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Farm Happenings at Mhonpaj's Garden
Farm Happenings for August 1, 2020
Hello Members!
Its been a great week! We had Harvie had a little mishap with the swapping this last week. For Tuesday deliveries let us know if you saw any changes where you made changes to your swapping and did not see it. Please do let us know. For some reason it did not get swapped out. Th1 read more »
Farm Happenings for July 25, 2020
Hello!
Hope everyone is having a dynamite Summer! Our drivers have requested for those of you have delivery that they will not be picking up boxes because of the rise of COVID we are taking precautions for our drivers to do contactless delivery. Ideally we would like to reuse boxes but becaus1 read more »
Farm Happenings for July 18, 2020
This week's feature article is Mhonpaj who owns and operates the farm. This is the article Profile from Moses(Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Services)
Mhonpaj Lee profile for MOSES Organic Broadcaster 6/29/20I caught up with Mhonpaj Lee, MOSES’ newest contract organic specialist1 read more »
Farm Happenings for July 11, 2020
Good Evening,
We are at the peak of our season. Where majority of vegetables are available. This weeks feature is sugar snap peas and pickling cucumbers and Malibar spinach. Malibar is a great source of vitamins and we are working hard. We have shifted our picking to Thurdsay and Friday since our C1 read more »
About the farm
Mhonpaj’s Garden is a 9-acre certified organic vegetable farm owned by May Lee and her daughter Mhonpaj. With 5 acres in Stillwater and 4 acres in Marine on St. Crox, May and her family grow a variety of vegetables, bedding plants and herbs.
In 1980, May, her husband Chue, their children and May’s mother immigrated to the United States from Loas as refugees. They found work farming conventionally, but when May’s mother was diagnosed with cancer after working with pesticides in the United States, May knew she needed to start farming organically.
May’s daughter Mhonpaj was connected with the Minnesota Food Association (MFA) and learned about their New Immigrant Agriculture Program (now called the Farmer Education Program). The Lee’s were accepted into the three-year program, which gave them access to the MFA’s 60-acre certified organic incubator farm, Big River Farm, and connected them with a Hmong-speaking coordinator who helped them find resources and answer questions about organic farming. Together they resolved issues ranging from drip irrigation setup to product liability insurance to insect control.
In 2010, the Lee’s “graduated” from the MFA program and went on to become the first Hmong-owned certified-organic farm in Minnesota. May and her family now farm leased land along the St. Croix River.
In addition to farming, May spends lots of time educating other growers about organic practices through the MFA and as a Master Gardener volunteer for Ramsey County. She and her family also share their culinary heritage through cooking demonstrations and classes.
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In 1980, May, her husband Chue, their children and May’s mother immigrated to the United States from Loas as refugees. They found work farming conventionally, but when May’s mother was diagnosed with cancer after working with pesticides in the United States, May knew she needed to start farming organically.
May’s daughter Mhonpaj was connected with the Minnesota Food Association (MFA) and learned about their New Immigrant Agriculture Program (now called the Farmer Education Program). The Lee’s were accepted into the three-year program, which gave them access to the MFA’s 60-acre certified organic incubator farm, Big River Farm, and connected them with a Hmong-speaking coordinator who helped them find resources and answer questions about organic farming. Together they resolved issues ranging from drip irrigation setup to product liability insurance to insect control.
In 2010, the Lee’s “graduated” from the MFA program and went on to become the first Hmong-owned certified-organic farm in Minnesota. May and her family now farm leased land along the St. Croix River.
In addition to farming, May spends lots of time educating other growers about organic practices through the MFA and as a Master Gardener volunteer for Ramsey County. She and her family also share their culinary heritage through cooking demonstrations and classes.