Board of Directors

Lindy Bannister, Board Chair, Wedge Co-op, General Manager

Chris Blanchard, Rock Springs Farm, Organic Farmer. Chris Blanchard owns and operates Rock Spring Farm, a twelve-acre organic market farm north of Decorah, Iowa, selling a wide variety of vegetables and herbs through a 200-member CSA, food stores, and a farmers market since 1999.  He also coordinates the presentations for the MOSES Organic Farming Conference.

Roger Blobaum, Blobaum Consulting

Atina Diffley, Board Vice President/Secretary, Organic FarmingWorks LLC, Organic Farmer and Consultant, Founder of Gardens of Eagan. Atina Diffley is an experienced organic vegetable farmer, educating consumers, farmers and policy makers about organic farming and related issues. She provides consulting services to organic vegetable farmers though her business, Organic FarmingWorks LLC. She presently serves on the board of Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, the Organic Seed Alliance, as Vice President of the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Services Board.

Gail Graham, Mississippi Market Co-op, General Manager. Gail has worked in the natural products industry for over 30 years. Since 1999 she has been general manager of Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, a 2-store St. Paul, MN cooperative with over 9,000 member owners. She also serves on the board of  The Co-op Grocers’ Information Network,  United Natural Foods Inc, the largest natural products wholesaler in the United States, and as a Trustee for The Cooperative Foundation, an upper-Midwest foundation dedicated to advancing cooperative solutions.

Linda Halley, Board President, Gardens of Eagan, General Manager Linda Halley has been growing organic produce since 1989, owning or managing farms in Wisconsin, California and Minnesota.  She also enjoys being an author and educator on wide ranging farm topics. Currently she manages the Gardens of Eagan Organic Farm for the Wedge Food Co-op of Minneapolis and serves as President of the board of Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.

Bud Markhart, University of MN. Department of Horticulture Dr. Markhart teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental physiology, plant propagation, and organic production. His research focuses on the acclimation and adaptation of plants to a hostile fluctuation environment, and organic production systems for northern climates.

Meg Moynihan, MN. Department of Agriculture, Organic and Diversification Specialist

Brenda Pfahnl, Board Treasurer, Independent Consultant

Al Singer, Dakota County, Land Conservation Manager. Al Singer has been involved in conservation education, management and land acquisition for over 30 years. He has been an Interpretive Naturalist and Program Manager at the Dodge Nature Center in West Paul, Environmental Program Manager and Planner for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Metro Greenways Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and has been the Land Conservation Manager for Dakota County since 2003. He has been involved with a wide variety of landowners, agencies and organizations to permanently protect thousands of acres throughout the Twin City metropolitan region with a market value of well over $120 million.