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The Farm

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Dancing Gnome Farm

Dancing Gnome Farm is farmer Lauren, her partner Michael, and the ever-energetic Holly the Farm Dog. Michael–when not pulling weeds or tending the chickens–is also an owner of Broken Paddle Guiding Company, taking guests into the magical backwaters of the Mississippi River. Together, both businesses employ a fantastic crew of hardy young folks who work both on the farm and on the river, and who fill our days with enthusiasm and joy!

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We are proud to be the vegetable growers on the beautiful Bluff Valley Farm in Wabasha, MN, where our five-acre veggie farming operation is just one part of Catherine and David’s larger permaculture vision. We are grateful for this incredibly talented community that is always willing to lend their skills, support, and innovation.

See us in action

Bluff Valley Farm

Bluff Valley Farm is a 160 acre permaculture farm started in 2014 by David and Catherine Schmidt and many very good, hard-working, patient friends; Dr. John Ochsner, Craig and Nancy Falkum, Sid Schurle, James L, Kay and Bill Kay. Ron Moen is the primary heavy equipment and whole farm consultant.

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The farm is screened by mature forest on all sides and is organic and Real Organic Project certified. It is also a Certified Monarch Waystation. In addition to honeybees, apple trees, hazelnuts, and asparagus, Bluff Valley is now also growing local, low-carbon-footprint fresh-cut flowers. Stay tuned for info about our new U-Pick flowers in 2022!

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Explore the farm

Bluff-Valley-Dancing-Gnome-Farm-Aerial-Map d d Greenhouse Our heated greenhouse is where we start any crops that will be transplanted. This gives us a jump on the growing season and helps us plant multiple rounds of some crops all season long. h After harvest, we hydrocool all of our vegetables. Then we wash, pack them in crates, and stow them in the walk-in cooler. Keeping the produce cold as quickly as possible helps it last much longer. Veggie Packing Area a h d Chickens We move our chickens around the farm so that they have access to fresh ground on a regular basis. Chickens love eating bugs, clover, alfalfa, tender grass, and any other lush foliage. It’s that diverse diet that makes their eggs so tasty and nutritious! h d a h a d a h a High Tunnels These unheated tunnels capture heat from the sun and protect crops from extreme weather. This allows us to plant greens early in the season, and to trellis crops like tomatoes and cucumbers. Veggie Fields Rowcover is a lightweight fabric cloth that we use to keep insects off our crops without needing to spray any pesticides. Rowcover can also protect sensitive crops from frost early or late in the season. For long-season crops, we use landscape fabric for weed prevention and to protect the soil from erosion. It also helps keep the soil from drying out during hot spells. h Rowcover d About the Farm Dancing Gnome is the vegetable operation here at Bluff Valley Farm. To farm sustainably, our veggie fields are rotated with cover crops and amended with compost. We use rowcover to exclude insects so that we don't need to spray!

Bluff Valley also has hazelnuts, honeybees, asparagus, and apple trees as perennial crops that foster long-term ecosystem health. h d a a d a Cover Crops We plant cover crops to help build soil, minimize erosion, and support healthy soil ecosystems. h d a Bluff Valley Farm Hazelnuts h Permaculture systems use perennials to keep living crops in the soils. Bluff Valley has hazelnuts, apple and other fruit trees, and asparagus.

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