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>> THERE'S A HUNGER ON THE PART
OF CONSUMERS FOR FOOD THAT'S
PRODUCED BY FOLKS THEY KNOW.
IT ALSO TELLS ME THAT THERE IS A
SOCIAL DESIRE FOR CONSUMERS TO GET TOGETHER WITH THESE
PRODUCERs BECAUSE ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT FARMERS'
MARKETS IS NOT JUST ABOUT GOING AND BUYING FOOD.
IT'S ABOUT TALKING TO THE
PRODUCER ABOUT HOW THE FOOD WAS
RAISED, IT'S ABOUT CELEBRATING
LIFE AND IT'S ABOUT SOCIALIZING
AND IT WAS EYE-OPENING TO ME
AS AG COMMISSIONER TO SEE THESE
SORTS OF THINGS UNFOLD EVEN IN
VERY SMALL TOWNS ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA.
I MEAN WE HAD MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE
YEARS BEFORE I WAS NO LONGER AG
COMMISSIONER, WE MAYBE HAD TEN
OR 12 FARMERS' MARKETS AROUND THE STATE.
IN JUST A PERIOD OF FOUR OR FIVE
YEARS, THAT NUMBER MOVED UP TO
WELL OVER 50, CLOSE TO 60
FARMERS' MARKETS THAT WERE
ESTABLISHED WITH REGULAR PLACES
OF DOING BUSINESS, REGULAR HOURS.
THAT'S RAPID GROWTH.
>> THREE AND A QUARTER.
>> AND A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO GO INTO FARMING NOW AND
ARE GOING INTO FARMING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE VERY SMART.
THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF COMPLEXITY.
AND THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT
THEY'RE REALLY NOT INTERESTED IN
RAISING CORN AND SOY BEANS.
THEY WANT TO RAISE FOOD FOR PEOPLE.
SO YOU COULD BEGIN TO SEE SOME
CHANGES IN COMMUNITIES WHERE YOU
HAVE MORE COMMUNITY PEOPLE
WORKING TOGETHER TO PRODUCE MORE
OF THEIR OWN FOOD FROM THEIR OWN
RESOURCES, AND THAT FOOD WILL BE OBVIOUSLY LOCAL AND THEN PEOPLE
WILL KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM,
AND YOU COULD SEE A WHOLE NEW
DIFFERENT KIND OF COMMUNITY
CULTURE EVOLVE OUT OF THAT.
>> I LEFT THE BISMARK MAN DAN
AREA AROUND THE AGE OF 20 AND I
LEFT WITH A LOVE FOR FARMING
BECAUSE I WORKED HERE ON MY UNCLE'S FARM.
AND I MET A MAN WHO HAPPENED TO
BE A FARMER AS WELL AND HAVE A
LOVE FOR FARMING AND WE DECIDED TO START A FAMILY.
>> SHE HAD THIS IDEA, HEY, THERE'S THIS FAMILY LAND AND
IT'S NOT REALLY BEING USED BY
THE FAMILY RIGHT NOW, MAYBE WE COULD LEASE IT.
AND SO HERE WE ARE.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, THERE'S ONLY A MILLION BILLION.
DO YOU WANT A BAG?
>> CSAs ARE REALLY WONDERFUL
AND IN MY OPINION THEY ARE THE PERFECT MARRIAGE BETWEEN
CONSUMERS AND FARMERS.
>> I TOOK YOUR ADVICE.
EAT THEM RAW.
THEY ARE.
IT'S LIKE CANDY.
>> ISN'T IT AMAZING?
>> CSA STANDS FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE.
HERE AT RIVERBOUND FARM, OUR CSA
MEMBERS GET TO COME OUT TO THE
FARM ONCE A WEEK FOR 17 WEEKS,
WHICH IS AS LONG AS OUR SUMMER
SEASON WAS, MID-JUNE THROUGH MID-OCTOBER.
AND PICK UP WHATEVER THEY WANT THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR THAT WEEK.
THEY CAN ALSO DO PICK YOUR OWN THINGS.
AND ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT CSAs IS SHARE THE
BOUNTY, SHARE THE RISK.
>> AS SOON AS WE GOT HERE, THERE
WAS LIKE A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WERE LIKE, HEY, WE'RE SO GAD YOU ARE HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.
AND SO THAT'S BEEN NICE.
AND I MEAN THAT'S WHY NORTH
DAKOTA IS A GOOD PLACE I GUESS FOR US.
ALSO, NORTH DAKOTA IS AN
AGRICULTURAL STATE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE WHO GREW UP
ON FARMS AND NOW LIVE IN SOME SORT OF URBAN OR SUBURBAN
SETTING AND SO ARE SORT OF SEPARATED FROM THAT AND THEY
CRAVE IT.
>> A SMALL FARMER WHO'S MARKETING THEIR GOODS THROUGH A
CSA HELPS ENSURE THEMSELVES A
CUSTOMER BASE FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON.
AND AS A CONSUMER, YOU'RE
ENSURING YOURSELF LOCAL, FRESH,
HIGH QUALITY FOOD RAISED RIGHT
HERE IN YOUR COMMUNITY BY YOUR NEIGHBOR.
YOU'RE KEEPING YOUR MONEY IN THE COMMUNITY AND YOU'RE ENSURING
YOUR NEIGHBOR A GOOD LIVING.
YOU CAN GO OUT TO THE FARM, YOU
CAN SHAKE HANDS WITH THE FARMER
AND YOU CAN BE A PART OF THAT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE
REALLY TRYING TO DEVELOP HERE AT RIVERBOUND FARM.
WE ARE INVITING OUR MEMBERS TO BE A PART OF THE FARM.
>> THANKS, GUYS!
>> SEE YA.
>> NORTH DAKOTA HAS A RURAL HERITAGE.
IT'S A RURAL STATE AND THERE'S A LOT OF FARMERS.
AND NORTH DAKOTA FARMERS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB FEEDING THE ENTIRE WORLD.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD REALLY BE PROUD OF.
SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS OUT OF
BALANCE IS THE SMALL FARMERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE CAN ALSO DO A REALLY GREAT
JOB FEEDING OURSELVES, AND
HAVING OUR MEMBERS OF OUR STATE
HAVE ACCESS TO FARMS AGAIN AND
GET REACQUAINTED WITH OUR FOOD
AND WHERE IT COMES FROM AND FEED
OURSELVES AGAIN.
>> WELL, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ON "PRAIRIE PULSE" FOR THIS WEEK.
AND AS ALWAYS, THANK FOR JOINING US
FUNDED IN PART BY THE NORTH
DAKOTA HUMANITIES COUNCIL, A
NON-PROFIT INDEPENDENT STATE PARTNER OF THE NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES.
AND BY THE MEMBERS OF PRAIRIE PUBLIC