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Bruce Bacon, 7363 175th Avenue NW ~ "I live along County Ditch #27. Some of my most <br />valuable trees are along this watercourse. Also we have added White Cedar, Balsam Fir, <br />Tamarack, and other species. It would be a big interruption of the landscape to have it dug out <br />and trees out. The floor of this ditch is deeper from erosion than when it was dug. Keep zoning <br />in place upstream to prevent flooding of built houses. Do not disturb these corridors. Over the <br />long term, the business development in "permanent agriculture" may entail infrastructure for <br />intern housing, training, organic fraction recycling, and demonstration site of appropriate <br />landscape restoration and biodiversity management. Also there is possibility to promote clusters <br />of families with full or part-time land based production; for economic viability, labor and <br />training; for local metro-markets, as well as local residents food health opportunities and host site <br />for activities and events. Also life cycle housing, multi-family structure can be important part of <br />such a direction for rural business mix and viability. A viable rural (suburban) enterprise in <br />permanent Agric. zoning needs to include horticulture/agroforestry/specialty niche crops. <br />Workers are needed, with a seasonal residence, a training facility, and family housing on leased <br />land or developed or held in a land trust. These enterprises commonly are hand labor dependant; <br />and special market opportunities arise because of proximity to metro. To maintain (restore) <br />character of open land, more people's participation on the land may be needed, and in fact could <br />be like a (village) neighborhood, rather than a single family farm." (For further information on <br />whole farm planning, please see excerpt of business plan for a grant proposal to the MN Dept. of <br />Agriculture, December 1997) [Submitted with Mr. Bacon's comments and reads as follows]: <br />History: This farm was bought by my great grandparents, Mary Keillor and Benjamen Crandall <br />before World War I. They raised 4 boys and 4 girls, my grandmother included. The original <br />farm was a homestead farm which produced a variety of food to support the family. The farm <br />consists of 95 acres of tillable land, prairie, wetlands and woods. Since I moved here, I've <br />worked to develop a specialty crop production niche. In the 1970s I began supplying chefs with <br />organic tomatoes. After going on a farm tour to France and Holland in 1984, I added culinary <br />herbs to the produce I supplied, and added mesclun and field salads after training in California. <br />The practices that I use on the farm are fairly unique for this area as I've adapted them for local <br />use from other regions. Increasing Farm Income: From a very practical sense I need to ftnd a <br />way to increase my farm income. Currently my farm income comes from selling the produce that <br />I grow. But the potential of the land to produce high-value specialty crops far exceeds what I am <br />able to manage alone. Developing my farm into a sustainable agriculture incubator and <br />learning site would develop new revenues from the farm. These might include rents or leases of <br />land parcels for niche farm enterprises, fees or labor exchange for training that I would provide, <br />fees for workshops, and a percentage of sales for people using current or new farm resources to <br />produce value-added products. Passing on What I Know: I have spent much of the last 25 years <br />growing specialty crops and would like to pass my knowledge onto others interested in these <br />practices. I am one of the early practitioners of no-till organic gardening using raised beds, <br />aisle composting, and biodiversity-based pest control, and have been certified organic since <br />1977. I also use the concept of permaculture in my operation because it provides a <br />comprehensive set of landscape design principles for integrating energetics, biology and organic <br />recycling into a meaningful local economic framework. Many of the techniques I use are not <br />widely practiced in this region currently and could benefit people who want to farm or garden <br />sustainably and organically on small parcels of land. This project will enable me to pass on the <br />knowledge gained over the years. Maintaining and Increasing Communit_¥ Benefits: Finally, <br />this project would provide a community environmental benefit by maintaining a farm amidst <br /> <br />Planning Commission/December 1, 1998 <br /> Page 4 of 11 <br /> <br /> <br />