Thirty years ago, organic farming was something of a novelty in Minnesota. But when Taste profiled three organic farmers in August 1978, what they were saying then sounds an awful lot like what organic farmers are saying now.
"Organic farming is growing by leaps and bounds," said berry grower Kenneth Morgan of Deerwood (Crow Wing County), who had been cultivating chemical-free raspberries and strawberries for decades. "We have to have balance in nature. We have to put back what we take out from the land."
After switching to all-organic production seven years earlier, dairy and beef cattle farmer Edward Hauck of Millville (Wabasha County) reported a healthier herd, lower veterinary bills, more productive soil, lower expenses and higher profits. "If the government would spend as much time studying soils as they do to get on the moon, we'd learn a lot," he said. Besides, Hauck believed that food raised on his organic farm tasted better. "People who buy our chickens say they can't eat supermarket chicken anymore," he said.
Fifth-generation farmer Martin Diffley was raising a wide variety of vegetables on his 45-acre Eagan farm, one of six still operating in the city at the time. He sold his harvest through the Minneapolis Farmers Market, local natural-food co-ops and the farm's roadside stand (suburban sprawl pushed the farm, now called Gardens of Eagan, to Farmington in the 1990s; it was purchased in 2007 by the Wedge Co-op).
"The demand for organic foods is growing every day," Diffley said. "The trip with our produce is that it's quality. There's nothing better than having somebody come back and say, 'That's the best I've ever eaten.'"
RICK NELSON
