Nourish by MN350

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, Mary Clare McAleer and Shannon Lippke speak with longtime farmer and MN350 board member Kurt Kimber, and University of Minnesota professor and Director of Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP), Dr. Kathryn Draeger. Together with Sarah Riedl, they discuss what climate change looks and feels like in Minnesota, and how farmers are adapting (for better or worse) to weather extremes and growing stress on local and global food systems.- Learn more about the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) HERE. - Check out the UMN Forever Green Initiative to learn more about Kernza® and other crops HERE. Mind blown? Roam the field of this perennial grain even further HERE. -We need you at the polls! (Yes, you!) Visit the MN350 Action 2022 Candidate Endorsements Page to find climate champions running for office at all levels of government.Learn more about this show at MN350Action.org/podcasts Love our work? Consider donating HERE Full transcript HERE

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, Sarah Riedl, Cassie Hagen, and Lisa Chou talk about how partnerships between small businesses, non-profits, and government entities have been successful at reducing food waste in Minnesota. Amazing leaders like Dan Swenson-Klatt from Butter Bakery and Leslie Duling-McCollam from Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy discuss inspiring examples of the kinds of partnership we need more of, how they’ve been part of MN350’s Clean Plate Club campaign, and the challenges we still face towards achieving a waste-free future, plus lots of ways listeners like you can take action.Learn more about MN350’s Clean Plate Club campaign at https://mn350.org/clean-plate-club/.You can find Dan’s Butter Bakery blog at https://butterbakerycafe.com/blog.The R&E BizRecycling Program info can be found at https://bizrecycling.comSee these resources to find out more about the federal legislation discussed in the episode:Food Date Labeling ActFood Donation Improvement ActIf you’d like to get involved in the Food Waste team, email cassie.hagen@mn350.org.You can find a full transcript here.

SUNDAY, MAY 22: Join the East Phillips Neighborhood for a community meeting from 1-3pm on Sunday May 22 at 2307 17th Ave S, Minneapolis, to find out how you can get involved!In this episode, MN350 volunteer Jeff Diamond is back with an update on our friends at the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) and their ongoing fight against the City of Minneapolis to preserve the community's vision for the future of their neighborhood: a model of health, sustainability, and a good life for all in generations to come.What Can You Do?VIEW Information Flyer HERE. Print and share with neighbors and friends!SIGN the Change.org petition supporting the East Phillips Urban Farm at http://chng.it/nmKXM5VkfxPRINT and send postcards to Minneapolis City Council:  click here.VOLUNTEER! We host meetings every Wednesday evening open to all! Contact vital.joe12@gmail.com to get involved and visit epnifarm.org for more information.DONATE to our legal fund stopping environmental racism in East Phillips at gf.me/u/y65d87 FOLLOW US on Instagram: @eastphillipsurbanfarm, Facebook: @eastphillipsneighborhood, our website: epnifarm.org, and our mailing list to stay informed!POST on social media to raise awareness! Tag your local officials and tag #EPNIUrbanFarm .

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, Sarah Riedl, Lisa Chou, and Aaron Dreyling explore the intersections of plant-rich diets and public schools. Hear from Kate Seybold, Regional Marketing Specialist with the MN Dept of Ag (and former Minneapolis Public Schools Farm to School Coordinator), and Jodi Gruhn, Wholesome Minnesota Coordinator with Compassionate Action for Animals, as they balance the struggles schools have faced through the pandemic alongside the solutions that sourcing locally and focusing on plant-rich menu items offer for a better future for our children.See these resources to learn more:MN350’s Advancing DefaultVeg pledgeUMN Extension Farm to School website

In urban and rural communities, a variety of local food initiatives emerged in response to the absence of a just, responsive, and sustainable food economy. In this episode, Nourish by MN350 introduces one of the gems in that collection. Urban Roots is a community-based youth leadership initiative located on St. Paul’s Eastside. In this conversation, Urban Roots’ staff members Saba Andualem and Skyler Hawkins join Marita Bujold, founder of Just Food and Water, to share memorable stories from the gardens, kitchens, and markets where Urban Roots creates a vital role for youth to play in their community.Since 1997,Urban Roots has provided year-round paid internships for youth ages 14-24 to participate in their Market Garden, Cook Fresh, and Conservation Programs. Together, these programs offer a learning environment in every season designed to nurture leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills. Working in partnership with the diverse community, Urban Roots is nurturing tomorrow’s leaders for the just, responsive, and sustainable food economy we need to create together. References: UrbanRootsMN.orgCLUES -Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (Communities United in Service)Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill (HF1332/SF1580)Lachelle Cunninghamtwitter.com/urbanrootsmninstagram.com/urbanrootsmn

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, architect of the  Headwaters Community Food and Water Bill (HF1332/SF1580), Marita Bujold interviews community and food justice organizer, Zoe Holloman to learn about the leadership role that the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective (MFCC) is playing to shape the just, responsive, and sustainable food and farming system we need as a foundation for resilient regional economies. The Midwest Farmers of Color Collective emerged in early 2020 from conversations beginning in 2018 when a group of BIPOC famers gathered to discern their needs and the role they could play together. During their brief existence, Zoe and her colleagues at MFCC have organized many social, economic, and political opportunities for BIPOC farmers to meet the challenges of the time. In this conversation it becomes clear that the Collective’s work of nurturing community and healing the land is grounded in the understanding that our path forward must be defined by racial, economic, and environmental justice. Listeners will find themselves accepting Zoe’s gracious invitation to share the work to make that future possible. Find the full transcript here.

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, we dive into the story of Frogtown Farm, a food hub in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul. This five-and-a-half-acre urban regenerative farm is uniquely located on a public park. MN350 volunteer Mary Clare McAleer interviews Chris Mann, the farm manager at Frogtown Farm, to discuss how the farm came to be, their conservation practices, and how the non-profit is deeply rooted in the community. In 2013, residents of the Frogtown neighborhood recognized the lack of green space compared to the rest of St. Paul and the lack of access to healthy, nutritious food. The community members lobbied to get a privately-owned 13-acre lot turned into a public park, including this farm. Since its inception, Frogtown Farm has utilized best management practices to revitalize the urban soil. Today, there is still a great emphasis on regenerating the soil and protecting natural resources. The farm is a space for knowledge sharing and fostering community, from the crops they produce to the partnerships they build as they expand access to fresh produce.For more information on Frogtown Farm check them out on instagram @frogtownfarm or their website https://www.frogtownfarm.org/.

In this episode of Nourish by MN350,  volunteers Shannon Lippke and Jeff Diamond share their interview with three board members of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) - Dean Dovolis, Karen Clark, and Cassandra Holmes. For years, EPNI has fought on behalf of the East Phillips neighborhood, a majority BIPOC community with a history of rampant air and soil pollution. EPNI has proposed converting a dormant 7.6 acre warehouse into an Indoor Urban Farm facility, featuring hydroponic and aquaponic food production spaces, as well as affordable housing units, a job training center, a solar array, and more. However, the City has proposed to demolish the building and use the site for a new water yard facility. Our guests discuss life in East Phillips, the history of environmental racism the neighborhood has endured, and the benefits the Indoor Urban Farm project could bring. Efforts are underway within the Minneapolis City Council to pause the city’s water yard project in East Phillips, known as the Hiawatha Expansion Project. All supporters of EPNI should contact the members of the Minneapolis City Council and the mayor and ask them to support East Phillips and the Indoor Urban Farm Project as soon as possible. Here’s a message prompt with City Council contact info to help!To learn more about EPNI, visit their website at https://www.eastphillipsneighborhoodinstitute.org/, or find them on facebook at www.facebook.com/eastphillipsneighborhood. To support EPNI in their legal efforts, you can donate to their GoFundMe campaign. Find the full transcript here.Support the show (https://mn350action.org/become-a-member/?sourceid=1021363)

In the Season 3 opener of Nourish, host Sarah Riedl sits down with Lisa Chou and Marita Bujold to learn about their conversation with Minnesota Representative Kaohly Her. They discuss the road that led Representative Her to run for office, from immigrating to the US as a child to helping other parents in her kids' school get politically active. Agriculture has always been something near and dear to Representative Her as a Hmong immigrant, making her a natural fit to co-author the Headwaters Community Food and Water Bill (HF1332 / SF1580). They also discuss the many committees that Representative Her sits on, as well as the difficulties of working in the split legislature landscape of Minnesota.For more information on all of the work that Representative Her is doing, you can visit her website, or send an email at rep.kaohly.her@house.mn.Find the full transcript here. Support the show (https://mn350action.org/become-a-member/?sourceid=1021363)

For our final episode of Season 2, we take a look back at the stories we’ve shared over the past 15 episodes. Host Sarah Riedl sits down with episode creators Marita Bujold, Lisa Chou, and Eli Crain to discuss the lessons learned from listening to the leaders of Minnesota’s transition to a just food future. Featured Guests: Our MN350 Volunteers! Marita Bujold - Creator of The Headwaters Community Food and Water Bill Lisa Chou - Lead Organizer for MN350’s Food Systems TeamEli Crain - Assistant Producer of Nourish by MN350

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, host Jeff Diamond explores the future of agriculture with Mhonpaj Lee, an organic farmer, real estate agent, and food advocate within the Hmong community in Minnesota. Mhonpaj and her mother run “Mhonpaj’s Garden," a family organic farm focused on instruction, collaboration, and community support. Mhonpaj talks about her family’s journey into the world of regenerative agriculture, as well as her own journey.Mhonpaj shares her perspectives on the challenges faced by young farmers and farmers of color, as well as her reasons for hope. Part of the solution lies in programs such as Big River Farms, an incubator run by The Food Group that teaches organic farming to people from historically underrepresented communities, and food hubs such as The Good Acre, which connects local food producers to the Twin Cities food system. Mhonpaj believes replicating these types of programs with resources from the Headwaters Community Food and Water Bill (HF1332 / SF1580) should be a priority for our state legislators.Full transcript available here.

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, host Eli Crain talks with Matt Maier, owner/founder of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed, and Laura Schreiber of The Land Stewardship Project.Matt founded Thousand Hills with the vision of rescuing the U.S. food system from collapse by implementing regenerative agriculture practices on family farms nationwide. Using practices that increase soil fertility, biodiversity, water retention, and soil carbon sequestration, Thousand Hills has a goal of converting 1,000,000 acres from extractive conventional ag practices to holistic regenerative grazing practices by 2025.Laura is a policy organizer with The Land Stewardship Project, mobilizing around a collective vision that includes a just food and farm system, a healthy landscape, thriving small and mid-sized farms, just and prosperous communities, and a flourishing democracy. LSP is celebrating recent wins at the Capitol, including $5.35 million to get more soil-healthy farming practices onto the landscape - effectively taking soil health from non-existent to a top issue in the 2021 Minnesota legislative agenda.This conversation with writer, producer, and host Eli Crain is redolent with information to aid farmers and eaters at all stages with how to take care of the land for better climate health.

A major problem with expanding regenerative agriculture in Minnesota is the lack of infrastructure to support farmers who want to opt-out of the industrial food chain. And despite a lot of buzzwords to make consumers think they’re buying a quality product, the truth is that finding food that meets our health and ethical standards is a challenge. This episode of Nourish by MN350  was written, produced, and hosted by Food Systems activist Eli Crain. “An Irreplaceable Treasure” features Jack McCann of TC Farm, whose cooperative-style food group connects local producers directly to consumers who value transparency in their food system. Elizabeth O'Sullivan of Auntie Annie’s Fields shares how working in partnership with TC Farm allows her to produce food in a way that reflects her values and still focuses on what she loves about the job: tending to the land and the animals she treasures.

This week on Nourish by MN350, volunteer host and architect of the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill (HF1332/SF1580), Marita Bujold, welcomes two members of the Red Lake Nation, Robert Blake and David Manuel. Robert is the founder and director of Solar Bear and Native Sun Community Power.*David Manuel co-directs the tribe’s food sovereignty initiative. Together with their community, they are pursuing local energy and food sovereignty as a pathway to climate resiliency and freedom from the extractive fossil fuel and industrial food economies imposed by colonization.Armed with a fierce commitment to care for Turtle Island (earth) and guided by traditional native wisdom, this community is collaborating with other tribal communities to create a promising, healing and enduring future.Our listeners cannot fail to be inspired by the courageous leadership and transformative, local energy and food economy being shaped by Robert, David and our brothers and sisters of the Red Lake Nation. *Solar Bear is the first native-owned solar installation company. Native Sun Community Poweris a native run, non-profit organized to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency and a just transition through education, workforce training and demonstration.Learn how the economy created by the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill. (HF1332/SF1580) will yield abundant sources of food, clean water, capture carbon and nurture the health and well being of all communities. https://www.justfoodandwater.org/video-just-food-and-waterTake heart. By following the proven leaders, our communities can create the resilient food economy we need for living sustainably.  https://justfoodandwater.org/video-leadership-definedRead a one page description of the economic resiliency programCTA join MN350 Action’s campaignListen to MN350 Nourish podcast MN350action.org/podcasts

In this episode, we focus on the foodservice industry and the impact that the choices of restaurant owners can have on our food system and our communities. Host Jeff Diamond speaks with Dean Engelmann, co-owner of Wise Acre Eatery, and Arie Peisert, owner of Northern Fires Pizza, both located in Minneapolis. Dean discusses his path towards rediscovering his roots in farming and using his farm to help source his Eatery, and Arie talks about his journey to the Minnesota local food scene, which started in San Francisco through the Alice Waters restaurant tree and included a stop in Rome. Both discuss the value of sourcing through local, sustainable farms, the benefits of agriculture focused on healthy soils, how food waste impacts the food system and the importance of fair treatment of employees in the industry. A full transcript is available here. 

This week on Nourish by MN350, volunteer host and architect of the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill (HF1332/SF1580), Marita Bujold, welcomes  Lori Stern, the executive director of Midwest Organic Sustainable Educations Service (MOSES Organic) and the former owner and chef of Cow & Quince restaurant in New Glarus, Wisconsin and Stefan Meyers, General Project Coordinator of the Finland Food Chain in Finland, Minnesota.Lori and Stefan live in very different landscapes, but their stories reveal a shared understanding of the value communities find in working in partnership with nature to cultivate, harvest and preserve the bounty she offers. In her role as chef and owner of Cow & Quince, Lori developed a seasonal menu in a kitchen designed to also preserve summer’s bounty and forged relationships with local farmers-relationships that continue to inform her role today directing MOSES Organic.In northeastern Minnesota, partnership with nature presents a different set of challenges and opportunities. Stefan and colleagues operating the Finland Food Chain are creating a dynamic economy guided by local ecological knowledge and designed to maintain ecosystem health to cultivate food and to harvest the bounty of the local habitat.As the conversation unfolds, questions emerge about the leadership we will need to create and maintain a just, sustainable food economy and how our experiences during the pandemic could provoke the systemic change we need. Tune in for an enlightening conversation.Learn how the economy created by the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill. (HF1332/SF1580) will yield abundant sources of food, clean water, capture carbon and nurture the health and well-being of all communities. https://www.justfoodandwater.org/video-just-food-and-waterRead a one-page description of the economic resiliency programListen to MN350 Nourish podcast MN350action.org/podcastsCTA join MN350 Action’s campaign

Note: this is an updated version of an episode released in April 2021.In this episode of Nourish by MN350, host Lisa Chou talks about food waste with Danielle Piraino, Produce Programs Coordinator from The Food Group, and Patrick Smith, a former collective member with Sisters Camelot. Both guests talk about why we produce so much extra food in the first place, the challenges of rescuing “wasted” food from farms and warehouses, and how food waste can be one of the solutions to food insecurity and a path toward strengthening our community and building a more just and equitable food system.Stay tuned to the end to hear a bonus update from The Food Group’s Executive Director and how they’ve adapted their services to our second year of the pandemic and ways for you to support their work.Full transcript available here.

Host Eli Crain talks with Josh Resnik the CEO of Twin Cities Co-op Partners and Jack Hedin, founder of Featherstone Farm about how the relationship between consumers, farmers, and Co-op grocery stores offers challenges and opportunities for providing sustainable, regional, and affordable food. In this information-packed episode, Jack and Josh discuss the tension between sustainability, affordability, and equity in our food system from farm to fork. Full episode transcript available here.

This week on Nourish by MN350 volunteer host and author of the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill, Marita Bujold, welcomes LaChelle Cunningham and Erin Rupp for a conversation that reveals the connection between the essential labor of bees and the racially-just, resilient food economy we need to nurture health and well-being of all our communities.LaChelle is a chef, educator, and the founder of the Healthy Roots Institute who began her culinary career by launching Chelle’s Kitchen in 2012 and soon after was recognized for her creativity and social justice work as the founding Executive Chef of the Breaking Bread Café in North Minneapolis. In 2018, LaChelle began building the Healthy Roots Institute with a mission to focus on healing and social justice through food education, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship.Erin is an educator, beekeeper and founded Pollinate Minnesota in 2015 to connect community members of all ages to the science, policy and media story of pollinator decline. Throughout the conversation, a common thread emerges: the direct link between the health of pollinators and the health of our communities, and the crucial need to create a robust, just food economy designed to nurture and maintain that connection. This is the economy created by the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill. MN350 Action is actively promoting this bill as a strategic climate solution.* Listeners will not want to miss this compelling conversation with LaChelle and Erin-two remarkable leaders whose stories reveal invaluable insights that we need understand to create the just, resilient food economy we need to care for bees and people. * MN350 Action is excited to announce that the House Select Committee on Racial Justice Report to the Legislature recommends supporting the economic resiliency program created by the Headwaters Community Food & Water Bill. (Environmental Justice. p.43) Full episode transcript available here.

This week on Nourish by MN350, volunteer host Rory Coleman discusses the Headwaters Community Food and Water Bill with fellow Food Systems volunteer and author of the bill, Marita Bujold. They are joined by MN350’s very own Sam Grant, who discusses MN350’s campaign to support the bill, as well as MN350’s mission to address climate justice in the food system, transportation and divestment from fossil fuels. The Headwaters Bill is a visionary piece of legislation that will create and maintain a decentralized food web economy across the state: a source-to-table model that's actually designed to meet the demands of food, water and climate. This wide-ranging conversation explains the many ways in which the publicly-funded industrial food system fails our communities - extractive of the earth, and destroying the health of ecosystems and communities - especially communities of color. Marita and Sam offer examples of North Minneapolis community members and organizations whose work has shifted food policy, and given people access to land and healthy food. Together, they put forth a vision in which, through investment in rural and urban communities, it is possible to create a food system that can sequester carbon as well as a point of connection and healing across Minnesotan communities.Organizations Mentioned in this episode Northside FreshAppetite for ChangeBreaking Bread CafeNorth Minneapolis Farmers MarketHomegrown Minneapolis Food CouncilFinland Food ChainFull episode transcript available here.