In the news

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From local features to community spotlights, these stories highlight the people, purpose, and impact behind 21 Roots Farm.

Farm’s name highlights special intention in programming.

by Madeline Kopiecki
 Aug 2021 | St. Croix Valley Magazine

Local nonprofit 21 Roots Farm brings meaningful activities to people impacted by developmental disabilities throughout the St. Croix Valley community. With programming for both youths and adults, activities on the farm are as fresh as each new season since the farm’s start in 2019.

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21 Roots Farm: A bumper crop of joy… and the unexpected

by Shannon Riley
Oct 16, 2019 | White Bear Press

It’s been a very good growing season at 21 Roots Farm. The goats, cows, gardens, chickens and corn are thriving, but what has blossomed most this summer are the client-farmers who come to learn how to farm and in turn, cultivate skills, confidence and self-awareness.

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Farming connects people with disabilities to nature, community and a sense of purpose

by Susan Pagani 
September 2024 | Children & Nature Network

Summer mornings start peacefully at 21 Roots Farm. When the youth farmers arrive, it’s possible to hear their footsteps as they crunch their way up the gravel road. The broiler chickens are quietly cackling to themselves, and a gentle breeze rustles through the tops of the trees. It’s already warm, and the farmers gather under a maple tree. Each one gets a mini clipboard, a pen and a laminated checklist of the day’s activities, which start with a welcoming exercise.

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21 Roots Farm grows jobs — and hope — for people with developmental disabilities

by Mary Divine
June 4, 2023 | Pioneer Press

Amanda Athman helped pick up the mobile chicken coop at 21 Roots Farm in Grant last week and move it to a fresh patch of grass just south of the farm’s apple orchard.

Athman knew just how fast to push the coop so that the squawking chickens could keep up. She then found a spot for the chickens’ “dust bath” — a blue plastic tub full of dirt. A regular dust bath, she explained, helps keep their feathers clean by controlling parasites and preventing oil buildup.

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