Diverse 160-acre family farm producing market vegetables, grassfed Highland beef, honey & eggs
Minnesota
Our farm sits on 160 acres, located 12 miles west of Bemidji MN amid the lakes and conifer forests of the north woods. We are a diverse family farm producing market vegetables, Highland beef, honey, eggs, small fruit, mushrooms and microgreens. Depending on the season, WWOOFers do planting, cultivating, harvest, packing and distribution of vegetables; building and maintaining fencing; using a tractor to maintain pasture; daily livestock chores, bee keeping; farm building construction; rotational grazing setup and operation; and firewood harvest. Our facilities include a small earth shelter greenhouse, two high tunnels and a solar powered drip irrigation system. We have two families on the farm. Paul and Becky are the long time owners. Bridget and Robert and their two young children joined the farm last year.
Stays from one week to all season are okay. May to October is our busy time. Depending on length of stay you may use our spare bedrooms (bunk beds), use a sleeper sofa in the family room, or tent (yours or ours). We can host up to four people for 2-3 weeks, 2 max for a longer stay.
We have a few dairy goats, a few sheep, a horse and pony, six cats, three dogs and a snake in addition to our herd of 32 highland cattle. Children are welcome.
We treat our WWOOF visitors as part of the family during their stay. That means we'll ask your help with meals and household chores at times in addition to farm work. We are happy to cook vegetarian meals and can accommodate vegan or other special diets. Some meals are eaten together while for others visitors are on their own. WWOOF visitors have full access to our well stocked kitchen and pantry.
The farm work is quite varied. We can keep you as busy as you want to be. Our only requirement is that on harvest days we need all hands on deck. Other days we will spend anywhere from 2 to 12 hours in the field depending on weather, the season and family life. You can join us according to your abilities and interests.
Area recreation includes hiking and camping in state parks (including the largest old growth forest in MN at Itasca State Park), canoeing and fishing on area lakes and rivers, and music and theater in Bemidji. We speak passable Spanish in addition to English.
There is daily air and bus service to Bemidji, and we can pick up from the nearest AmTrak stop which is two hours away. We have extra bicycles, and occasional use of our vehicles for personal use is fine. Tobacco use outdoors only. Visiting dogs may be okay, but may have to be kept separate from our dogs depending on how well they interact.
Organic methods: Building healthy soil is our first priority. Most of our nutrients come from our farm as chicken litter, cattle manure and wood ashes. We supplement with fish emulsion as needed. We use OMRI approved pest control - insecticidal soap, Bt, spinosad, etc. We maintain perennial vegetation with native flowers around our gardens as a food source and refuge for beneficial insects. We use cover crops and maintain permanent grass walkways between beds so that half of our garden has vegetation at all times. We use mechanical tillage, mulching and hand weeding for weed control.
Our chickens are fed organic grain, waste vegetables from our garden and what they can scrounge on their own.
Our cattle herd is managed with managed rotational grazing and a solar powered water system.
Certifications: All sales are direct to consumer so we don't feel the need for a middleman. We are happy to explain our practices and give tours to customers.
Current projects: Gearing up for spring includes clean up projects, starting seedlings in our greenhouses, firewood collection and some preservation of stored crops. As soon as the soil thaws in late March to mid April we'll head out to the garden to start soil preparation and planting.
Internet access available.
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Cattle farming
Beekeeping
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Traditional crafts
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
64.8
Hectares
|
160
Acres
Paul
Member since 2014
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 91%
Response time: typically within 3 days
Minnesota
Bus and air service to Bemidji MN. train in Detroit Lakes MN. There is bus service from MSP airport in Minneapolis to Bemidji, for a longer stay pickup from MSP is possible..
Reviews
Suphansa
United States
•
January 2025
Paul and Becky were incredibly sympathetic and kind. I reached out to them very last minute, and they were very kind and tried to help me out with my situation. They picked me up from the Bemidji town and dropped me off at a bus stop since I didn't have my personal car on the mainland to get around.
I was heading to Bemidji to visit the Mississippi River Headwaters in honor of my deceased husband's memory. With short notice, Paul and Becky were extremely flexible and generous. They allowed me to use their vehicle to visit a place that was very important to my journey since I have been backpacking through the Midwest. I wouldn't have been able to do this without them, and I am so glad they are part of my very important journey.
During my stay for a couple of days, I got to learn homesteading skills with Paul on the farm by feeding chickens and cows, mulching garlic beds, harvesting ginger in a high tunnel, and processing tomatillos. Paul is very patient and easy to work with.
Their house is situated in a very quiet and peaceful area. I love their wood stove fire so much. It reminds me of my husband, who would have enjoyed their lifestyle and conversation with them while learning from them just like I did.
I will definitely visit their farm again when I'm back in the area. There is a lot to learn from them that I couldn't this time due to my very short stay. I am grateful to have met you guys along the way and for you to be part of my life journey. Thank you so much.
Read more
Sherrie
United States
•
July 2024
Paul and Becky very kindly opened up their home to my 9 year old daughter and myself this summer. Through Paul's guidance my daughter and I gathered eggs, fed the chickens, planted veggies in the high tunnel, cleared out rows for additional planting, weeded strawberries, and aided in caring for the house animals. Additionally, we helped prep for the local farmers' market by prepping honey and plum jelly. It was a lot of fun! My daughter especially enjoyed helping with the 4 cats and 2 dogs, and the animals in turn were extremely friendly towards her.
During our time in Northern Minnesota, it was extremely rainy, and unfortunately, this brought out a fair amount of mosquitoes and ticks. My daughter has been told for years about the dangers of ticks, and although we all reassured her that the ticks we found were wood ticks (not dangerous to humans), she still had extreme anxiety about them. She can be quite the sensitive kid, and I imagine some other sensitive kids might struggle with this as well.
Despite the insects, my daughter still views this as a positive learning experience. Paul and Becky's farm is a fascinating place to acquire many farming skills. :)
Read more
MK
United States
•
October 2023
Every day was a selection of new and interesting projects that I did alongside Paul and the other WWOOFer there. The three of us herded cattle, dug up potatoes and sunchokes, bottled honey, and harvested tomatoes, peppers, and apples (among other projects). The pace of the work was slow-and-steady and the rigor of tasks was balanced between strenuous, moderate, and light.
Very nice accommodations. My room was clean and comfortable. The house comes with friendly cats and dogs to cuddle which I loved. They also have an extensive personal library on a range of subjects that I greatly enjoyed.
The food here was exceptional. Paul and Becky live their values when it comes to the food they produce, purchase, and eat. The kitchen is well stocked with organic and high-quality whole foods at all times. They cook frequently (and are extremely good at it), and they share their creations enthusiastically and fully.
Paul and Becky are kind, encouraging, and quietly energetic people. I question if they would be best matched with WWOOFers who are looking for an immersive experience as they themselves put in long hours and there is always an air of hope in the house that WWOOFers will participate at a high level. In my one week stay, I chose to put in 35 hours (which I track for my own awareness only). There were also occasions I chose to deflect invitations from Becky to work further hours, which was met with a gracious attitude.
Overall very positive and valuable week!!
Read more
Eleni
United States
•
October 2020
Paul and Becky are hospitable hosts and easy people to talk to. We had a private room in their house which was comfortable and came with plenty of cats to cuddle. Except for CSA days, work is generally started late morning through the afternoon. While there we weeded, transplanted, worked on hi-tunnel construction, harvested, cleaned and packed for CSA deliveries, and more. A highlight was helping with honey harvest, which we were lucky enough to be there for the once a year process! Overall a great time, work was always available to be done, but they were also flexible with any time we wanted to take off. Great to see an example of an organic farm so far north!
Read more
Katherine
United States
•
July 2020
I had an amazing time WWOOFing at Northern Light Farm! Paul and Becky were wonderful hosts and made me feel right at home. There is always work to be done on the farm, but there is also tons of opportunity to explore beyond the fields and enjoy the natural beauty of Northern Minnesota. Paul and Becky were accommodating and went above and beyond to make my WWOOF stay fun and memorable. I felt lucky that my first WWOOF experience was with such a kind family, so knowledgeable and passionate about organic agriculture, sustainable living, and the surrounding areas. WWOOFing at Northern Light Farm is an extremely educational and rewarding experience I would recommend to anyone! Food was great, too.
Read more
Gwendolen
United States
•
July 2020
Northern Light Farm is a great place to learn about sustainable farming. Both Paul and Becky are natural teachers and are very knowledgeable about the land and plants of northern MN. During my stay, I spent time hand weeding, preparing CSA shares, feeding the chickens, and accompanying Becky on day trips to state natural areas.
There is a lot of trust given to WWOOFers at the farm (Paul and Becky had to go out of town for one weekend during my stay). That said, Paul and Becky were always willing to answer questions or explain tasks step-by-step.
I learned a lot during my 2-week stay, and wish it could have been longer!
Read more
