Driftless Grown

CULTIVATING LONG-TERM RESILIENCE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE DRIFTLESS REGION

Farmers are passionate, driven, innovative, and an integral part of the long-term health of our rural communities.  In addition to “running the farm,” farmers must find customers and build a growing, sustainable, and profitable business – without burning out along the way.

Founded by farmers, Driftless Grown understands first hand the strengths, challenges, needs, and opportunities facing farmers. Through a combination of community building and farmer-specific programing, Driftless Grown helps farmers build capacity for success – meeting/exceeding their goals and aspirations through social and professional networking, utilization of resources, education, business development, collaboration, and other local initiatives.

We deliver resources and programs that build the business, personal, mental, social, physical, and resource capacity of each farmer.

Introducing Groundswell: Finding our Connections

Though COVID-19 has been a major upset to our lives and business, one thing has never been more true:

Local food systems are important in the good times, and essential in the worst.

From the beginning, Driftless Grown's message has been that long-term rural resilience depends not just on identifying what we as individuals and businesses need, but also what we have to offer each other. This concept has been at the core of our work - even weathered one pandemic - and we are really proud of where it has landed: Groundswell - Finding our connections

The survey below is our official Groundswell kickoff! The results will set us on course for identifying and compiling the interests, needs, skillsets, and resources of our region's farmers, makers, and producers. You never know what collaborations may grow, but one thing's for sure, by building a strong, supportive community we create a groundswell of success!

Driftless Grown Beginnings 

My name is Sarah Mann. I live in the Root River Valley of southeast Minnesota and am the owner and operator of Sweet 16 Farm, and the founder of Driftless Grown.

I grew up in the Twin Cities but often visited the Driftless Region as a girl. In 2010 I made the leap and moved to the country with no formal training in agriculture or family background in farming other than the simple the love of doing it. I dabbled in vegetable farming for the first few years tending a quarter-acre garden where I experimented with sustainable farming practices and provided and abundance of garden bounty for family and friends.

After my son was born in 2014, I felt pulled further toward the land. I cut back home-office hours, began planning a farming business of my own, and took a part-time job as the Chamber of Commerce Director for the City of Houston. Though I did not know it at the time, that job was an early catalyst for Driftless Grown. My role as an agent of community development and advocate for small-town business owners really opened my eyes to the difficulties facing our rural communities. It got me thinking that I wasn’t the only one who needed support, mentorship, and stronger ties to social and professional networks in the region.

Meanwhile my dreams of starting a farm business became a reality. Sweet 16 Farm officially opened in 2016 as a ⅓-acre vegetable farm where I sold goods from a roadside farm stand and wholesale to local grocery stores. But my real farm story began in the fall of 2017 when my son’s father and I separated. I became the sole proprietor of second-year farming business, single-parent to a three year old boy, and winter was fast approaching.

Hard doesn’t begin to describe 2018. I made it through on pure stubborn determination. Come fall I collapsed and realized that doing it all myself does not equal success. Despite the myth of the self-made woman, nobody can really do it all – let alone do it all well. Mentorship, collaboration, and strong community ties have always played a role in rural life.  

So, I began reaching out to the people I had met over the years. Through many conversations, it became clear that even in our drastically different farming/business scenarios, all of us were excelling at some things, struggling with some things and – almost universally – none of us were making time to connect with one another.

We are all working so dang hard to make ends meet that we miss out on the checks and balances that come from regular social interaction, mentorship, or – heaven forbid – recreational fun. Simply being asked by a friend, “How are things going?” can relieve such a weight when answered truthfully.

So I started thinking, what if a balance could be achieved? What if the things I excel at are things someone else is struggling with? What if one farmer’s knowledge about farm equipment could be help another farmer feel more confident in the purchase of the correct implement for her farm. What if someone who excels at marketing his farm products could offer guidance to a neighboring farm struggling with similar aspects of their business.

This seemed like a logical place to start. In January 2018 I hosted my first The Young in the Driftless potluck as a platform to bring people together and start asking meaningful questions. I spent two weeks promoting via email and social media. About 50 people showed up on a cold January night. A community’s entire diet was in that room: Dairy producers, pastured pork, grass-fed beef, honey, apples, cheese, coffee beans, wine, hops, flowers, and more. Underlying all that production were also the processes to make it happen: regenerative ag. specialists, economic + community development professionals, and University of Minnesota Extension agents familiar with recent research and opportunities statewide. We all saw great potential in this network as a catalyst for not just strengthening our rural community as it is but for creating regenerative systems of support and networking to help maintain such flourishing for future generations.

Driftless Grown is a term we hope people will come to associate with the greater Driftless region – not only as a place to visit, but as a strong, supportive community in which to build a home, start a business, and pursue a life well-lived.