Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative grows climate-adaptive tree seedlings
This is the third article in a series highlighting the projects of Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation Cooperatives for Climate grant recipients.
As climate change continues to impact agriculture across the state, there’s opportunity for cooperatives to meet the need for meaningful, farmer-centered solutions. Farmer-owned cooperatives reduce costs of production, maintain a reliable source of inputs, effectively market and process farm products, improve livelihoods and help strengthen rural communities.
Cooperatives for Climate is a Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation grant program that funds farmer cooperatives in developing solutions for climate resilience. These grants support MFU members who have, or are in the process of, organizing themselves into cooperatives that respond to climate-related challenges and opportunities.
The grants provide support for technical assistance and business development services. This support includes a wide range of services, including feasibility study, business plans, market assessments, establishing governance documents, and carbon and greenhouse gas inventory or assessment.
Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative, based in Northeast Minnesota, is a part of the first cohort of Cooperatives for Climate grant recipients awarded in the summer of 2023.
Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative (FFGC) is a network of small farms and nurseries growing climate-adaptive tree seedlings which are sold to reforestation agencies and individuals with the goal of creating resilient forest resources. Technical service projects include governance development, business planning and creating a development pathway.
The Northwoods are experiencing dramatic climate changes and many northern tree species are dying. The goal of FFGC is to assist the forests to convert to a species mix genetically adapted to a warmer climate region. The cooperative is working on a fast moving and expanding project to build the farmer-based production supply chain of climate-adaptive tree seedlings for the health of the forest which provides significant carbon sequestration. Additionally, the co-op aims to help farmers financially through providing an additional on-farm revenue stream.
David Abazs and Stefan Meyer are among the farmers that lead the development of the cooperative. David Abazs is Executive Director of the Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and co-owner of Round River Farm (Finland), and Stefan explores and practices regenerative agroforestry on his farm, 3 Oaks Forest Farm (Kettle River).
Kevin Edberg of Co-op Development Services (CDS) serves as the technical service consultant. This winter, the board held several meetings with Kevin to discuss the cooperative’s goals, strategies and objectives to guide development. David and Stefan noted that Kevin has been an invaluable resource for helping FFGC understand cooperative and tax laws.
The cooperative has been actively focused on laying the groundwork for a business plan and encouraging members to participate and take ownership of the process. To improve member-grower’s interaction and knowledge, FFGC and the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) are hosting monthly Growers Support Network – Q&A zoom calls. These will be open sessions for all growers to drop in and ask questions regarding tree production, share successes, troubleshoot any issues and basically just touch base with other tree growers. It will also be a venue for getting any updates on how the Climate Smart Seedling Production Network (CSSPN) as the cooperative continues to grow.
Through education and engagement, the cooperative has not only seen an increase in membership (16 currently) but there are many new interested growers. The co-op is transparent that they are early in development and do not want to overextend before having a solid foundation and handle of logistics. As David explained, “membership can only grow with the demand of seed and the market. Right now, we are building a list of interested growers and will most likely expand through central and southern Minnesota to be in line with the Minnesota Million approach.” The cooperative intends to have capacity for over 50 members by spring 2025.
Due to the influx of interested potential growers, FFGC is additionally hosting a monthly Meet the Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative zoom call, which all interested parties can come hear a short presentation on climate smart tree production and the cooperative, then ask any questions they have on their mind.
The co-op has the support of several experienced farmers that have been foundational to its development. Through free technical training and a network of seasoned farmer-mentors, the co-op aims to serve as a “starting place” for people new to farming. One of the many benefits of tree seedling production, is that it can be done in small spaces as new farmers transition and navigate the daunting task of starting a farming operation. The co-op envisions serving as a resource to help emerging farmers gain a solid financial footing.
The cooperative has key partners supporting its mission to increase the number of farmers growing tree seedlings, including The Nature Conservancy and numerous others. FFGC has been working closely with UMD and UMN Northeast RSDP to gather and plant tree seeds genetically adapted to the warmer regions of southern and central Minnesota, for planting in northern forests. Visit FFGC’s website to learn more, at https://www.climatesmarttrees.com/.
Questions with David Abazs. These responses have been shortened for length and clarity.
Why a cooperative model?
David: Due to the nature of this project and our relationship with TNC, we knew it was important for them to have one entity to work with. After looking at our options and considering our social driven mission we landed on a cooperative. Many of us are of the collaborative mindset, and there were already models of ag producer co-ops out there, that we could learn from and try to replicate those practices.
What have been some challenges thus far?
David: Cooperating and getting farmers to come to a decision. Not everyone is completely cooperative minded, trying to get member buy-in and take ownership over the coop. Understanding that a huge part of this co-op is that we are member owners and have responsibility for all aspects of the business. We were constantly having those conversations about how to encourage member buy-in. Now we are getting people approaching us which is exciting. Hopefully, the challenge of buy-in will continue to slowly fade away as we grow.
We are constantly trying to improve our process and share our knowledge openly. It’s important to not create a blanket process for farmers to participate. What’s important is our end goal and production.
What will success look like?
David: Successfully produce and deliver 10,000 tree seedlings. By next spring we want to hit 40,000 tree seedlings and double in years after that. Having funds for each grower to pay for start-up costs, including seed plugs and trays.
Success will look like having a viable supply chain for tree seedlings. It is our intention that the cooperative will be able to work without grants once this system is built out – it will be able to run on its own merit.
Reach out and connect with FFGC at farmforestgrowers@gmail.com.