA’s “South Dakota Local Foods Directory.” Be sure to stop by P.C. Farm’s stand at the next Brookings farmers market!

Prairie Coteau Farm
Kristianna Gehant and Nick Siddens
19079 487th Ave
Astoria, SD 57213
Deuel County
605.832.2062
vegfarm@itctel.com

Sustainable Ag Symposium Just Down the Road This Week

Speaking of the organic Johnson Farm, it will play host this Tuesday for the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society Summer Symposium. The symposium and farm tour runs from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on July 22 a few miles outside of Madison, SD.

So, for anyone in the eastern South Dakota area who’s interested in some serious discussion of and practical advice for starting or staying with sustainable ag, this Tuesday will provide you with a great opportunity. Check out a flyer here (PDF): ss08flyer

And take a look at the NPSAS info here.

Local Organic Farmer Goes Gourmet

(photo courtesy Sam Hurst, Gourmet.com)

My husband scooped me on this one, but I’m going to post here, too. Local longtime organic farmer (and our neighbor down the road) Charlie Johnson and his brother Allan are the subjects of a new story on Gourmet.com. The article details their 2,400-acre organic grain operation which has been going strong since their dad switched to organic back in 1976. We happen to get our yearly supply of straw bales (used to provide some extra insulation around our basement walls in the winter and garden mulch in the summer) from Charlie and just started getting farm-fresh eggs from his wife Bette. We’re happy to see the Johnson farm get nationwide exposure and are glad to see them succeed not only at family farming, which is increasingly difficult anymore, but at an entirely organic operation.

Read the entire article here.

SD Green Feature: Brookings Food Co-op

Laura Wight, one of the movers and shakers behind the possible new food co-op in Brookings, recently answered some questions for me:

In a nutshell, what is a food co-op? In a nutshell, a food co-op is a cooperatively owned grocery store, predominantly carrying natural foods. A group of people pool their resources to acquire the store they would not have the buying power to acquire otherwise. The co-op then works for the benefit of all its member-owners.

How does a co-op contribute to a more sustainable future? Our food co-op would contribute to a sustainable future by supplying as many products as possible that are locally or regionally produced, thus reducing greenhouse gases and fuel costs. The co-op would also be contributing to sustainability by supporting sustainable farming practices, and keeping profits within the local economy.

New Farmers Market Starting in Howard, SD

Lindsey over at the Rural Learning Center, part of Miner County Community Revitalization, sent me an e-mail announcing a brand new farmers market starting up in Howard, home of wind power and organic beef:

Howard Area Summer Market
It’s not just about vegetables anymore!

We’re looking for people who would like to embark on a summer journey full of new faces, fresh food, and lots of fun! If you have ever considered marketing produce from that HUGE garden of yours, or simply woul like to try something new, this is for you! We are looking for vibrant vendors that can offer a diverse array of products including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, handicrafts and everything in between. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, or if you simply need some convincing, please contact Ashton (phone: 527-2535, email: packers_rock014@hotmail.com) or Lindsey at MCCR (phone: 772-5153, email: lindsey.karlson@mccr.net).

Eat local, live local.

The market will be on Mondays, 4:00-7:00 PM. If you’re a Howard-area producer, be sure to contact Lindsey or Ashton for more information about bringing your goods to the market. If you’re a Howard-area customer, mark Monday nights on your calendar!

South Dakota’s Getting Fresh

Rebecca at Flying Tomato Farms tipped me off in February that work was afoot to bring a “Buy Fresh Buy Local” campaign to South Dakota. Well, now it’s official. My husband and I finally became members of Dakota Rural Action last month, and DRA just sent us notice of a meeting (TOMORROW!) for anyone interested in starting a BFBL chapter in South Dakota. Here are the details:

Tuesday, May 13
7:00 p.m.
Minnehaha County Extension Center
220 W. 6th St. (click here for map)
Sioux Falls, SD
Sponsored by the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association
Interested producers and consumers are encouraged to attend.
For more info, contact Patrick Garrity at 605.660.1034 or garrity@iw.net

Others Are What We Eat

During the year that I studied at Regent College, we were treated to a guest lecture by William Rees in one of my classes. Rees is a professor in the School of Regional and Community Planning at the University of British Columbia and is a world renowned expert in sustainability issues. Heard anything about your “ecological footprint” lately? He’s the guy who came up with the concept.

Speaking of Green Building…

Spring isn’t the only reason South Dakota’s getting greener these days. The folks at Koch Hazard Architects in Sioux Falls have just inaugurated a new blog about sustainable building and renovation. Green Digs Blog promises to keep up the “discussions about going green, be it new or old buildings (mostly considering our point of view) developments, processes, happenings, what’s going on in our part of the world or how we can all make our environment a little better.”

Stay tuned to Green Digs for great information including details about the first Plain Green conference on sustainability in our region coming this September to Sioux Falls. The official website should have more details soon.

The Difference a Day Makes

4/24/2008 2:57 PM

4/25/2008 3:15 PM