August 21, 2024

Of the 25 million acres of farmland across Minnesota, less than 1 percent of it is owned by farmers of color. Route 1, a project started by a generational farmer, is hoping to change that. And address food insecurity besides.

“I’m a fourth-generation farm kid myself. So our family farm is in Arkansas. I understand the value of not just owning the land, but the values that come from being out on the farm,” said Marcus Carpenter, who founded Route 1.

Carpenter moved to Minnesota after college. He spent years working for Minneapolis corporations, but pivoted to a passion project in 2022. Now, with Route 1, he’s helping sow a new story just west of Plymouth in Loretto.

Route 1 cleared the way to make land in Medina and Loretto available so BIPOC families can farm the land themselves. Carpenter’s company has multiple goals: bring families together, diversify farming and address food insecurity.

“If we’re increasing the amount of good, culturally relevant food they’re growing, they’ll distribute that to the communities. We’ll have increased health equity, we’ll have increased economic development,” Carpenter explained.

Generational Growth

There are only 1,600 farmers of color in Minnesota, according to Carpenter. Many of them don’t own their land, either. Carpenter hopes to grow that number substantially by providing them with plots to rent.

“We never tell people to get into farming for the money. Farming is really about connecting with the soil, connecting with the earth, being able to provide for your family and provide for your community,” Carpenter said.

Right now, Route 1 is renting land for those families. The acreage in Loretto is owned by Medina City Council Member Joe Kavanaugh. Carpenter said this is their first year on this plot and it’s been a great partnership.

One group renting some of the land is Joyce Nyairo’s family. 

She’s growing kale, the leafy green managu, beans, and watermelons– among many other things. 

“It’s very important to have your own food, because in summertime these vegetables are hard to get,” Nyairo explained.

Nyairo grows food for her family and friends, but also grows it for sale. Route 1 sells produce at its farmers market in Hopkins and to farm-to-table restaurants. It also provides food for cafeterias at schools and companies in the area.

This model helps the Route 1 farmers earn a profit, while bringing fresh produce to the community.

CCX News was there as Nyairo’s father, Charles Onchomba Arori, was visiting from Kenya this summer. He said he enjoys tending to the crops.

“Everything we eat, we grow,” Onchomba Arori said.

Nyairo’s farm is one of many. Carpenter said evenings on the farm are an incredible sight as generations of families arrive to work on the land. 

Freight Farming

Route 1’s mission looks to the future– from the field to its freight farm. That’s a farming system set up inside of a freight container. From the outside, it looks and acts as a truck trailer that’s highly mobile.

Inside, it’s a high-tech farming system. Route 1’s Reithen Curtis manages the system. Work starts with seedlings that eventually get planted vertically in rows within the freight. He runs LED lights that mimic the sunlight 18 hours a day, so plants grow super fast.

Carpenter said they grow 200 pounds of that fresh food every week. It goes into communities through the farmer’s market. It also goes to restaurants, so they can get fresh, local food even in the winter months.

“This allows a farmer to not only have an outdoor farm, but also have an indoor farm 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Carpenter said.

American Family Insurance is helping to support the freight farm. In an email, a spokesperson said AmFam is excited to support a solution at the local level.

“You see, 1 in 15 Minnesotans are hungry on any given day. For communities of color, specifically Black Minnesotans, it’s 1 in 4,” she wrote. “Black farmers feed Black families in their community. By equipping farmers with the land and resources everyone needs for a thriving farming operation, we can support economic opportunities and tackle hunger in our communities.”

The mission circles back to where Carpenter started: on a family farm in Arkansas. The outside of the truck features a photo of his grandmother, Sally Carpenter.

“That’s the matriarch of the family. That’s the whole reason this organization exists; the whole reason I exist,” Carpenter said.

He hopes this mission plants a seed for generations to come.

Emily Haugen, reporting