Local farmers in the Minot area aren’t letting the cold weather stop them from growing produce. Farmers are using innovative techniques to make local food accessible during North Dakota’s long winter.

A greenhouse in Sawyer uses geothermal heating. It’s a system that farmer Quinn Rendfandt said heats and cools buildings through the earth’s temperature.

“In the summertime, we take warm air, push it into the ground— that heats up the ground. Throughout the winter, we disperse that heat by doing the exact same process by pushing that warmer air from the ground to heat up this main area,” said Rendfandt.

A simple, yet complex innovation like this is what makes growing possible during the winter in our state. On average, the greenhouse is 30 degrees warmer than the temps outside.

“When it does get sunny like today, it’ll probably be about 75-80 degrees in here,” said Renfandt.

That’s how food is made possible through Strengthen N.D.’s community-supported agriculture bundles.

“Not only getting great local produce that’s a lot higher quality than what you might get at a grocery store, it’s also investing back into your community,” said local farmer Desiree Carlson.

They’ve been putting together fresh and local foods for the past five seasons.

Renfandt built this space in 2022 not just for his family, but also for economic opportunity.

This winter, you can get a variety of foods all sourced within a hundred miles in the Minot area.

“We’ve been able to keep tens of thousands of dollars locally throughout the five seasons,” said Carlson.

Right now they are growing vegetables like kale, swiss chard, and kohlrabi in the greenhouse even if it’s negative degrees outside.

Renfandt also has plans to make a compost system among other things for a more cost-efficient heating option.

“Hopefully by this time next year, this thing would be a little bit more sophisticated and the operational will be a little more substantial,” said Renfandt.

They said some may think that you can’t get local produce in the winter, but these farmers prove otherwise.

“You can get local food all year,” said Carlson.

They also plan to build a “high tunnel” non-heated building south of the greenhouse for more ways to grow food all year long.

The community-supported agriculture bundles are available for pre-order from now until Sunday.

Bundles include almost anything you need in your fridge like fresh meat, dairy, starch, vegetables and more.

Pick-up will be held at 4 p.m. next week Wednesday in Minot.

Source - https://www.kfyrtv.com