A year of growth for CommonGround Minnesota
CommonGround Minnesota is a group of women farmers who volunteer their time to have conversations about food and farming with consumers. Started at the national level in 2010 with support from the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board, CommonGround aims to connect consumers with farmers to answer questions, dispel myths, and generally share information about agriculture that consumers otherwise would not have access to. Fourteen years later, CommonGround continues to promote agriculture to the non-farming public and strives to be a resource consumers can turn to with questions about food and farming practices.
In 2024,CommonGround experienced an exciting year filled with new initiatives: a revamped website, a fresh newsletter, engaging events, and enthusiastic volunteers!
We kicked off the year in March with our state conference. Volunteers learned about the latest consumer food and beverage trends, practiced handling tough conversations, and brainstormed ideas for events in 2024. One standout idea from the conference was a Food and Farming trivia night. We successfully hosted three trivia events! Jocelyn Schlichting led the first trivia night at Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative in Northeast Minneapolis. Sara Hewitt hosted the next one at Corks & Pints in Faribault. Sarah Kern wrapped up the series at Milk and Honey Ciders in St. Cloud.
Each trivia night attracted different audiences, but collectively, we welcomed 21 teams and nearly 100 participants, who left with new insights into agriculture, food, and farming!
CommonGround Minnesota also collaborated with the National CommonGround organization this year. In May, Sara Hewitt traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Ag on the Mall and Women in Ag Celebration events. Additionally, three of our volunteers attended the National CommonGround conference in July in Des Moines, where they enhanced their communication skills and built connections.
Another highlight of 2024 was our new event, CommonGround Night Out, held at Young Joni, a renowned restaurant in Minneapolis. Guests at this sold-out event enjoyed a talk from James Beard Award-winning chef and Young Joni owner Ann Kim and had the chance to engage one-on-one with CommonGround volunteers about their farming experiences and the broader agricultural landscape.
In late August, we hosted a classic CommonGround Minnesota Farm Dinner at Angela Guentzel’s family farm. The wet spring and late planting meant we missed the sunflower bloom, but attendees had an enjoyable evening anyway, enjoying local food, drinks, and dessert and seeing the farm from the hay wagon ride. Our volunteers participated in a Q&A panel, discussing pressing topics in agriculture, such as GMOs, sustainability, and animal welfare with our nearly 40 guests.
To wrap up the year, we launched a virtual Book Club featuring The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, a novel set during the Dust Bowl era that explores the challenges of farm life. We held two online discussions during the reading and got to take a historical look into the realities of rural life.
What’s Next for CommonGround Minnesota?
We’re gearing up for another season of trivia this winter and have a virtual “Field Gate to Table Plate” charcuterie class planned. We will come full circle at our annual conference in March, which will feature a Cooking + Conversations event.
Interested in learning more or getting involved with CommonGround? Visit us at commongroundminnesota.com.
