Agriculture relates to so much more than farmers and consumers, it is a larger system that has the ability to support and nourish communities. On this tour we learned about the intermediary organizations that help educate farmers on wholesaling practices, distribute food to community sites, and the community sites that help the food get to consumers. The focus of this tour was “Finding food for all”, we got to see first hand how organizations in Minnesota are working collaboratively and efficiently to solve food insecurity in our communities.
Food for All Tour Stops
Second Harvest Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland is a non-profit organization that manages the logistics of food delivery. At their site we did a classroom component to gain ideas for potential lessons about the growing process. We also did a groupthink activity to generate our ideas about what food insecurity is and how it feels. We got to tour their facility and learn how they were managing to distribute over 500,000 lbs of food on the day of our visit (That day was an organization record for them!). After our classroom component and tour, we had a tasty lunch and loaded up the bus to get to our next stop!
The Good Acre
We arrived at our second stop! The Good Acre in Saint Paul, MN is a cooperative that helps smaller farmers grow and learn the trades of wholesaling their food. Many urban farmers are farming to feed their community or family, but being able to scale that, helps them turn it into a business! We had a classroom component to learn about the work that The Good Acre does and we took a tour of their facility. Some highlights of that tour included: The industrial kitchen available for rent, their large freezers, and their loading dock.
Cimarron Community Farm
Our next stop was the Cimarron Community Farm. They are a small farm operating near Stillwater, MN and help bring local produce to an underserved community that is right in their backyard. At this stop we split into two groups; one group toured the farm and one group got their hands dirty by helping with some planting while discussing ideas of incorporating stories of agriculture into the classroom. The groups switched and then we were off to our last stop of the day.
Open Cupboard
Open Cupboard is the largest food shelf in Minnesota located near Cimarron Community Farm. Open Cupboard are partners with both Cimarron Community Farm and with Second Harvest Heartland and serve as the final destination for many food items. We split into two groups again, one group went inside of their marketplace and got to witness their unique setup in action. The other group was in the back having a Q&A session with some of the volunteers. The unique setup was a volunteer idea after witnessing it in Australia. It involves a setup very similar to a grocery store, just no money involved.
Finding Food for All Tour Curriculum Connections
The Food for All tour started in the Second Harvest Heartland classroom with curriculum connections where attendees got to try out Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom lesson plans and activities in small groups. Educators also got to hear about all the other free resources MAITC offers and opportunities with Farm Camp.