Narrowing the Gap

Greg Reynolds, partner and co-owner of Riverbend Farm in Delano, MN, has always wanted to have a farm “The idea really came together when I was in high school,” explains Greg. “It was a time of the back-to-the-land movement, the first oil price hikes, and people were thinking about alternative and sustainability.” Greg knew he could not afford to start a farm with no money and a high school education. “So I went to the University of Minnesota and got a degree, got a job, met my future wife (Mary), and worked for 18years.” One thing led to another, and after making some money on a house they had in Connecticut, Greg and Mary moved back to MN and bought the farm. “I retired when I was 40 to start farming,” says Greg. “Luckily, Mary had a regular job!”

Greg and Mary now run the farm and CSA with partner David VanEeckhout, providing organic produce to Twin Cities Co-ops and restaurants. Before the planting season, they meet with restaurant chefs to help select crops for the coming year, narrowing the gap between farmer and consumer. This unique collaboration goes against the grain of the traditional produce market, where farmers try to anticipate demand and compete on price to sell to restaurants. Riverbend Farm avoids direct competition by growing heirloom varieties that are less common, and that local chefs are eager to cook with.

This year they will produce about two hundred varieties of around twenty crops, including Striped German tomatoes, Cherokee Purple tomatoes, Prudens Purple tomatoes (from seed that David saved), and Early Girl tomatoes. (Early Girl is the best tasting tomato according to Greg) They also grow Rosa Bianca eggplant, Silver Queen sweet corn, Minnesota Midget muskmelon, Desiree potatoes, and Pencil Pod yellow wax beans. “I did not think that the wax beans were such a big deal until one of our CSA members said that she thought that they were extinct,” says Greg. “She had not seen them since she was a kid.”

Riverbend Farm is certified organic and operates on a four-year rotation: two years of vegetables with cover crops and legumes between the years, a year of small grain, beans, peas, hairy vetch, and fallow, and a fourth year of a green manure of soybeans and sorghum.  You can find their produce at Twin Cities Co-ops, and on the menu at Restaurant Alma, Birchwood Café, Chet’s Tavern, Lucia’s, and Auriga. Also, you can find a Riverbend Farm market Saturdays in Auriga’s parking lot from 9am to 2pm…but get there early – they have been selling out by noon!

Reflections

When asked what makes Riverbend a successful organic farm, Greg responded, “That is hard to describe. David and I both really want to a make living from farming, work like nuts, and disagree on just about everything. Besides that, I try to sell everything that we can grow. Mary adds a sense of something existing beyond just farming. We have a good crew who are willing to put up with the difficulties of farming to earn low wages. Our customers are pretty loyal. We are willing to try new things and make mistakes. The hard part is recognizing the mistakes and being willing to change ideas that you would like to have seen work out.” Greg also added that the sandy soil their farm sits on is a helpful asset.

Beyond the nature of the people and the land, a successful farm also grows out of experience and trial and error. “Lessons learned?” Greg exclaims, “There are so many…

• A farming addiction has to pay the bills.
• It can take over your entire life, don’t let it.
• It has to be fun.
• Learn how to weld.
• Put in a well while you are still working.
• Don’t believe everything that you hear about new markets.
• Farming is a lot more work than I thought it would be…”

Greg feels that his farming philosophy was most influenced by the sustainability issues being raised in the late 60s and early 70s. “Let’s imagine that fossil fuels aren’t unlimited, benign, and cheap,” he says. “What do we have to do to live? Can we afford to turn oil into subsidized corn? Should we leave all of our problems for our children and grandchildren? Are these things that we should be doing?” Riverbend farm exists as an evolving answer to some of these questions. Questions that are becoming more urgent with each passing day.