Farm Days: Grant Recipients Sow Seeds for the Future

Last summer, Rural Initiatives Strategist Kate Mudge and I had a “farm day” and visited several of our grantees in the Moorhead area. Here are a few examples showcasing how sustainability, education, and equity intersect in action across our region.

Harvest Hope Farm

Harvest Hope Farm is a kid’s dream, and every year, many lucky Moorhead students get the opportunity to visit the farm! On the farm, they have seven pigs, two llamas, a donkey, a mini horse, dogs, cats, and about fifty very special sheep (pictured above) that may hold the answer to finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease. Executive Director Lynn Kotrba lives on the farm with her husband and their eight children. Kate and I were enamored with animals and Harvest Hope’s state-of-the-art dome with a sensory garden, koi fish, and where they plan to grow vegetables all year round.

Harvest Hope Farm offers unique programs that bring youth to the farm. Farm Camp is a day camp for children six to thirteen years old. Each participant gets to tend their own personal garden plot, and the produce is donated to families in need. There’s also time to feed the animals, learn more about where their food comes from, and play in the woods. The farm also offers a Llama Llama Camp for preschoolers, which focuses on emotional and social development and other events throughout the year.

Farm Camp on Wheels was piloted with Moorhead area schools in 2022 to break down transportation and financial barriers for families that otherwise may not be able to have the opportunity for their children to attend the Farm Camp program. Through hands-on experiences in the classroom and outdoors, this program strives to teach elementary-age children about sustainable food resources and environmental stewardship while connecting them with nature. The pilot program quickly expanded and now has partnerships with ten classrooms in Moorhead. Each classroom has a hydroponic garden. The garden is used to demonstrate growing methods and encourages youth to try new greens and learn about healthy living. Is there anything better than edible homework? 

“Harvest Hope Farm is especially grateful for the opportunity to work with schools throughout Moorhead to provide agriculture education in classrooms for second graders due in part to grant funding from West Central Initiative,” says Lynn. “This funding allows us to reach over 200 students and teach them about sustainable agriculture, how to be good stewards of their environment, and how to make healthy food choices. We’re working to connect youth with their food in a way that is meaningful and helps them to make positive food choices.”

Farm in the Dell 

Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley received an anonymous grant disbursed through West Central Initiative. 

Farm in the Dell “turns disabilities into abilities” through purposeful work and life experiences in a community farm setting. It all began in 2012 when a group of parents with teens with a developmental disability wanted to provide meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities for their children and others in their community. They started their community-supported agriculture (CSA) program in 2013, expanded to include growing flowers in 2022, and added honeybees to help pollinate the farm in 2023. 

Kate and I arrived at the farm early and met with Farm in the Dell Executive Director Anna Sather and her daughter, Bette, before the employees arrived. We got to see their mission in action as the employees, called Garden Engineers, joyfully showed up for work. The energy and excitement are contagious! There were hugs and high-fives all around before rolling up their sleeves and heading into the field. It made me want to stay and work too!

“The grant was hugely impactful for us at Farm in the Dell,” Anna says. “We rely so heavily on the support of others to pursue our work, that we can’t put into words how grateful we are. Our Garden Engineers are the core of our existence, and for them to feel lifted up through a grant like this is absolutely wonderful!”

Want to visit the farm? Complete the volunteer interest form and get involved today! 

Many of our grant recipients are teaching valuable skills and passing knowledge on to the next generation. At West Central Initiative, we believe that a healthy, sustainable planet is one where all people belong and can live together in peace and prosperity. Harvest Hope Farm and Farm in the Dell are both making our region of the planet more sustainable while also creating a community and a sense of belonging.