About Us
OUR MISSION
Unite compassionate hearts & skills from many cultures for a renewal of health, agriculture, and community and restoring health and vitality to people, animals, plants, and the earth
OUR VISION
Demonstrate equitable access to food, land & small-scale regenerative farming practices integrating livestock & cropping systems for enhancing carbon sequestration, & advancing soil health to address the crisis of climate change and the reinvigoration of life and spirit in both rural and urban communities
GET INVOLVED
There are educational, research and demonstration activities for everyone. Join us as we work toward improving human health, environmental stewardship, farm land preservation and education and training in sustainable agriculture.
Ecological Soil
Social Soil
Inner Soil
Renewing three soils...
People
Amina Abdul
Community Garden Initiator
Mason Berube
Farm Intern
Carissa Brownotter
VISTA Volunteer
Indigenous Garden Coordinator
Amanda Strauss
Indigenous Circle Coordinator
Mya Buffalo Zarazua
Indigenous Youth Steward
Karla Hernandez
VISTA Volunteer
C.A.S.A. Latino Center Initiator
Verna Kragnes
Director of Research & Innovation
& Interim Executive Director
Edmund Buscho
Farm Intern
Rick Hall
Education Program and Development Director
Arati Gurung Heath
Youth Food & Ecology lLaison
Shakir
Youth Steward
Amy Rice
New Roots Farmer Board Member
Gilma
Junior Youth Steward
Mohammed Shalan and Sara
Community Volunteers
Bentli, Francisco
Junior Youth Stewards
PRAIRIE Board
Jennifer Aranda
Jennifer has a doctorate in education and is a University of Minnesota Extension educator for leadership and civic engagement in the Center for Community Vitality. Her background includes community-building focusing on marginalized populations, particularly in rural and greater Minnesota. Jennifer has worked with community-based organizations, non-profits, and higher education institutions to explore the many facets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, providing training, and facilitating dialogue that builds pathways leading to change. A resident of Moorhead, Minnesota, Jennifer is an advocate for projects that promote an enhanced understanding of social equity and social justice.
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Carlos is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives 1990 - 2022. He has focused his efforts on issues affecting marginalized communities such as education, economic development, and criminal justice reform, authoring several major race equity bills signed into law such as the; MN Prosperity (DREAM) Act and (LEAPS) advancing an assets-based approach in promoting home languages as a vital element for overall academic achievement. https://www.mneep.org/staff-member/carlos-mariani-rosa/
Debra Blood
Debra is the Conference Minister for the Northern Plains Conference of the United Church of Christ. The Conference is multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-national serving five nations (USA, Canada, Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan) Debra has worked as a music teacher, a practicing attorney, and a local church pastor. She has had extensive training in mediation and conflict resolution and has contributed this expertise in different settings.
Lemoine Lapointe
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LeMoine is a member of the Sicangu Lakota, the Titunwan division of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires). The living legacy of his indigenous people enlivens his more than 35 years of engagement–centered facilitation and leadership of youth at risk and adults in multicultural settings, from geographically isolated tribal communities to ethnically diverse inner-city neighborhoods.
http://pieducators.com/wisdom/lemoine_lapointe/experiential_education
Verna Kragnes
Verna has dedicated her life to creating “a renewed, more sustainable, and just world” applying her administrative and educational training in service to individual and organizational growth and development. She has worked as a teacher and administrator in Early Childhood and Secondary Education in ND, MN, and IA, and co-founded a community farm in Wisconsin with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), conservation, and educational programs for children & adults of all ages, and abilities. Currently, she helps to mentor new farmers from Bhutan, Congo, Burundi, and Somalia with access to land, training, and resources to create their farm enterprises through the New Roots Farm Incubator Cooperative at Prairie Rose Farm.
Dipayan Sarkar
NDSU Post Doctoral Research Fellow has a Ph.D. in Plant Stress Physiology. His research interests parallel PRAIRIE’s: 1) plant abiotic stress tolerance for climate resilience; 2) human health-relevant nutritional qualities, and 3) post-harvest preservation qualities of food plants and plant-based foods for countering food wastes.
https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-home/directory/dipayan-sarkar
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Rachel Schneider
Steffen Schneider
Rachel & Steffen Schneider, co-founders of the Institute for Mindful Agriculture at the Chester Agricultural Center, have been founding Board members and mentors for the launch of PRAIRIE. Serving as farmers/educators based at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Harlemville, NY, they initiated the Hudson Valley Farm Beginnings Program which brought this unique, farmer-led, community networking whole farm planning program to the east coast. During their tenure, the HVFB Program has graduated 135 participants, 89 of whom are farming and 44 of whom are on their own farms. We are extremely grateful to Rachel & Steffen for their steadfast support in these crucial early years and know we can count on continued support and inspiration as we all continue co-creating sustainable local food systems.
Rick Hall
“Rick Hall was born in New Mexico, grew up in Fargo, ND, and returned to the FM area after being "away" for 50+ years. He has lived and worked in Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Rick’s experience includes place, project-based, and experiential education, care of children and adults with special needs, land protection, ecological restoration, multi-cultural community engagement, community-supported agriculture, adult and youth leadership, service-learning, and professional development with school districts and community-based non-profits.
PRAIRIE Advisors
Where We Are
PRAIRIE (Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation, and Education) is a new 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Prairie Rose Farm, LLC, is a Community Farm on 71 acres of land located 12 miles north and east of Moorhead, MN.
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An Urban Food & Ecology Initiative in collaboration with First Congregational UCC is emerging at 4th Ave & 9th St. S. in Moorhead, MN.
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