Riverbend Farm: Organic Farmland in Delano, MN.

This is a photo documentation of Riverbend Farm, an organic farm in Delano, MN, one of the pioneers of organic farming in Minnesota, taken during the pandemic.

Riverbend Farm is owned and operated by the family I married into. It is an 80-acre organic vegetable farm located in Delano, Minnesota, about an hour west of Minneapolis. For over the past three decades, on land that has been a farm since the mid-19th century, Riverbend Farm has supplied produce to co-ops, restaurants, schools, and nursing homes throughout Delano and the Twin Cities. Greg Raynolds, the owner, has given lectures and supported research programs at the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin, and Seed Savers Exchange. As a result, Riverbend Farm achieved a significant milestone by receiving the 2015 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year Award.

I began working for them during the pandemic, and since then, I have been amazed at how difficult it is to be an organic farmer. I understand how many hours of physical work go into producing those beautiful, healthy foods you see on your table. Additionally, organic farming requires a lot of knowledge, such as using biological fertilizers and protecting water, air, and soil from chemical pollution. Organic agriculture plays a significant role in addressing climate change: it helps reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Despite its accomplishments, Riverbend Farm will eventually need to slow down and close its operations. My photographs help preserve the farm's legacy and achievements. I hope it helps more people in the community realize the farm's ecological and ethical way of life in the Midwest.

Last day of summer, 2023.

*The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Organic Farmer of the Year Award recognizes a Midwest farmer or farm family for their outstanding land management, innovative farming practices, and outreach to teach others about organic farming.