HARVEST NATION NEWS
PRESS RELEASE
Harvest Nation Announces Second Phase of Development for an Indoor, Aeroponic CSA Farm to serve the Iron Range and Bois Forte Reservation Communities
April 11, 2020, Tower, MN – Harvest Nation, a 100% Women and Native-owned family company, has announced plans to move forward with its second phase of development for an innovative indoor, aeroponic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. With the help of its Pilot Development Advisory Board, Harvest Nation is fundraising for a three year demonstration project, expected to cost between $900k-$1.5M+. The amount of capital raised will determine how many customers the farm will serve during its pilot program, ranging between 20-to-100 potential pilot project participants. The objective of the pilot farm is to provide a local source of quality health food direct to families while showcasing the future of aeroponic technology and indoor agriculture.
Earlier this year, Harvest Nation completed an independent feasibility study through a grant awarded by the Blandin Foundation (Grand Rapids, MN). The study involved direct market research with local permanent residents of the Iron Range and Bois Forte Reservations to gauge interest in their project and as a way to promote health as they development the farm. Much of the data is shared in Harvest Nation’s first publication: “Healthy Eating & Living on the Iron Range and Bois Forte Reservations,” a free PDF e-booklet available online on at Harvest Nation’s Blog, following the company’s dedication to building community through education and outreach for a healthy local food system.
The study verified local demand for Harvest Nation’s CSA Farm-To-Table product, which is a subscription farm box of nutritious and tasty heirloom fruits and vegetables for every-day consumption distributed on 10 day cycles to future customers. For an annual subscription to Harvest Nation, customers will receive high quality produce items with fun recipe cards that Harvest Nation promises will make healthy lifestyle maintenance more appetizing and easier for real families.
The team is now fundraising to pilot this concept in a demonstration project. CEO Denise Pieratos, Harvest Nation’s main founder and principal designer of its advanced aeroponic system, says the pilot program is necessary for research and development to capture the full potential of what is possible with soil-less farming.
Harvest Nation is now looking to its base of potential customers to pre-signup for its pilot project to assist with fundraising efforts. “If we can show grant-making agencies a list of actual customers ready and willing to participate in our pilot project, we can get this farm going to produce food here on the Range sooner than later. With COVID19 social distancing impacts on the food chain supply, it is more important than ever for us to start producing real food right here for our region,” says Dani Pieratos, Harvest Nation’s President.
Harvest Nation requests that only seriously interested potential customers to signup in advance. There are no fees involved. If at the time of actual registration for the pilot program, there is no obligation to commit to participating in the program. If you reside on the Iron Range or Bois Forte, and truly see yourself making use of Harvest Nation’s CSA farm box, they ask for you to fill out a pre-signup form online at: https://bit.ly/2XzCrTY.
There is no date just yet as to when this pilot farm will start. When it’s time, Harvest Nation will launch a Crowdfunding platform to presell subscriptions to the farm with at least one month of advertising in advance to get the word out. It anticipates it will about $55 per week for this subscription produce box where customers will have the choice to pay the years’ subscription upfront, or can submit monthly or bi-weekly payments online.
The actual amount of funds raised by Harvest Nation will determine the actual size of the pilot farm and the number of customers it can serve. For questions or comments, please contact Dani by cell: 978-906-4070, or by email: dani@harvestnationinc.com.
A PDF copy of this press release is available here: Press Release – Harvest Nation Fundraising – 11 April 2020.