Intro: Nettle Valley Farm is in the beautiful Driftless area of southeastern MN. We focus on silvopasture establishment and invasive species control using a variety of practices. We also are starting to grow certified organic native and ornamental perennial flowers for seed production. We've also added two mobile saunas to the farm and we host community sauna sessions and private sauna parties.
The Farm: The farm is 90 acres of woods, pasture, pine plantation, ponds and fields near Spring Grove, MN. Projects are different every day in every season, but can include tending to the seed crops (planting, weeding, harvesting), removing invasive species like garlic mustard and buckthorn, splitting wood using a hydraulic splitter, simple building projects, fermentation projects, helping our neighbors with various tasks, maintaining perennial beds, and more.
The People: NVF is run by Dayna and Nick. We're into simple but good living, doing work we love, and spending time with good people. Dayna runs the farm on a day to day basis and is into anything related to insects, saunas, birds, siestas, and learning new skills! Nick works full time as a remote programmer but is very involved in the homestead and business side of things. Nick is into playing violin, cooking up delicious pork dishes, playing cards, bonfires and podcasts. We love hanging out with our derpy dog Buddy (aka Budzilla).
WWOOFing with us: Above all else, we are hoping to connect with WWOOFers who are excellent communicators, pleasant, helpful, and positive contributors to our farm. Bring your skills, we'll teach each other!
Flow of the day: We ask for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week. Depending on the weather and activities, we'll usually work on projects together from 8-noon or 9-1pm then break for lunch. In the afternoon, Dayna will likely need to work on solo projects or take a rest (we love naps here!), so afternoons and evenings are yours for relaxing, exploring the land or the area! We often head out to do fun things in the evening (community singing, plays, restaurants, potlucks, work events on neighboring farms, etc.) and will invite you along, but no pressure to join in! When we're home for the evening, we'll share a meal and then play cards, watch a movie/show, or just chill.
Accommodations: You will either have our tiny house to yourself or have a private room with a comfy bed in our farmhouse. In the tiny house, there is a compost toilet, hot running water for showering and washing up, and a small kitchenette. In the house, you'll have your own bathroom. Either way, we also have woodfired saunas, laundry, full kitchen in the house, a nice big porch to enjoy and a farming library. We're not set up for pets or children. This is a safe place to be queer / LGBT.
What to bring: Long pants, closed toed sturdy shoes, sun hat, water bottle, clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and work gloves if you have them.
Food: We eat simply but well! I (Dayna) don't personally don't eat gluten or eggs due to allergies (you can tho!), so we eat a lot of cheese, veggies, rice, ferments, and pastured meat. You will have access to pastured meats, staples like salt/beans/rice, veggies from the garden, and groceries like fruit/eggs/dairy/coffee/sweets. Breakfast will be on your own (always lots of food around) but we eat leftovers for lunch together and then make and eat dinner together (and clean up together) in the evening. Neither of us are passionate about cooking so we LOVE LOVE LOVE it when WWOOFers who do love to cook make dinner! :)
The Area: There is ZERO public transportation, so you'll need your own transportation (road bike, motorcycle, car) to have a successful stay here. The Driftless is full of parks, trout streams, forests, and quirky places to visit. Spring Grove is a cute small town 15 minutes away. It has a grocery store, some great little restaurants, a couple of bars, a movie theater, an art gallery, a birding trail, and more. We love it! Decorah, IA is about 35 minutes away and is home to Luther College, an awesome food co-op, lots of bars and restaurants, and plentiful events. Rochester, MN and La Crosse, WI are both about an hour away.
Contact: Send us an email with your favorite meat recipe so we know you've read this far! Tell us a little about yourself and why you're WWOOFing.
Certifications: Certified Organic seed production
Internet access available
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Sheep or goat farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Flower farming
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
LGBTQ+-operated
Woman-operated
BIPOC-operated
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
Former WWOOFer
36.4
Hectares
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90
Acres
Accommodation
