Grazefest Minnesota : FairShare CSA Coalition

GrazeFest at Mill City Farmers Market

Shannon Malzahn of Sweet M’s Farm

Grazefest is a two-part event, all about grazing and pasture-raised foods that result in healthy animals and healthy people. The first event is for the general public – everyone who eats – on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis, and is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.

In addition to the health benefits of pasture-raised foods, there are also the positive environmental impacts of grazing, the economic benefits of local foods, and the improved living and working conditions for farmers and rural communities. Pastured foods produced in Minnesota include grassfed beef and lamb, pastured pork, and dairy products from sheep, goats and cattle, including some award winning artisan cheeses.

A series of cooking demonstrations will be held onstage during the event, hosted by Heather Hartman, Market Chef for Mill City Farmers Market, and featuring local farmers paired with area chefs.

Sylvia Toftness of Bull Brook Keep

Sustainable Farming Association member Shannon Malzahn, owner of Sweet M’s Farm produces eggs and pork – chops, steaks, bacon, and innovative brats and sausages – with her family near Osage, MN. And Sylvia and Dave Toftness of Bull Brook Keep have quite a story, moving from the streets of the South Bronx to a Wisconsin beef operation in Amery, WI, where they use holistic farming methods to raise Buelingo cattle for beef.

Among the featured celebrity chefs will be Mary Jane Miller, often seen on KSTP’s “Twin Cities Live,” and Chef Wrangler for MN Garlic Festival.

Catherine Friend, Author of “Sheepish”

The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota will have a special tent for the day, featuring Minnesota author, Catherine Friend, who will do a signing of her new book, Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep & Enough Wool to Save the Planet. Catherine has garnered critical acclaim and quite a following for her previous farm-based books, Hit By a Farm and The Compassionate Carnivore.

Also in SFA’s tent will be grass-based farmers to answer your questions about pasture products – everything from chicken to beef to cheese – and the environmental benefits of this natural system of raising livestock. And you will find a wealth of information on local foods and family farms, as well as future events, like Festival of Farms, the “on-farm” GrazeFest events, and MN Garlic Festival.

Contact for Sustainable Farming Association:
Jerry Ford, Events Coordinator
320-543-3394
jerrysfa-mn dot org