We are a husband-and-wife team with four friendly dogs and operate a small, diverse certified organic farm and cidery 70 miles north of the Twin Cities. Our 172-acre farm is surrounded by forest, lakes, and a restored native prairie full of spectacular, blooming wildflowers. Crops include maple syrup, vegetables, fruits, and herbs, apples, ginger, plus egg-laying chickens and 10+ honeybee hives.
We also operate a family friendly farm winery (cidery) where we produce Yellow Belly brand hard cider which is distributed in six states throughout the upper Midwest. The farm and Cidery are open to the public on weekends and we have food trucks, music, art classes, and entertainment for the whole family.
The peak of our season is May - September, where WWOOFers will learn about growing, maintaining, and harvesting organic vegetables in our two hoop houses, and apple orchard. Other opportunities include learning about managing free-range chickens, and honeybee hives (optional), plus other organic farm-related projects during the growing season.
Our state-of-the-art Cider Barn is where we produce Yellow Belly cider and have a sampling room where we host on-farm events throughout the year. WWOOFers have the opportunity to use their creative juices to help plan these events and can relax and join in the fun. We always look forward to hearing of new ideas our WWOOFers may have for improving our operation and new ways to help educate the public about organic farming, local food access, and native habitat.
A minimum of two-week commitment is requested, but WWOOFers can stay longer if desired. Accommodations are provided in the bunkhouse, a comfortable, rustic little cabin with primitive amenities: disposable toilet, sun-warmed water for shower. Also have a sauna available for use as well which has a shower with hot and cold running water. Also bathroom is available inside the house. Room for RV parking as well. Absolutely no smoking or tobacco use as the mosaic tobacco virus is a serious threat to organic crops.
We are omnivores, and food is provided, with everyone pitching in on food preparation and kitchen clean-up. Special diet requests to be provided by the WWOOFer. Some local transportation can be accommodated, but it is best if WWOOFers have their own car to get around. For International WWOOFers, we can pick up at the MSP airport.
Attractions within a 1 to 3 hour drive include: Twin Cities metro area, Lake Superior, lots of state parks, headwaters to the Mississippi River, and more.
We are a dog-friendly farm. Our dogs are friendly and want to play with everyone who visits. We expect that WWOOFer dogs are also are well-behaved and get along with other dogs. NO CATS but other pets welcome. Please discuss pets with us prior to coming to the farm.
Organic methods: 100% organic practices, complemented by native, natural environment such as native prairie, bird houses, bat houses, and more.
Certifications: Certified organic by MOSA since 2008
Current projects: April - collecting sap and making maple syrup, planting apple trees
May - Seed starting and planting in hoop houses, orchard work
June - planting, weeding, and harvesting vegetables
July - weeding, pruning, and harvesting vegetables
August - weeding, pruning, and harvesting vegetables
September - harvesting vegetables
October - harvesting vegetables, cleaning out hoop houses, harvesting apples, pressing apple juice
Internet access available
Visit our website for more info.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Viticulture
Forestry
Beekeeping
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Methods or systems
Biodynamic agriculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
69.6
Hectares
|
172
Acres
