Andrew Barsness
Andrew Barsness began farming organic grains near Hoffman, Minnesota, in 2011 on his grandparents’ farm after their passing. Initially unsure of his career path while studying at the University of Minnesota in Morris, Andrew felt compelled to carry on the family farming tradition. He started by renting a field from his mother and aunt, who inherited the farm, and quickly fell in love with farming. This passion led him to change his major from music and pottery to farm and ranch management.
CSP
Minnesota
During the early years of farming, Andrew largely taught himself, with some initial support from his mother. Despite the steep learning curve, he managed to transition the family farm to organic farming, starting in 2016. By 2020, the entire farm had been transitioned. Andrew found a connection to his grandfather through the farm, often reading his grandfather’s farming journals and finding comfort in the farm’s familiar landscapes. In 2024, Andrew expanded his farming operation significantly, increasing his acreage from 270 to 900 acres.
Being certified organic demonstrates and rewards, a dedication to sustainability, minimizing negative environmental impacts and producing a quality product. Producing a value-added product allows me to farm full time without trying to farm every acre in the county. Basically, I can do more with less and put more focus, care and attention to detail into the land that I do have.
Andrew’s commitment to regenerative principles extends beyond organic certification. His approach to farming is deeply influenced by his father’s values of respecting the natural world, and he continues to explore new ways to cultivate his farm’s sustainability. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been instrumental in guiding Andrew’s efforts by creating a biological buffer between his organic production and the surrounding conventional fields. Andrew plans to expand his conservation projects in the coming years to have the entire perimeter of his farm bordered in pollinator habitat.
There’s a lot of creativity in organic farming. There’s a lot of variety day-to-day and season-to-season with periods of really intense long hours and high intensity excitement, but also periods of where you can relax a little bit more and reflect.
I’m in the process of feeling things out with regard to the farm size and work-life balance. The goal is to find a sweet spot where I feel like I’m operating at my personal capacity without sacrificing stewardship or quality of the work.
With the Pollinator Monarch Habitat program, I wanted to establish this habitat as a buffer around all of my organic fields, which would benefit both myself and adjacent farmers in terms of protecting my crops from any potential herbicide or pesticide drift from the neighboring field, or even GMO pollen drift under my non-GMO crops, but also providing hopefully habitat for pollinators which benefit all farmers and all crops.
