(bright music) - Hello and welcome to "Farm Connections."

I'm your host, Dan Hoffman.

On today's episode, we journey to a special place, Grace Farm, just outside of Brownsdale, Minnesota, to learn more about the Karenni farming project and how it has motivated other communities to start their own journey.

All here today on "Farm Connections."

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(peaceful guitar music) - Welcome to "Farm Connections."

We traveled to rural Brownsdale to learn a little bit more about Grace Farms, and to help us do that is Dan Mueller of Austin.

Dan, welcome to "Farm Connections."

- Yeah, thank you so much, Dan.

- Well, this is an exciting project.

What's happening here?

- This is one of the largest new American farms here in Minnesota, and it's awesome that it's happening here in rural Brownsdale.

- One of the largest.

Well, how did it happen?

- So this has been something, as we have seen our communities get more and more groups coming to live here and call this their home, that one of those groups, a group of Karenni farmers decided to buy land.

They went to a farm auction and they ended up buying 16 acres of land, and last year, they tried all kinds of things on their own, and that's where I got involved.

As they were posting pictures of the results from their year, I said, "Oh my goodness.

There's more that we can do," and so I connected them to some more farmers, to several groups around the area, and we've tried some new things, and this is year two.

- Well, congratulations.

That's fantastic, really.

And imagine coming all the way from wherever they came from, a new climate, a new culture, a new political atmosphere, and all kinds of new rules and laws and even interesting people here to them.

So where did they come from and what's their story?

- Sure.

So these are refugees from the Karenni, so they're from the northern part of Myanmar.

They were originally almost all farmers.

That was their way of life, and for 60 years, they've been having war in their area, and so many of those families moved to Thailand to a refugee camp, and that's where these farmers, most of them grew up in the refugee camp hearing about the farms back at home, about wanting to return to those farms, and so when they had the opportunity to come to America, they said, "We want land of our own," and they said that's their American dream is to be able to have that land and to be able to pass that on to their kids.

So that's what they're hoping to do here, and so oftentimes they have their kids out there with them picking vegetables or they have a small place to fish back there, and so they're back there fishing and teaching the kids how to filet the fish and how to take the fish off the hook, and so passing on that knowledge to their kids.

But for them, this is, many of them, their first time that they actually got to farm is after purchasing the farm here.

- Do they also have to learn what free enterprise is, coming from the background they have?

- Certainly is learning, how do you make money from this, how do you do business in America, and all the rules.

That was one of the first things, taking them to make sure what kind of waterway they were on, and finding that that was restricted, and then they're like, "Oh, we don't take that much," learning all those rules and learning how to also, how do we sell some different things, and that's where Shawn came in handy from Fasbender's farm as a mentor.

He said, "You should try some new things.

Here's a bunch of new things," and so they grew things like kohlrabi and broccoli and cabbage, and things that they didn't always use in their own culture, and then getting involved in the farmer's market as a way to be able to sell some of those things.

- Where did the idea start?

- So the idea started from a group from their church, and they said, "We want a way to be able to provide food for our families and then also a way to bless others," and so that's where it started, and from that, several other churches around the US have come to visit this farm and are now purchasing their own land.

So this has been really, has really been inspirational for lots of people locally and then also around the country.

- What makes it such a good model?

- So this is a great model because we have a market right in Austin.

We have eight Asian grocery stores right in our own backyard that, many of them say, "We want vegetables more during the wintertime," and so that's where they're like, "What are we gonna do next year?

How do we plan for next year to be able to maybe have some greenhouse space?"

and that they can sell some things there, and also that they have connections around the US.

So last year, most of their sales went to other states.

People came with big trucks and they came and purchased and took it back home because everyone wants... We're starting to see more and more people want fresh vegetables that you know where it comes from, and that's where farmer's markets have been great.

- So what's the advantage to having local food?

- So local food, you know where it comes from.

You know the people who made it.

You know the care that goes into it, and you can ask questions.

You can see, are they putting chemicals on, what are they using for fertilizer, those kind of things.

- And certainly the local buying of food is good for the environment in terms of less transportation and other things.

- Certainly, yes, yeah.

When you can drive out to the place where it is, and some people have come out here and come and picked their own and those kind of things, but also being able to have that resource really close by.

- Do more of the dollars spent on food stay locally also then?

- Yeah, certainly, and that's important.

I believe as, in our ethnic communities, I said every place that you spend money, you should have people working in each of those industries, and so this is one way to be able to, when you spend money on food, you're spending money that goes back into your own communities as well.

- Well, it certainly perhaps sounds easier than it really is.

What's been the greatest challenge for this project?

- So there's been lots of challenges from year one to year two.

Year one, they just put up sprinklers to be able to water, and they were just pumping from, pumping water from the stream, and they said the weeds were as tall as they were, and so every day they were out there and getting machinery and learning what's the best way.

So this year, now we have plastic down with drip tape, so irrigation is much easier, so they aren't spending so much time out there weeding around the spaces, and now the big challenge is how to sell what they have and how to educate people, and people to know that this is something that's available.

- Dan, thanks for giving back to your community.

- Yeah, thank you.

- Stay tuned for more on "Farm Connections."

(peaceful music) We're at Grace Farms, near Brownsdale, Minnesota, to learn about a project that's very special and some special people that are involved in that project, and here to help us do that is Shawn Fasbender.

Shawn, thanks for joining us.

- Nice to meet you.

- Well, this is a pretty neat project.

What's going on?

- It's a wonderful project out here that refugees have started, and I was asked if I could help out here.

- Well, something tells me they didn't just randomly ask you.

You must have a background that brings something of help.

- I do.

I actually have my own farm out in Adams, Minnesota, and basically are doing the same exact thing as them.

- And what is that?

- Growing vegetables and feeding America.

- If I understand right, you try and do it with lower inputs and maybe even some alternative ways to control weeds and things.

- Yeah, so we use plastic out here for irrigation and to bring heat to a lot of our plants that aren't from Minnesota, so they like the heat better.

It keeps the weeds down and it's better for irrigation.

- Well, a nice plastic barrier keeps the weeds out, the moisture in, and also it's a solar collector and warms the soil.

- That's correct.

- Where'd you learn such a thing?

- I learned a lot of it from working with friends and some of the Mennonites, and so I did a lot of my own research.

I love to do research, and a lot of it's been trial and error.

- Well, you haven't always been in Adams, Minnesota or Brownsdale, Minnesota.

It goes back further than that.

- Yeah, I grew up out in Virginia, south of DC, and I spent my summers going out to a dairy farm, learning how to work.

- [Dan] Where was the farm?

- It was in Lena, Wisconsin, and they did dairy farm and we did hay, and I had my grandpa Earl out there.

He told me that I needed to learn farming because I would either fall in love with it and get the farming bug, or I would hate it and go to school.

- What happened?

- I did both.

So I was a nurse for many years, and I had to retire because of rheumatoid arthritis, so, wasn't ready to give that up, not working at all, so I decided I would farm.

- How long have you farmed?

- Approximately seven years.

- Near Adams.

- Near Adams.

- And you could have been content doing that.

- I could have been content doing that, but it's just not in my DNA, and I like the farming bug, and I didn't have a lot of acreage, didn't have a lot of equipment, so how do you start farming with that?

You just start plugging away at vegetables.

Not a lot of growers in southern Minnesota, and I couldn't always find the southern cuisine that I like as well, so it was just kind of a natural fit.

- But beyond that, Shawn, you could have said, "I'm content in my own little world, my own farm, and I'm gonna stop there," but you kind of expanded to help and share.

How did that come about?

- Well, I've always had a huge interest in different cultures, and I love trying different foods and learning different things.

I think if you stop learning and stop listening, then pretty much the game is over at that point.

- How are medicine, food, and agriculture connected?

- Oh, medicine.

I mean, food is a medicine.

There's a lot of foods that are preserved beyond preserving that aren't always good for the body, and fresh food has fresh nutrients, and a lot of 'em have anti-inflammatory properties.

There's a huge connection between health and good, quality food.

- And working with food in nature is kind of interesting too, isn't it?

- I love being outside.

I loved being a nurse, but the hardest part of nursing was it's indoors, so I loved being outside.

I love putting something in the ground and then seeing it grow, and then being able to share it with other people and teaching people how to cook it.

A lot of people are like, "Well, how do you cook it?"

And then learning stuff from them and their cuisine, I mean, it's really not that different.

I grow Kentucky Blue Lake green beans.

They grow an Asian bean, but they're still a green bean.

They're just a little bit different.

- Speaking of sharing, I watched when you interfaced with the farmers here.

They seemed to listen, respect, and there was a sharing back and forth.

Can you tell us about that experience?

- Yeah, so we were walking down the rows to talk about what worked good and what didn't work so great, and we talked about the different...

Behind us is rows of eggplant.

It's not much different than the eggplant that I grow, but it's the same.

We shared some of the green beans that were delicious from them.

We talked about what we're gonna do next year, what we can do differently, and how we can expand.

- When that common conversation comes together, is that really what you're working for here?

- Yes, that is what I'm working for here.

I want them to be successful.

I wanna learn as much as I can, and I want them to learn as much as they can from me.

- I think you're defining community.

- That's community.

That's exactly.

If you take care of the community, the community will take care of you.

- Shawn, if we look forward five years from now, what will this project look like if you get your way?

- I think it will expand on the vegetables, and they would like to move towards livestock, and I myself have livestock, so I'm more than willing to help out with that.

We are planning on putting their own greenhouse up this year, which I think is a wonderful way for them to be able to grow their own foods from different areas of the world.

You can't always get plants that are started that are from their culture, so it's nice that way, and that way, they can start it from seed.

It's money cost saving that way, and I think you get the varieties that you want.

- It sounds like you need to do a lot of work about planning, looking at the calendar, and understanding our growing season's a little different.

- Yes, that was the one area that we had to focus on this year.

We didn't have a lot of planning in January, and we had to learn that Minnesota has a growing season that basically from June till now, and then it's over.

Five years down the line, we were talking about them getting a high tunnel through NRCS, and I think that'd be a wonderful program for 'em.

By doing that, they'll be able to maybe plant a little earlier and leave it in the ground a little longer, so I think that's a wonderful way to go.

- A worthy goal.

And when you say NRCS, you mean Natural Resources Conservation Service?

- Correct, yes.

So I've got 'em in touch with that.

I think there's some wonderful programs out there for refugees and other people as well, and Minnesota Ag is really pushing grants and stuff to help folks into farming, 'cause farming, the biggest part, everyone thinks it's hard work.

It is, but getting funded and the capital that it takes to get started, I mean, you need tractors and just irrigation and everything else.

It takes money to get started.

- Shawn, thanks so much for what you do.

- Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

(peaceful music) - We're at Grace Farms near Brownsdale, Minnesota, with a couple of very authentic farmers that wanna share their story.

Samuel, welcome to "Farm Connections."

John, thank you for being here and letting us come to your farm.

What's growing here today?

- There is so many different kind of vegetable, say, like eggplant.

We have many different kind of eggplant.

- Eggplant?

- Hot Thai pepper, squash, lettuce.

Yeah, there's a lot of things.

- And you do it well.

Why do you raise vegetables?

- Yeah.

For myself, we cook every day, so this is my kitchen.

Yeah.

Our Asia like to cook, and that is how we do it every day, and then why I do this?

Yeah, try to get something better for our kitchen, and then it is organic and then get cheaper.

There's a lot of prices hop up right now, and then, yeah, try to help myself and then try to help people who do kitchen like me, cooking in the kitchen.

- Samuel, why specifically here?

You came from a different part of the world, and you came here.

Why did you come here?

- The reason is we have a civil war in our country in Myanmar, and then we flee.

My parents flee to Thailand, and then I was born in Thai-Myanmar border as a refugee.

I just grew up refugee, and then like 2009, and then people start moving to different country, which they call third country.

Original country, first country.

Second country going to be Thailand.

Third country going to be this one.

And I also decided to go to the United States, yeah.

And is it my plan?

It's not my plan, because as a refugee, you have nothing, no document, nothing.

So by the grace of God I'm here, and I'm safe here.

I'm glad to be here.

- What do you like best about your work as a farmer?

- The best?

I don't know how to compare.

I know as myself, and then when I grew up in a refugee camp, we do a lot of growing stuff.

I know that I have a gift, and I'm good at in growing vegetable.

There is a lot of work around us.

We work in plan or wherever it is.

There's many, but that's not what I grew up with and I'm not good at with, so I decided, "Oh, what God put in me is growing food, and this is what I have to do it.

I'm gonna go for this."

So I start doing it.

- Thank you.

John, what do you like about working on this farm?

- Well, it is a physical job.

I gotta move myself around, and it is pretty fun.

And plus, working with Pastor Samuel, it was amazing.

He got the talent.

He got a gift so that he pass it down to us.

He's the lead of this farm, so working beside him is really fun, and I learned a lot of stuff from working in this farm, even though I'm from Colorado.

I live in Colorado, but a part of that, we have communication in between, and I tried to do what I could from Colorado, but sometime I came up here and do help in a physical job too.

So yeah, I really love it, yeah.

- How did you find out about this farm?

- Me and Samuel, we know back in like three, four years ago, and we know it through the ministry.

We know it through the church, and then he came across, and then he told me about the vision and the knowledge and all the vision that God gave to him, and we talked to each other ever since, and then I come agree, and then we are one.

We are brother and sister in Christ, and then I feel so good about it, even though I'm not like a farmer background.

I don't have any farmer background, but when he told me the plan that he has and we come agree to each other, and then we worked together ever since, so yeah.

- Wonderful.

- Yep.

- How long did you live in Colorado?

- I lived in Colorado ever since 2009 to right now, so about 13, 14 years.

- 13 years.

- Yeah.

- And before Colorado?

- Before Colorado, I'm from the same refugee as Pastor Samuel in Thailand refugee.

So we're from the same refugee, yeah.

- Well, you're devoting a lot of time to the farm just like Samuel is.

What do you hope this farm looks like in five to 10 years?

- I hope we can see it see through the future, how this far gonna come in is gonna be...

I believe, we believe that we can do it.

We believe that God guide us to this point already, and in the future, we really believe that He's gonna grow it, and gonna have a lot of the community that we have, and then not just that.

We have a mission to ministry, and that we're gonna help...

This farm's gonna provide the ministry that we are in right now too, so we're gonna be growing a lot in the next two, three years, yeah.

- What do you personally like about working here?

- I personally think is to like about this farm, see all these vegetable and grow yourself with your hand, grow yourself.

When you know that the food that you put in your body is what you grow with your hand, and that's the best part of it.

All the vegetables that we grow here is daily food that we eat, and then you grow it with your hand, bare hand, and you give effort to it, and then when you eat it and that is the best thing for me, yeah.

- Very satisfying?

- Yep, satisfied, definitely.

- How has the community been supportive for you?

- They've been supportive.

A lot of people are asking for it like, "Where can we get it?"

They can't get it for anywhere.

They can, but it's not fresh as what they get from us right now 'cause they have to deport it from some other country or different state.

That is not fresh.

The fresh thing is right here.

In the Grace Farm right here, it's really fresh.

You can get it from the plant itself right here.

So yeah, they're really supportive.

They ask for it, and that's why we do it right now.

Farming is the best part for us in the community right here, so yeah.

- Thank you, John.

- You're welcome.

Thank you very much.

- And Samuel as well.

- Thank you.

- Thanks for letting us see your farm and sharing your story.

Undertaking any endeavor, large or small, requires a couple of things: hard work, leadership, community, faith, and courage.

I'm Dan Hoffman.

Thank you for joining us on "Farm Connections."

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