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Nick Olson and his wife, Joan, own Prairie Drifter Farm in Litchfield, Minnesota – out on the edge of the prairie. They raise about six acres of vegetables 90 minutes west of the Twin Cities, selling most of them through a CSA and the rest to stores and restaurants. Nick has also coordinated the Farm Beginnings courses for the Land Stewardship Project for a number of years. We talked about how his experience with that program influenced the decisions that he and Joan have made on their farm over the past six years, covering topics from holistic management to relationship management. I had a lot of fun talking to Nick, and I learned a lot. I think you’ll find the conversation as valuable as I did.
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Show Links
Farm Beginnings Program – The Land Stewardship Project (Minnesota) Farm Beginnings program was the first, and spawned the Farm Beginnings Collaborative, a national alliance of independent regional groups of farmers and farmer-training support organizations working together to promote the Farm Beginnings training model.
We talked again about Holistic Management – the book is great, and you can find more information about Holistic Management at the Savory Institute website or at Holistic Management International.
Nick and I also talked about the Farm Service Agency’s microloans program. FSA also has a guide to farm loan programs.
Nick mentioned the National Young Farmer’s Coalition’s work to promote changes in the FSA loan programs.
The Farm Business Management program in Minnesota was important to Nick. I’m not sure just how many of these programs exist in other states.
Nick couldn’t hold himself to just one favorite tool. He highlighted the Valley Oak Wheel Hoe, the Farmall Super C, and the Club Car Carryall as the tools that really get him excited.
Finally, if you haven’t seen it, here’s the video Nick mentioned that Mike Bollinger had shared about harvesting kale. I’ve always thought I was pretty fast, but this puts the lie to that idea…
We talked again about Holistic Management – the book is great, and you can find more information about Holistic Management at the Savory Institute website or at Holistic Management International.
Nick and I also talked about the Farm Service Agency’s microloans program. FSA also has a guide to farm loan programs.
Nick mentioned the National Young Farmer’s Coalition’s work to promote changes in the FSA loan programs.
The Farm Business Management program in Minnesota was important to Nick. I’m not sure just how many of these programs exist in other states.
Nick couldn’t hold himself to just one favorite tool. He highlighted the Valley Oak Wheel Hoe, the Farmall Super C, and the Club Car Carryall as the tools that really get him excited.
Finally, if you haven’t seen it, here’s the video Nick mentioned that Mike Bollinger had shared about harvesting kale. I’ve always thought I was pretty fast, but this puts the lie to that idea…
On A Personal Note...
I mentioned the recording setup for my end of this podcast, which we recorded late on a Friday night. My partner and I bought a house in Madison, Wisconsin, two weeks ago, but we’re not moving for another two weeks. On Friday night, I was heading back to my house in Decorah after spending the week at Angelic Organics, in northern Illinois, and I stopped in the empty house to spend the night and record this episode. Empty houses are full of echoes, so I had to set up a temporary studio in the hall closet to try to cut down in the echo.
