ABOUT THE FARMERS

Common Harvest Farm is owned and operated by Dan Guenthner, Margaret Pennings and their three children, Annie, Grace and William.  After nearly 35 years, we still find farming to be complex and challenging work. It may be the challenging nature of the work that makes it so rewarding.  We strive to learn about and apply new sustainable farming practices each season.  We believe strongly that this land is not ours to possess, but rather ours to learn from and observe.  We invite our members to join us in this dynamic biological process by volunteering at the farm and learning first hand how their food is grown, harvested and packed.

HISTORY 

Common Harvest Farm was founded in 1989 as an outreach of an urban peace and justice community seeking greater connections to the land and their food.  Our first five seasons we farmed in Orono, Minnesota approximately 2 miles north of Lake Minnetonka. In 1995, at the invitation of another CSA with extra land to rent, we moved across the metro area to western Wisconsin. In 1997, we purchased a neighboring farm with the financial help of more than sixty of our members. We placed a conservation easement on our farm held by Landmark Conservancy. This easement ensures that this farmland will be protected into perpetuity. Community has been a defining element of our farm’s past and we continue to find new ways to involve our members in the life and work of the farm.
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ABOUT THE FARM

Our forty acre farm is located on the bluff of the St. Croix River south of Osceola, Wisconsin.  The surrounding landscape offers a nice mix of woods, vernal ponds, lakes, and rolling farmland.  Dairy farming was the primary type of agriculture in this township for much of the past century.  In recent decades, a diverse collection of small farms have started to put down roots here. We are committed to practicing good stewardship of this beautiful piece of land.  We continue to plant trees, take erodible land out of production and monitor the health of other life forms who also call this small farm home.

sharing the harvest

Every year we distribute hundreds of pounds of produce to those in our community who do not have access to fresh, organic vegetables through our Sharing the Harvest program. Please contact us for more information.