Happy Dancing Blog

In the foodie circles I keep there has been a lot of talk recently on the expansion of a dairy operation in southwest Minnesota. The proposal is to expand production by building a new 11,000-cow dairy adjacent to a nearby existing facility, bringing the total number of dairy cows to 18,855, making it the largest dairy operation in the state. By all accounts it will be an efficient operation, applying the manure over more than twenty square miles of land. Cows will be kept i

Jim Chamberlin gives a personal overview of homestead planning and resources.

Recently a small group of people gathered at Island Lake Farm on a cool fall evening to talk about Climate on the Farm. Sponsored by the Climate Land Leaders and supported by Happy Dancing Turtle, the evening started with a history of the farm. We have been on our farm for thirty years and consider it to be a special place. With a half mile of shoreline on a natural wild rice lake and the headwaters for the Ripple River, we have kept conservation at the heart of our farm ope

Use of food shelves in the Northern Lakes area increased dramatically during the pandemic and has continued to grow post-pandemic. For the Lakes Area Food Shelf and the Pine River Area Food Shelf, that has meant challenges in keeping up with customer demand. But Farms 2 Food Shelf, a new program, is meeting the need for produce on a whole new level.