Minnesota River Interviews -Richard Handeen & Audrey Arner, Moonstone Farms

"Like most of the farms in our area, this used to be a soybean, corn mix...then we started perennializing our farm.
Now our beef is our primary product coming off of our farm."

Video Text: "Like most of the farms in our area, this used to be a soybean, corn mix. I don’t really fault people for doing that, it’s what the program has rewarded people for doing, what the people’s equipment is for, and what people have the skill set is for.  We made a choice because we wanted to better manage our 240-acre home. Just living and working our land, we started perennializing our farm. We did that first by planting alfalfa in our pastures and eventually creating more diverse pastures.  We have also, along the ridge there, planted a matrix of cross paths of conservation tree plantings throughout the farm.  They are diverse and we have forty-two different species of trees planted on forty acres. Now there are tree plantings through what was once giant fields.

Now our beef is our primary product coming off of our farm and we sell a little over half of that to restaurants in Minneapolis directly. We process at a United States Department of Agricultural Certified Facility to do that. We also process locally for people both from our region and the [Minneapolis/St. Paul] metropolitan area who are looking for bulk beef and quarters. We also have our little farm shop here and market to a variety of small retailers and restaurants in the region. [They also have a vineyard and participate in the Minnesota River Valley Arts Meander.]"  

For more information about Moonstone Farm contact:
Richard Handeen & Audrey Arner
9060 40th Street SW
Montevideo, MN 56265
320-269-8971
www.prairiefare.com/moonstone/

 

This page was last updated 8/08