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About Us

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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.

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Ecological Soil
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Social Soil
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Inner Soil
Renewing three soils...

People

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Amina Abdul
 Community Garden Initiator
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Simeon Bakunda
New Roots board, Market Coordinator & Specialty Crop Research
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Margo Beach
Harvest Volunteer Coordinator
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Ted Beach
Farm & Grounds

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Mason Berube
Farm Intern

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Carissa Brownotter
VISTA Volunteer
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Mya Buffalo Zarazua
Indigenous Youth Steward
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Mohan Sharma Dhakal
New Roots board, Market Coordinator .

Rick Hall
 

Education Program and Development Director

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Karla Hernandez
Latino Community Circle Initiator
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Caliton Ntahompagaze
New Roots board & Farm Manager
Specialty Crop Research

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Honore Kabatesi
Youth Program Initiator
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Amy Rice
Administrative Assistant
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Verna Kragnes
Director of Research & Innovation
& Interim Executive Director
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Mohammed Shalan and Sara
Community Volunteers
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Amanda Strauss
Indigenous Circle Coordinator
Gilma 
Junior Youth Steward 
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.
Ron Brownotter

Ron Brown Otter owns and manages a 20,000-acre buffalo ranch. He is a Marine veteran and graduate of Cal Tech. He has grown his ranch from just a few animals to what it is today, the largest Native American-owned buffalo ranch in the U.S. He is a leader in his Rock Creek District and is on the Board of Trustees for Sitting Bull College. Ron is goal-oriented, and follows through with action with what he sets out to do. Ron is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. https://www.aberdeennews.com/story/news/local/2016/07/23/a-life-of-lessons-ron-brownotter-found-his-passion-through-hard-work-faith-and-a-herd-of-buffalo/44798751/

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 

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

Carlos Mariani

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/

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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. 

Dipayan Sarkar

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

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. 

PRAIRIE Advisors

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Rachel Schneider

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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.

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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. 

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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