Article by: Allison Wagner and Courtney Bergey Swanson
In 2019, CEDA team members Courtney Bergey Swanson with Spring Grove EDA and Allison Wagner with Houston County EDA are collaborating with the University of Minnesota Extension and Workforce Development Inc. in an effort to help local farmers who are looking to try something new either on or off their farms. Agriculture is a major economic driver in rural communities, and many farmers have expressed challenging business conditions in recent years.
Along with their partners, Swanson and Wagner organized a farmer round table event that was held at Rockfilter Distillery in Spring Grove, MN on March 26. The event was well attended by both farmers and experts in the agricultural field. The goal of the event was to let farmers know what resources are available to them, and also to get feedback on things they could use help with on or off their farms. The event featured a brainstorming activity, a survey to gather feedback, and a tour of the distillery.
More information on this initiative can be found here: https://houstoncountymn.com/agriculture/.