It was a beautiful midwestern day…the sun was shining, the breeze was warm, and there were a dozen care farmers gathered at 21 Roots Farm, located in scenic Grant, Minnesota.
21 Roots Farm was our gracious host for Care Farming Network’s first Midwest Care Farm Tour and Meet-Up, an opportunity for both aspiring and established care farmers to network, exchange ideas, and gather in person at a host farm. 21 Roots offers high-quality nature and agriculture-based programming that helps people with developmental disabilities cultivate a sense of purpose and community. By fostering inclusive connections that are rooted in real life, they provide opportunities, resources, and support that encourage all people to tend to their gifts and harvest their full potential.
Amy, Brittany, and Mariana provided a tour of their gardens, orchard, barn, and an incredibly friendly assortment of goats, sheep, Highland cows, a pig named Little Bean, donkeys, and vocal kitties. Amy and Brittany shared how shortly after college, they began dreaming of nature-based programming for adults with developmental disabilities. In 2017, they visited a farm in Ontario, Canada. That trip nurtured the seeds and ultimately blossomed into 21 Roots Farm.
We talked about how 21 Roots Farm has grown since 2018, and discussed the challenges of starting one’s own care farm. Some participants were in the early stages of developing their own farms and were curious to hear how 21 Roots Farm has developed into a 26-acre working care farm. We ate a delicious lunch, perused the goat milk soap for sale, and headed back out to the barn to hang out in the goat pasture.
We learned about the youth and adult programming offered at the farm. Farmers can choose the weekly frequency and number of sessions they spend at the farm, providing optimal scheduling flexibility. They participate in sustainable farming practices both in the garden and with the animals, maintaining the garden, harvesting, and helping with animal care. And while it was after harvest, we toured the gardens where vegetables are grown which provide 20 CSA shares to members.
We ended our day watching an apple cider press demonstration, saying a “slow, Minnesota goodbye.” We look forward to meeting again after the snow flies and a new season emerges, making connections, and continuing to build a caring farming community here in the Midwest.
Products of the Farm
21 Roots Farm is always working and experimenting with products produced, grown and developed at the farm. Some of our experimenting is done with different natural dyes that can be used on fabrics and in our soaps. They have been working hard to develop various soaps, balms, and other skin care products. They extract honey, tap maple trees, and grow veggies on a sustainable scale. Their products are available for purchase on a seasonal basis.