MINNEAPOLIS — The Sustainable Farming Association Board of Directors, which leads our nonprofit organization toward its mission of building and enhancing sustainable farming systems through networking, innovation, demonstration and education, is proud to welcome four new members.
Joining the Board in early 2018 were John Beaton (Lake Superior), Connie Carlson (at-large), Mary Jane Miller (Crow River), and Katie Myhre (at-large).
Beaton owns and operates a diverse vegetable farm in Wrenshall. Stepping out of a career of kitchen work and into his first year of full-time farming, Beaton is especially interested in supporting agrotourism and issues surrounding young and beginning farmers.
Carlson, who lives in Buffalo, Minn., with her husband, Eric, and three kids, is Crow River Chapter president and Minnesota Garlic Festival volunteer coordinator. She works for U. of M. Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and grew up on an organic farm in West Central Minnesota where she gained a deep appreciation for healthy soil, healthy farms and healthy communities. Carlson is honored to serve the sustainable farmers of Minnesota as board Vice-President.
Miller lives in Buffalo, Minn., with her husband Mike. She is an expert food consultant, cookbook author and longtime chef wrangler at the Minnesota Garlic Festival.
Myhre originally hails from Barnum and now lives in St. Paul. Keeping one foot rural and one foot in the city, she works with Appetite for Change in North Minneapolis, a nonprofit that covers a range of food advocacy work, from policy work to urban farming. There, she works one-on-one with food businesses to improve models and prepare for local sourcing. Her passion is rural, where she focuses her work on connecting small, diversified growers to metro markets through her own business, RED Market. Her background includes studies in biology with a focus on agroecology and years working with farmers’ markets, including the Linden Hills Farmers Market in Minneapolis.
SFA is excited to welcome these new board members and grateful to the departing members for their exceptional service. The Board of Directors meets quarterly at locations around Minnesota; for more information, visit our board homepage.
— Sustainable Farming Association
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