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by Michelle Sharp

A real live wool baroness—right here in Minnesota!

Theresa Bentz of Get Bentz Farm builds an interactive agricultural experience in the hills outside Northfield. Grass-fed sheep battle invasive species, on-farm fiber art days encourage community, discard wool becomes garden food and two city kids experiment daily with their hypothesis about a different way to live and work.

After years working in higher education and corporate careers, Jake and Theresa cut a new path for their family. “Although I was guaranteed a paycheck working for somebody else, I wasn’t guaranteed satisfaction, respect or to be valued for the commitment I gave,” reflects Theresa. “If I worked 80 hours a week teaching, no one would pat me on the back. I decided to work for myself and set my own standards. That understanding took away the fear of starting our own business.”

A NEW SPACE

At the start, the farm focused on pasture-raised direct-to-consumer sheep and lamb meat sold at farmers markets. They raise their flock following sustainable practices of rotating pastures and allowing the sheep to browse a diverse array of plants. Their lamb is regularly on Northfield’s Ole Store’s menu, including custom lamb brats.

Persistent drought conditions in Minnesota forced the decision to reduce the size of their flock. Diving headfirst into fiber art production and agritourism allowed their farm to expand its available products while maintaining a sustainable presence on their land. When guests come to the farm they meet the sheep, visit the natural dye garden, walk in the pasture and see the on-site mill. Being at the farm allows guests to appreciate the cycle that produces both the meat for their meals and the textiles that clothe them. 

YOU CAN’T HAVE YARN WITHOUT FARMS

Being recognized as an agricultural producer when the farm shifted into fiber arts proved to be a challenge. “I had to fight pretty hard to get into farmers markets and not be seen as a crafter,” states Theresa. “Textiles are agricultural products. The yarn that makes the cloth that makes your clothing, unless it’s polyester, came from an animal. We’ve largely become very disconnected from our textile production just like we have with large scale food production. When I speak at knitters guilds, agricultural conventions or wellness centers, I bring it back to where these items come from. It wakes people up as to why I’m a farmer selling textile products.”

Theresa reflected on the fact that textiles used to be a form of currency. In fact, the tremendously wealthy and influential Medici Family gained their fortune through the production and sale of wool. During the two global world wars, women knitted morse code messages into socks and scarves sent to the front. There’s a tremendous creative space in fiber arts, which are enjoying a resurgence in respect. “Grandma skills” are trending with crocheting, knitting and upcycling textiles to make something new all having active followings on line and in real life.

BUILDING BADGER FACE FIBER

As the baroness of Get Bentz Farm, Theresa uses both wool from her flock and fleece purchased from shepherds throughout the region to create her signature products. “I love that I’ve become a producer of yarn in our industry,” smiles Theresa. “I enjoy having control over the end product. I get to collaborate with others to create something that people use.”

In 2024 Get Bentz established a new product line, Badger Face Fiber, named for an esteemed founding member of their flock. Being a part of the “yarn beast” as Theresa calls it, allows her to create and facilitate others’ creations. “I love the creating part. I love getting in there and having all this raw material for me to make something,” explains Theresa. “It’s really, really cool when people show me what they’ve made from a product we created. They know that our yarn will never be the same twice because the animals are different every time you shear. We’re all learning to appreciate the variability.”

Get Bentz and Badger Face customers know to purchase the yarn for their full project up front. Once a particular batch is gone, it’s gone.

GROWING WITH RBIL

Get Bentz is a graduate of the 2024 cohort of the Rural Business Innovation Lab. Founded by CEDA, RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that redefines the narrative of rural decline. Each cohort builds a peer network dense with ideas, expertise and resources that help rural small businesses start and scale their work within their communities. Working in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health.

The content and interactions of the RBIL program helped Theresa recognize what she did and, perhaps even more importantly, what she did not want to do during a big year of growth for their farm business. “The coaches at RBIL helped me push myself into areas where I didn’t think I was going to be comfortable,” says Theresa. “I bought a Yamper because we identified that I didn’t have a good place to sell my yarn on the farm. It’s turned out to be really fun. Our yarn camper is a mobile yarn mobile. We now are able to participate in events where we wouldn’t have otherwise because of building this mobile interactive space.”

Theresa also emphasized how the RBIL program helped organize her thoughts about the business. “Knowing about the resources available is so important,” states Theresa. “Also the coaches helped us sort out what parts of our business we wanted to scale up and what was as big as we want it to be.”

GET IN TOUCH

Sign up for the monthly Get Bentz newsletter, which includes the perspective of the flock itself, at https://getbentzfarm.com

View upcoming classes and on-farm events, browse the fibers, woolen products and locally-processed meats available. Find Get Bentz at the Linden Hills and Mill City Farmers Markets.

Follow @getbentzfarm on Facebook and Instagram for Theresa’s sustainable fashion inspiration, sassy sheep and life on the farm.

Contact Cameron Payne cameron.payne@cedausa.com at RBIL to learn more about the program. Visit https://www.cedausa.com/ruralinnovation/ for a program overview.

Follow Meet the Minnesota Makers @meettheminnesotamakers on Ambit, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

This story was originally published to Meet the Minnesota Makers and is shared with permission. The link to the original article can be found here.

By Michelle Sharp

Minnesota soil turns out to have just the right qualities for growing high-quality ginseng.

Traditionally associated with Eastern medicine, small servings of ginseng are said to promote wellbeing, cognitive sharpness, and strong energy levels.

With over 70 years of combined experience, Tyler Saemrow of Morristown’s Ty’s Ginseng learned to grow ginseng under his grandfather’s tutelage starting when he was 10 years old. “I love being out in the woods and simply watching our plants grow. It takes time, lots of it, but it’s so worth it.”

“The best part about growing ginseng is that I am able to work with my grandpa, mom and dad every day,” shares Tyler. “Not too many people can say that.”

Tyler’s grandfather Ernest Hering used to hunt wild ginseng that grew in southeastern Minnesota’s river banks. Over time he and a friend collected seeds that they planted back in their own woods.

AN UNEXPECTED APPRENTICESHIP

Tyler started working with ginseng by going out into the woods each fall with his grandfather to transplant roots and select which ones to harvest. Tyler learned how to clean and dry the roots to prepare them for sale—often to destinations in New York City and San Francisco.

“I enjoyed the time outside, but it seemed like a lot of work at the time,” reflects Tyler. “I never thought that someday I wanted to be the one growing ginseng in our woods.”

Every year Tyler assumed more responsibility with the process. He valued being involved. Accompanying his grandfather on a sales trip during his senior year of high school brought the whole cycle of the process to life. “I really enjoyed meeting the buyers. I got to meet so many people and hear their stories about what they do with our ginseng. Then I was really in.”

TURNING LOCAL

After that trip, Tyler and his grandfather planted a new ginseng field on his dad’s dairy farm. His grandfather told Tyler that that was his woods, so Tyler was fully responsible for the care of those new plants. When those roots were ready to harvest in 2020, the sales trips with national and international buyers were not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking locally for new customers, they applied to the Minneapolis Farmers Market. They’ve been there regularly ever since educating market visitors about ginseng and sharing their harvest in both whole roots and ground powdered form.

Establishing Ty’s Ginseng means that their harvest goes directly to their consumers rather than being brokered through a middleman. From that initial woods created with his grandfather, Tyler now manages five fields. “I never really inherited his ginseng,” explains Tyler. “I inherited the knowledge. We started from scratch on the whole growing of the ginseng for our new business.”

WORTH THE WAIT

Roots are typically at least six years old before being dried and processed into powder, the most typical way that people use the prized root. The longer it grows, the stronger its potency. Ginseng plants thrive in shaded conditions, making them an ideal agroforestry crop. A drought resistant plant, dry summers make for steady growing conditions. Winters without snow cover, however, pose a challenge as turkeys and other critters dig up the plants.

“It’s still hard even with our combined 70 years of experience,” states Tyler. “Every year we have a new challenge. It’s like, why did those seeds not sprout? Why did this section not come up this year? Or why are they only coming up like this? You have to be patient and wait. Your plans go through a lot in the six to seven years that it takes for the roots to be ready.”
Even after harvest, timing is key. Depending on their size, roots take three to five weeks to dry under controlled conditions. Tyler and his family process all the roots in a commercial kitchen so that their powder can be sold in retail locations.

“We’re small and we’re learning,” says Tyler. “We take a lot of pride in what we do. We don’t rush things. We want to try to get the best ginseng root possible.”

GROWING WITH RBIL

Ty’s Ginseng is a member of the 2025 cohort of the Rural Business Innovation Lab. RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that redefines the narrative of rural decline. Each cohort builds a peer network dense with ideas, expertise, and resources that help rural small businesses start and scale their work within their communities.

Working in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health.

The desire to make Ty’s Ginseng a sustainable business for his family made Tyler think that RBIL’s entrepreneurial program could pull them closer to their goals. “Meeting with the coaches gives me a different head space, a different perspective on how we could be marketing and selling our ginseng,” explains Tyler. “It’s amazing to have the reassurance of talking with someone who knows about the bigger picture and helps you sort through the possibilities for
moving your business forward.”

Working with other businesses has a huge impact too. “Working with the farmers market and selling direct to consumers is a whole new way of creating a business. Just being able to get new ideas and share them with the other members of the cohort has been so good for us.”

MINNESOTA GROWN GINSENG

Find Ty’s Ginseng each summer at the Minneapolis Farmers Market or order direct at www.tysginseng.com

Follow along in the shaded fields on Facebook and Instagram.

Contact Cameron Payne cameron.payne@cedausa.com at RBIL to learn more about the program. Visit https://www.cedausa.com/ruralinnovation/ for a program overview.

Follow Meet the Minnesota Makers @meettheminnesotamakers on Ambit, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

This story was originally published to Meet the Minnesota Makers and is shared with permission. The link to the original article can be found here.

by Michelle Sharp

The garlic lifestyle is the cornerstone of the Olberding Family’s Rustic Roots Farm in Alexandria, Minnesota.

Featured growers since the 2022 Minnesota Garlic Festival and Best in Show awardees at the festival in 2023, their 11 varieties of garlic thrive in farmland the family worked to restore to a fertile landscape. While not a standard entry on the resume of your local healthcare professional, Julie marvels how much happens when you’re simply willing to learn.

Beginning farmers together, all four family members invest in the best practices to let their specialty crops thrive. Since 2016 they’ve built high tunnels, tapped trees for syrup, planted asparagus, powdered garlic to reduce food waste, established mushroom logs, built a farm stand, and created custom spice blends using their garlic powders.

A FAMILY PROJECT

Their farm business started as a family project to instill a strong work ethic in their two kids. “We founded Rustic Roots Farm to teach our children the values of independence, hard work, self-reliance, perseverance and creative thinking,” explains Julie. “It has rapidly grown to be a successful specialty crop farm based on sustainable, regenerative practices.”

The kids are involved with every aspect of farm operations from equipment repair to answering questions at in-person markets. Growing specialty products with more limited seasons leaves room for the family’s travel schedule around the kids’ baseball and softball teams.

The farm’s first product was maple syrup. The most recent experiment is dahlias, an addition that indulges Julie’s inner child and celebrates the tantalizing flower her grandmother always cultivated. Also new in 2025 is the farm’s high tunnels that allow Rustic Roots to both extend the growing season for a variety of vegetables and offer unique products like turmeric root that require some protection from Minnesota’s temperature fluctuations.

Julie expresses a sense of wonder about their specialty crops, “I find joy in watching the process of growing evolve from working the soil to planting the seed (or clove) through harvest. Each time, I start with a blank slate. With some careful nurturing, I grow something beautiful that can be enjoyed by many.”

GROWING WITH RBIL

Rustic Roots Farm is a graduate of the 2024 cohort of the Rural Business Innovation Lab. RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that redefines the narrative of rural decline. Each cohort builds a peer network dense with ideas, expertise, and resources that help rural small businesses start and scale their work within their communities. Working in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health.

Rustic Roots applied to RBIL’s program with the goal to improve their business management skills. These were instrumental in helping their small farm scale up its operation. “We wanted to increase our overall revenue so that we as owners would no longer have to finance routine operations,” explains Julie. “We haven’t made an owner’s contribution to the business in several months! As self-taught beginning farmers, this is such an incredible feeling.”

The program tailors itself to fit a range of business types including farms with value-added products that depend on direct-to-consumer sales like Rustic Roots. “I know we accomplished a lot more in this past year than we would have if it was just us doing it on our own,” shares Julie. “Having guidance from our coaches and professional experts is so helpful. The networking of our peers continues to be incredible. We’re all in the weeds together. It offsets the isolation of running your own business where everything can simply feel so hard.”

Julie explained how RBIL continues to provide resources to make the many roles she fulfills for Rustic Roots more manageable. She is the laborer, bookkeeper, social media manager, contract negotiator, chief strategist, website manager and top salesperson in addition to having a full time job. It’s challenging and fulfilling in ways she never foresaw.

Julie’s biggest surprise in farming with her family? “How much I love it. All of it!,” smiles Julie. “It turns out that I really love being able to work together outside. We get to spend a lot of time together, whether or not the kids always appreciate it. We have met some amazing people in this intertwined network of customers, growers, and makers. This community legitimately wants to see their peers succeed.”

STOCK YOUR PANTRY

Among the unexpected roles of running the farm has been educating customers how to use and plant their own garlic. “I never thought people would buy our garlic to plant their own. It’s really fun to see our practices and garlic varieties expand into new areas,” reflects Julie.

Garlic bulbs that are too small for retail become one of four varieties of garlic powder, which have been purchased by foodies and home cooks throughout the United States. The family peels and prepares all of their garlic for their powders, which are one hundred percent dehydrated garlic.

Rustic Roots Farm garlic powders are available in four varieties: Gourmet Garlic Powder, Roasted Garlic Powder, Smoked Garlic Powder, and a Garlic Scape Powder that is the most beautiful shade of green. Buy them individually or in the Garlic Lover Gift Pack. These pair deliciously with their mushroom powder for that extra dash of umami.

Purchase whole garlic, garlic powders, garlic storage bags, and mother-daughter made jewelry to be shipped from their website rusticrootsfarmmn.com/shop.php Maple syrup and spice blends are for local pickup only.

GET IN TOUCH

Sign up for their newsletter at rusticrootsfarmmn.com to get first dibs on garlic or learn about special events.

Follow Rustic Roots at @rusticrootsfarmmn on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s new on the farm.

Contact Cameron Payne cameron.payne@cedausa.com at RBIL to learn more about the program. Visit https://www.cedausa.com/ruralinnovation/ for a program overview.

Follow Meet the Minnesota Makers @meettheminnesotamakers on Ambit, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

This story was originally published to Meet the Minnesota Makers and is shared with permission. The link to the original article can be found here.

by Michelle Sharp

On a gentle slope in southern Minnesota that Rachel Davis’ grandparents called Poverty Knob, Kalvin, Rachel and their children raise a myriad of mushrooms at their ten acre certified organic solar-powered farm. Now the fourth generation to steward the land, their innovations in sustainable practices make year round fresh produce feasible in a responsible fashion.

A LOVE STORY

Kalvin and Rachel fell in love with local food, and each other, while attending college at UW-Stevens Point. The thriving local farmers market scene and opportunities to volunteer provided real world inspiration of what smaller producers could do. In the western mountains of North Carolina, Kalvin started his first mushroom-growing enterprise as a part of a biodynamic and organic farm where he worked after college.

Rachel and Kalvin purchased Rachel’s grandparents’ farm when they moved back to Minnesota. Both originally from LeRoy, a town of approximately 900, coming home offered an opportunity to build their dream life within their community.

After returning to Minnesota in 2017 they began the work of updating the farm, which had sat idle for a number of years. Their love for foraging spring fiddleheads inspired the farm’s new name. Planting ferns creates an understory that shelters different kinds of logs for growing mushrooms outside.

“We have our own walking nature garden area. I keep planting everywhere to add to our forest farming capacity,” says Kalvin. They’re working section by section around the property to replace grass lawn with mulched raised beds. Currently about 1200 outdoor shiitake logs live nested in under the pines.

Both Kalvin and Rachel work full time on the farm, fulfilling a shared dream. “The big idea for our farm was to build this around our family. We could have our kids at home. We could homeschool. We’re both here every day,” reflects Kalvin. “We’ve been building our lifestyle around our family and good food, local food. We’re so excited to see where it’s going to take us. We’re kind of in awe every day that this is what we get to do as a family working together. It’s been hard sometimes, but building this business around our family is a total joy.”

CREATING SUSTAINABLE SPACES

Kalvin, a trained carpenter, converted the farm’s garage into an insulated production space for 150-200 pounds of mushrooms weekly. Their outdoor forest farming space provides fertile growing space for more mushrooms, ferns and art installations.

Sleek Blue Oysters and puffy Lion’s Mane balloon from their logs. Stacked several shelves high, this dense space produces about several hundred pounds of food a week, every week.

In the summer of 2023 Fiddlehead Knob secured a federal grant through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). When combined with a second grant through the American Farmland Trust, the old homestead leapt into the 21st century with their solar installation.

“When you cultivate mushrooms inside, in order to have them available year round, it is inherently not sustainable,” explains Kalvin. “You use lots of power. There are all sorts of filters and fans that run in addition to lighting the space.” The economic impact of installing solar changed their farm’s monthly expenses radically. “We used to have $800 electric bills each month. Now we apply those financial resources to grow our business in other ways.”

Fiddlehead Knob continues to double their annual production to better meet demand in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. To continue their quest to do this sustainably, geothermal heating and cooling is part of the farm vision board. “This is super exciting,” shares Kalvin. “We could keep basically the entire grow space right around the 56 degree mark. We wouldn’t have to heat or cool much. That would be a pretty happy temperature for our mushrooms.”

ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH COACHING

Fiddlehead Knob Farm is a graduate of the 2024 cohort of the Rural Business Innovation Lab. Established in 2022 by Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA) RBIL is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial program that reverses the narrative of rural decline. Each cohort builds a peer network dense with ideas, expertise, and resources that help rural small businesses start and scale their work within their communities. Working in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, RBIL supports rural businesses in their growth to become sustainable drivers of economic health.

Accountability was a foundational asset of Kevin and Rachel’s work with RBIL. “We had the dreams and the means to build the things we wanted to build, but we were lacking in the business management side of things,” shares Rachel. “We were really excited about the prospect of having personalized coaches to help our business scale up. RBIL helped us to achieve so much more than we initially had thought we would get out of this experience.”

RBIL’s support made it possible for their farm to finalize their business plan, secure funding for their grow room expansion, achieve organic certification, increase their sales goals and undertake a rebranding to represent how their business has grown. “If you put in the work with RBIL, your business will be on a path to success. We can’t give them enough praise for all they have done for our business,” explains Kalvin.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Kalvin’s personal favorite mushroom that they grow is their chestnut. Gently fried, it adds a delightful crunch on top of a Ramen bowl. “It gives a squid or calamari vibe,” says Kalvin. His favorite to forage is hen of the woods. Kalvin describes it as the chicken leg as opposed to the chicken breast-like flavor found in the colorful chicken of the woods mushroom. “The best way to prepare hen of the woods is deep fried in a beer batter with a side of garlic aioli. It may not be the healthiest, but it’s so good.”

Fiddlehead Knob sells mushrooms, both foraged and cultivated, at the Rochester, MN farmers market. Enjoy their products at Iowa Food Hub, Marrow, Juniper’s Restaurant, Bebap, Bleu Duck, Pittsburgh Blue, Taste, Blazing Star Eats, Luna Valley Farm, and their Etsy store

Not local? Fiddlehead has dried and powdered mushrooms available on their website. Countertop grow kits let you witness and taste the magic of mushroom growing at home. Each kit yields two to four pounds of mushrooms.

 

GET IN TOUCH

Visit fiddleheadknob.com for recipes, farmers market schedules, and to place an order.

Follow @fiddleheadknob on Facebook and Instagram for website specials and recipe inspiration.

Contact Cameron Payne cameron.payne@cedausa.com at CEDA to learn more about the RBIL program. Visit https://www.cedausa.com/ruralinnovation/ for a program overview.

Follow Meet the Minnesota Makers @meettheminnesotamakers on Ambit, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

This story was originally published to Meet the Minnesota Makers and is shared with permission. The link to the original article can be found here.