Day 14 of my “30 Days of MN Agriculture” is Kroll Farm from Long Prairie. The Krolls are a fifth generation farm and an organic dairy farm. In addition to dairy, they also plant garlic and produce maple syrup. I must say, they have a very interesting story!

Tell me a little about your farm and/or business?

We are a certified organic dairy farm with a small herd of 30 cows. We are the fifth generation of this family farm started by my husband’s, Hans, great great grandfather in the late 1880’s. Because we weren’t interested in chasing money or numbers, we farmed simply and without fertilizers or chemicals starting around 2000. Our daughter, Jessica, suggested going organic since we were farming that way anyway, and so in 2005 we did just that. The paperwork isn’t fun, but farming organically has helped us support two families with the 30 cow herd.

How long have you farmed or been in business?

My husband was raised on this dairy farm since childhood and then went off to college in 1972. He returned to the farm in 1982 and has been farming ever since.

Tell me a little about what you grown/raise/produce or service provided.

Besides organic milk, we grow organic garlic and produce pure maple syrup. This farm has been producing maple syrup for over 50 years. Most of the sap is collected from our own trees, but we also buy sap from a few local neighbors. Our average production is 500 gallons of syrup a year. Last year was a record breaker at 900 gallons.

We got into garlic about 12 years ago when a friend gave us about 6 bulbs. We planted them and replanted them each year until last year we planted 6400 bulbs. It’s amazing how exponentially quickly they multiply.

Where do you sell or provide services to? Who is your end consumer?Continue Reading