From the desk of Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly, Farmers’ Market Economic Opportunity VISTA. Maeve is one of two AmeriCorps VISTA members supporting the southern Minnesota food system through the Local Foods Sustainability Project, a collaborative effort between Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association, Renewing the Countryside, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) and Sustainable Farming Association.

Farmers’ markets are unique businesses. They have a variety of operational structures, existing as volunteer organizations, large-scale commercial businesses, and even city sponsored events. Regardless of their size or operational structure, farmers’ markets promote healthy, local communities by providing essential goods and services. Their direct to consumer model also supports local economies and the overall wellness of the communities they serve.

One of the goals of the Local Food Sustainability Project (LFSP) is to quantify and amplify what makes farmers’ markets so successful. The LFSP survey, which will be sent out in July to farmers’ market vendors and market managers, will help us gather the information needed to develop more resources, training, and general support for market managers, vendors and even customers. To do this, we have enlisted the expertise of five agricultural leaders in SMIF’s 20-county region to form the Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee (the sister committee to the Local Food Producers Advisory Committee, led by VISTA member James Harren) to increase our impact through collaboration.

The Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee members have diverse backgrounds and expertise, but they all have a passion for supporting the health of our local food system.

We are pleased to announce the members of the Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee.

The committee met for the first time in April and reviewed the goals and survey material for the LFSP. We were able to Identify resources and funding for the project and look forward to meeting again to discuss updates and next steps this month.

See the full bios of our incredible advisory committee team below!

Claire

Claire LaCanne

Claire LaCanne works with UMN Extension in Rice and Steele counties. She is a local Agriculture Extension Educator connecting farmers with university resources to address community needs. She works with produce and livestock farmers both big and small. While her technical specializations are in regenerative agriculture, soil health, and integrated pest management (IPM), she also helps farmers develop business plans, expand their production or sales, and navigate land rental agreements and pricing. Right now she is primarily helping goat and sheep producers navigate grass fed meat certifications. She is passionate about the positive impacts applied science can have in helping farmers address their needs and obstacles to success. Her technical knowledge and support through community outreach is a priceless asset to the LFSP.

Kyle Huneke works for the Riverland Community College Farm Business Management Program primarily in Austin, Owatonna, and Albert Lea. He works with a total of 60 farmers, 25 who are beginning farmers, 20 dairy farmers, and 10 who classify as niche growers and sell at farmers’ markets. He received his degree in business from Oxford University and has years of experience as a livestock farmer selling meat at the Rochester Farmers’ Market. Now he uses his expertise to help farmers with their record keeping, business management, marketing, and expansion. His favorite part about his job is building deep relationships with farmers, especially those who work in direct marketing, helping them problem solve to support their vision. (Not pictured)

Nathan

Nathan Hulinsky

Nathan Hulinsky is an Agriculture Business Management Extension Educator with the UMN Extension team. His main priority is to reduce farmers’ economic risks while helping them become more financially stable and profitable. As part of this work, he conducts financial benefits comparisons between farmers’ markets, wholesale, and other direct to consumer markets to tailor his trainings to the economic needs of each individual farmer. He primarily works with traditional crop farmers and dairy farmers, leading trainings on land rentals, how to write a lease, farm bills, and labor management. He is passionate about his work and the continuation of family farms as he helps them sustain their livelihoods. He and his wife just bought a house and are planning on starting their first garden this spring!

Lori

Lori Cox

Lori Cox is the founder and owner of Roots Return Heritage Farm LLC in Carver County. This year she is renting her land to four new, emerging farmers while she serves on four advisory boards including the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, the Carver County Water Management Organization, Minnesota Agriculture Water Quality Certification Program, and Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom. She is also an active advocate for native pollinators, working with both the Minnesota University Bee Lab and Protecting Pollinators Partnership. Her passion for agriculture comes from her concern for the future of small-scale agriculture in the state. She believes through collaboration and pooling resources, our vision for a more sustainable and thriving agriculture system in Minnesota will come to fruition faster.

Leah

Leah Mahoney

Leah Mahoney is a SHIP Grant Coordinator for Brown, Nicollet, Waseca, and La Sueur counties. SHIP’s four areas of focus are on healthy eating, physical activity, reducing tobacco use, and wellness. Leah is passionate about supporting community policy that can eliminate barriers to access to healthy food. Her passion started when she was a Community Capacity Building Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. After returning from the Peace Corps she received her master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota, however, her love for healthy eating stems back to her childhood. Both of her grandfathers were commercial farmers and growing up in a rural area, she remembers having a home garden, canning, foraging, and hunting every year. She loves the feeling of joy and wellness growing your own food can bring and she is passionate about creating the same opportunities for others through policy.

Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly

Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly is the Farmers’ Market Economic Opportunity VISTA