The Good Acre

Egg-citing news! Our Winter Egg CSA is now available. 🍳 Winter can bring income challenges for our farmer partners. Many diversify their farms by adding animals to help bridge the seasonal gap, like the Carrillo brothers, Jesus and Aldo. Last year, the Carrillo brothers expanded their 61-acre farm in Foley, MN with a flock of free-range chickens, and their eggs were a huge hit! Now, these delicious eggs are back and ready to brighten your winter meals. The chickens on Carrillo Brothers Farm are raised without hormones or chemicals, ensuring wholesome quality in every egg. By joining, you’re not just securing farm-fresh eggs, you’re supporting a local, sustainable food system through the winter. Get your share of egg-y goodness today!💛 https://lnkd.in/gbJXp7ag

We are honored to be awarded a USDA Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant, supporting our efforts to expand market access and technical assistance for small-scale, racially diverse farmers across Minnesota! This grant empowers us to strengthen the local food system, connecting farmers with new opportunities and resources. Our Executive Director, Theresa McCormick, put it best: "This award provides vital capacity to expand wholesale readiness technical assistance, facilitate access to new markets, and strengthen local supply chains, the very things that put the 'TO' in farm-to-community and increase economic opportunity for small-scale, racially diverse farmers. We are honored to be selected for the LFPP award, among many outstanding projects here in Minnesota and nationwide." 🎉 Congratulations to our Minnesota partners, The Food Group and Land Stewardship Project, for their awards as well! We're proud to work alongside you in building a more resilient and inclusive food system. Special thanks to our Development team, Sarah Hovseth and Theresa J. Beckhusen, for their hard work and dedication in leading the grant writing process! #TheGoodAcre #USDA #LocalFoodSystems #FoodHub

In honor of October being Farm to School Month, we are highlighting one of our school partners, Robbinsdale Area Schools!❤️ With over 12 sites, Robbinsdale Area Schoolsis dedicated to incorporating local food into the menu at each school by ordering produce from The Good Acre. Take a look at our farm partners' green beans, tomatoes, delicata squash, Brussels sprouts, and carrots get transformed into delicious dishes, nourishing students right in our community! The pico de gallo was served at Robbinsdale Cooper High School alongside Minnesota-raised taco meat (not pictured). Way to go Robbinsdale Area Schools!🤩 If you or someone you know has been dreaming of sourcing locally for school menus, please connect with us!!🤗

Congratulations to our partner Beverly Dougherty of Real Food Hub Willmar for being officially named an Upstream Caretaker! Beverly is leading the Farm to School charge in Central MN, ensuring students have access to food from local farmers and ranchers using sustainable practices. This fall, The Good Acre is partnering with Real Food Hub Willmar to connect with schools out in Central MN looking for local supply, including the cities of Morris, Alexandria, and Willmar. Central MN has a low population of farmers of color to buy from, so we have been able to help fulfill their aspirations of supporting local, emerging, and BIPOC farmers and ranchers!

Our partner farmer, Funwi Tita of Better Greens LLC and president of the Minnesota African Immigrant Farmers Association, shares his powerful story in the Star Tribune. From farming challenges on rented land to the impact of climate change on small farms, Funwi calls for stronger support and policies for immigrant and small-scale farmers. His words remind us why investing in regenerative agriculture and fairer systems benefits us all. Read Funwi's opinion piece in the Star Tribune: https://ow.ly/iM1850Tzowb

Farm to school connects farmers, food hubs, students, and advocates in a shared mission. Together, we're creating an abundant, nourishing, and equitable food system. Join us this October to celebrate our community-driven efforts. We'll post about our farm and school partners throughout the month, so follow along to learn more! #F2SMonth

We’re thrilled to share our Local Food Guide to the Minnesota State Fair! While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it starts a conversation about the incredible flavors and dedication that make Minnesota’s local food scene truly special. Visit our website to get our Local Food Guide! 🌽🍷🍯 thegoodacre.org

This morning, we hosted a conversation about rebuilding the "Missing Middle” with our partners, Renewing the Countryside and Sprout. Aggregation is happening across the State, on farms, at farmers markets, and at food hubs. Yet hyper-local, community led initiatives remain critically cut off from each other and from opportunities to leverage supply chains and logistics for larger scale impact. This is the “Missing Middle.” Vital infrastructure remains underutilized; farmers, especially in Greater Minnesota, remain shut out from market opportunities; and community organizations, like schools and food banks, are unable to purchase locally at scale. Join the conversation. What does it look like to build food systems in a coordinated way? Let us know what you think in the comments below! 👇🏽

We are excited to announce our newest partnership with Lunds & Byerlys! This collaboration opens up incredible market opportunities for our farm partners, bringing even more fresh, locally-grown produce to the shelves of their 29 stores across the metro area. Together, we’re bridging the gap for small farms and ensuring a resilient future for our regional food system. Keep an eye out for our farm-fresh veggies at a Lunds & Byerlys near you this summer! 🌱🍅 bit.ly/TGAxLandB

A big thank you to the stellar crew at General Mills for coming out and packing our CSA boxes last week! We have reached peak produce season and distribute boxes to 700 households across the Twin Cities in our biggest weeks. That's a lot of boxes folks and we couldn't do it without our partners and volunteers!