Renfandt's greenhouse in the making Photo Courtesy of Quinn Renfandt
THE FARMSTEAD 2.0 North Dakota farmer Quinn Renfandt is bringing new life into the way of small-scale, sustainable farming
How Renfandt is Setting an Example For Local Producers ABOUT QUINN RENFANDT Quinn Renfandt is a beginning farmer originally from Minot, N.D. He is a Special Projects Technician with the Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture located on the campus of Dakota College at Bottineau. Aside from his own history and interest in farming, Quinn has an extensive resume when it comes to sustainable agriculture. He is a Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability (FARRMS) Sustainable Agriculture Internship graduate and FARRMS Farmers Market Promotion Program Internship graduate, as well as a Farms Beginnings Course graduate. In addition to his background, Quinn is a founding member and the newly elected President of the Red River Harvest Cooperative. He has also been appointed to the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association Board of Directors as the official representative for the Southeastern District of North Dakota. His current project has been in works for three years this summer, and he was willing to share his endeavors with the readers of Future Farmer. 24
MAY/JUNE 2022
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hen you think North Dakota winters, you don't think about abundant produce production. However, Quinn Renfandt, a man who is very involved in the local food production scene, is trying to show that growing during our region's harshest season is not an impossible task while also pushing forward efforts for efficient, sustainable and profitable local food production. Renfandt, who is the President of the Red River Harvest Cooperative Board of Directors, recently managed a farmer's market commercial program grant with the North Dakota Farmer's Market Grower Association that canvassed North Dakota as a whole as well as the farmer's market scene in order to assess where we're at in the region in terms of production and local value. The personally funded year-round greenhouse growing
project that Renfandt is building out on his family farm, he sees as his personal contribution to this scene. Utilizing a greenhouse to grow produce year-round in harsh winters is nothing new. However, the sustainable way in which Renfandt is attempting to do it is not commonly practiced in the region.
THE SPECIFICS The project, which is in its third year and is entering its first operational winter growing season, is the product of observations Renfandt has made about how people around the world are growing food on small scales. "A lot of it has been [from] YouTubing things and learning that way. It's really nothing new," Renfandt said. "It's really to balance an ecosystem in a sustainable manner. I managed to get
