Harvest Nation is excited to announce it has received a $35,000 grant award from the Blandin Foundation to lay the groundwork to bring fresh, locally grown produce to the Iron Range!
The Blandin Foundation (Grand Rapids, MN) has awarded Harvest Nation through its fiscal agent, the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability (IRPS, Virginia, MN), $35,000 to complete a four-month research project leading towards the development of a pilot program for a year-round, indoor farming operation. The project will allow the startup farm to complete critical prototype experimentation, community building, market research and financial analysis leading to the launch of their first commercial farming operation.
By this fall, Harvest Nation will have a completed feasibility and market study and support for a crowdfunding platform. One of the company’s drivers is working with community. In the next four months, Harvest Nation will actively deliver community building opportunities to promote wellness and food sovereignty ideals – including an e-booklet that highlights healthy living and lifestyles on the Iron Range.
Just imagine: Fresh, Heirloom, Flavorful, Nutrient-Rich fruits and vegetables grown right here, available year-round!
The project needs your help to promote healthy living in our beautiful community! We are looking for participants for interviews, focus groups & talking circles, and for surveys. Earn a gift-card! If you are interested and are a resident of Tower, Cook, Orr, Ely, Virginia or Eveleth, or of the Bois Forte reservation communities of Nett Lake or Lake Vermilion, please contact Dani Pieratos, the project’s lead, by phone or email: C: 978-906-4070,
E: dani@harvestnationinc.com, W: www.harvestnationinc.com.
Please check out our partners online: Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability: www.irps.org and the Blandin Foundation: https://blandinfoundation.org/.