Satellite Farms Project

Through the Satellite Farms Project, the Organic Field School at Gardens of Eagan in partnership with Gardens of Eagan’s experienced growers, are training a pool of 3-6 small organic farmers how to scale up successfully to grow broccoli for the wholesale marketplace. Central components of the training project are a production handbook and farmer to farmer training and technical support. Applying this strategy, similar to the knowledge transfer used when Gardens of Eagan was purchased in 2008, assures the successful implementation of a proven method to grow high quality broccoli.

The collaborating satellite farmers are assured of a market for their broccoli at a pre-determined, fair, economically-viable price through a purchase agreement signed with Co-op Partners Warehouse.

The combination of a purchase contract and the multifaceted knowledge transfer of a proven production system greatly reduces the risk of scaling up for the collaborating farmers and greatly enhances the likelihood of positive results for the farmer, the distributor, and the end consumer.