Phil and Deb Batalden – Redwood County

23651 420th Ave, Lamberton, MN 56152
507-752-7796
Best time to contact: 8-9 pm

Phil and Deb Batalden have been certified organic since 2000, using a traditional rotation of corn, soybeans, wheat and red clover. Integrated cultivation and green manuring are some of the tools for their success in organic production.

Laura and Marvin Bihl – Home Place Beef Organic Farm, Wright County

14316 Endicott Ave NW, Clearwater, MN 55320
320-558-6392, marvobihl@aol.com
Best time to contact: evenings

Laura and Marvin Bihl farm 240 acres, which have been certified organic since 1989. They raise cattle, which they direct market as certified organic beef. They use a long rotation with corn, small grain, and several years of alfalfa. Alfalfa and cattle manure are used as fertility sources, and grazing rotation, and cultivation for weed management. They are members of the Sustainable Farming Association, Wright Home Gardeners, Sierra Club, and Church Rural Life Advisory Board. They prefer to answer questions about organic beef production and certification standards.

Lynn Brakke – Lynn Brakke Organic Farms, Clay County

5724 170th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56560
218-585-4107, lbrakke@aol.com
Best time to contact: no calls after 9 pm or on Sundays

Lynn Brakke farms 2,500 acres, certified organic since 1994, and raises 35 head of certified organic Angus beef cattle. He has great experience with alternative crops, extended rotation, and alternative weed management methods such as electrostatic and flame weed control.

Don DeWeerd – Pipestone County

1826 70th Avenue, Pipestone, MN 56164-9514
507-825-2077, dondeweerd@earthlink.net
Best time to contact: weekday evenings

Don Deweerd has managed his 188 acres organically since 1977, and has been certified organic since 2000. He is skilled in rotation planning, working with many different cash crops, cover crops, and legumes, and works with numerous weed management strategies.

Carmen Fernholz – A-Frame Farm, Lac Qui Parle County

RR 2 Box 9A, Madison, MN 56256
320-598-3010, fernholz@frontiernet.net
Best time to contact: weekdays 7-8 am

Carmen Fernholz runs a 410-acre farm, entirely certified. He works with many crops, such as oats, flax, barley, rye, hairy vetch, clovers, and other, and is skilled in rotation planning and tillage practices for weed and fertility management. Carmen is also very experienced with designing and conducting on-farm research.

Richard Handeen and Audrey Arner – Moonstone Farm, Chippewa County

9060 40th Street, SW, Montevideo, MN 56265
320-269-8971, rhandeen@hotmail.com
Best time to contact: 8-9 pm

Richard Handeen farms on 240 acres. Some of the farm acreage has been certified organic since the late 1970’s. He works with numerous alternative crops and manages weed and fertility issues with green manure, cattle manure, cover crops, mechanical cultivation and tillage, and rotation. He is a skilled rotational grazier and sells his beef through direct marketing. Richard is a member of the Sustainable Farming Association.

Mark and Wendy Lange – Dry Weather Creek Farm

8095 40th Street NW, Milan, MN
320-269-9617, dwcreek@fedteldirect.net
Best time to contact: late evening, early morning

Mark and Wendy Lange have an 80 acre certified organic farm on which they grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. They also produce OMEGA-3 eggs, and South African Boer Goats, but have not certified them yet. They have a certified organic flour mill and grind whole wheat flour, wheat products, ground flax, cornmeal, and white whole wheat flour. The Langes believe in sustainable agriculture and bringing back the small family farm through diversity.

Craig Murphy – Stevens County

51487 320th St, Morris, MN 56267
320-392-5176, ciemurph@fedteldirect.net
Best time to contact: weeknights before 9 pm

Craig Murphy farms 470 acres, which have been certified organic since 1983. Craig experiements with many different alternative crops. He works with on-farm manures, green manures, roation, rotary hoe, harrow, cultivator, and hand-rogueing to manage weeds and soil fertility. Craig is Vice-Chair of the South Dakota Chapter 2 Organic Crop Improvement Association, and is on the board of the western chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.

Betty and Dale Noordman – LIFE Design Organics, Pope County

39041 County Road 2, Hancock, MN 56244
320-392-5925, 320-766-0008, 0006, organicfood30@hotmail.com
LIFE Design Organics

Dale and Betty Noordman farm 585 acres, which have been certified organic since 1990. The farm is diversified and includes crop production, small-scale vegetable production, and beef and poultry (not certified). They try to have family members help out on their farm as much as possible.

Dale Rusch – McLeod County

22864 190th Street, Hutchinson, MN 55350
320-587-5721
Best time to contact: Sunday nights, 9-10 pm

Dale Rusch has always farmed organically. He farms 240 acres, all certified organic since 1989. He also owns and operates an organic dairy. Dale follows a 4-5 year rotation and uses on-farm manures, lime, rock phosphate, and plow-downs for fertility and cultivation (including a rotary hoe and spring tooth harrow) and rotation for weed management. Dale is the 6th generation on a 100-year family farm, which has never seen any chemicals.

Jerry Wiebusch – Wiebusch’s Valley View Family Farm, Wabasha County

RR3 Box 86, Lake City, MN 55041
507-753-2754
Best time to contact: Evenings after 9 pm

Jerry Wiebusch farms traditional crops using techniques such as flame-weeding and has been certified since 1998. He currently operates a 70-head organic dairy.

Ray Yokiel – Faribault County

59129 180th Street, Wells, MN 56097
507-553-6152
Best time to contact: evenings

Ray Yokiel farms 240 acres, which have been certified organic since 1990. He follows a 3-year crop rotation of corn, soybeans, and small grain with an alfalfa plowdown for fertility. He has been successfully flame weeding for the past 20 years. Ray is a certification committee member of the Organic Crop Improvement Association, Minnesota #1 Chapter.