Brookings, SD- Farmer's Market and Evening Events

 The Bus rolled into Brookings early in the morning to meet up with DRA members and staff for breakfast at the Cottonwood Bistro, co-owned by DRA Chair, Jacob. Jacob was busy at the Brookings Farmer's Market selling veggies from his own nearby farm, Glacial Till. To learn a bit more about Jacob, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt1u1y-dqc.

Jacob's enthusiasm for food and community set the tone for the rest of our day as we headed to the Brookings Farmer's Market. At the Market we were able to talk to many of the local growers as well as avid Market shoppers about the importance of local foods in places like Brookings. These conversations were sparked and/or complemented by the DRA's Local Food's Directory Handbook, www.dakotarural.org which the crew, Silvia, Amanda and Braden distributed widely at the Market. The Market coordinator told me that they are always looking for ways to expand, both by getting new growers interested in selling at the Market as well as in diversifying and expanding the number of shoppers. Currently, the Market hosts about 15 stands selling flowers, produce, honey, grass-fed beef, buffalo jerky, and homemade potato baking bags to name a few. At the Market the crew and our local hosts invited many folks to our evening events, BBQ and outdoor screening of 'A Snowmobile for George'.

The evening events brought forth many interested and interesting folks. Many of them familiar with DRA and/or interested in sustainable renewable energy issues. The intimate event allowed us to get to know these community members a little bit better and become inspired by many of them including a professor going to Russia on a Fulbright Scholarship to teach about rural sociology, a person working in maintenance and mechanics of small wind operations, local ranchers and growers, and a young couple making it as entrepreneurs and farmers (see video clip, to be posted at a later date).

We hope that Brookings, our first stop in South Dakota, will set the tone for the rest of our stay here in ranching and farming country and that we may continue to hear stories about the land and people who are living with and off of it.