December 12, 2024
"Drought" was a word that had become common in our vocabulary around the farm over the past three years. Working with extremely dry growing conditions had almost become "normal" for our team, so when we experienced rain this growing season, we were in for some new challenges.
Not only did we receive rain, but often times we received excess rain, which resulted in standing water and growing conditions that became much more challenging with the presence of excess water. You see, when there is a drought, we can typically add water because we have invested in irrigation over the years, but there isn’t really a way to get rid of standing water.
Rain brought us challenges throughout the entire growing season, but like any season we persevered. On the bright side, the subsoils and aquifers were replenished with moisture. While we did have a dry September and October, which balanced out some of the excess moisture we had during the summer months, our hope is that we will receive adequate snowfall this winter to set us out on the right foot come spring.
Hello Farm Memberships
The 2024 season was also the transition from our traditional CSA program to our new Farm Membership program. While we know change can be hard, this transition was necessary for our business and the feedback from members has been extremely positive.
With any new program, there is always room for improvement, so that is what we are doing this off season; taking member’s feedback and making improvements. The biggest request from members was for a wider variety of produce, so our team is working to figure out what items we can add back to our growing program to give members a wider variety of locally grown produce. Stay tuned for Membership details in the new year!
We Love Our Loyal Customers
We’re thankful for all the customer interaction our retail locations brought throughout the 2024 season. From plant season through pumpkin season, we are truly blessed with the best customers in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Our employees share such touching stories of connections they experience with customers throughout the entire season. We love being a part of each community and getting to know our customers each year. It’s always hard to say "see you later" each fall, but we’ll be ready to welcome you all back in the spring.
An Abundance of Gratitude
As we close out the last few weeks of 2024, we look back at a season filled with ups and downs, good days and bad, but most of all, we look back at a season filled with an abundance of gratitude.
Gratitude for our team of employees who work long days to get produce in and out of the fields, to and from the markets and stores, and those who work our retail locations. Without them, what we do wouldn’t be possible.
And gratitude for you, our loyal customers who shop local and see the value in Minnesota Grown products. We can’t thank you enough for putting your trust in us to grow for you each season. We don’t take that lightly and will continue to do our very best to provide fresh, locally grown produce for you all.
From all of us at Untiedt’s, Happy Holidays!
