August 22nd, 2023
MANKATO, MN – GreenSeam’s annual Celebration of Ag took place on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at ISG Field in Mankato. Christensen Farms, a prominent supporter of GreenSeam, had a booth at the event. Due to all the Celebration of Ag attendees and fans at the Mankato MoonDogs game asking agricultural and pork related questions to Christensen Farms’ team, they pledged to donate 300 lbs. of pork to South Central MN Food Recovery.
“We are honored to be able to have the opportunity to support South Central MN Food Recovery again this year and donate enough ground pork for 1200 meals, providing a key source of high-quality wholesome protein for families and individuals in need.” said Amber Portner, Communications Manager at Christensen Farms.
South Central MN Food Recovery (SCMNFR) was developed in 2019 and is designed to provide nutritious meals to families in need by using high-quality food that would otherwise be going to the landfill. SCMNFR accepts large quantities of fresh produce and meats, makes them into ready-meals, and works with partners to distribute to people who are low-income and/or Black, Indigenous, or people of color.
Trisha Anderson at South Central MN Food Recovery expressed their gratitude: “South Central MN Food Recovery is grateful for the ongoing support from Christensen Farms and the generous donation of pork provided for the second year in a row. We appreciate the partnership with Sam at GreenSeam to connect us, once again, with the wonderful opportunities to collaborate with Christensen Farms to provide healthy resources to the communities we serve through South Central MN Food Recovery. We look forward to growing this partnership with GreenSeam and Christensen Farms so we can serve more members of our community!”
Sam Ziegler, Director of GreenSeam states, “With agriculture being the leading sector in our economy, it is great to see Christensen Farms not only raising pigs in our region, but to see them feeding families in southern MN. Within the GreenSeam region, our agricultural community continues to accept the challenge of growing food for a growing population. However, to overcome this challenge, we need to continue to foster local collaborations, such as this one, in our region to ensure we take care of those in need right here in our own backyard.”
***
About GreenSeam:
GreenSeam is not only a region that spans across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, but also a nonprofit organization dedicated to strategically building and connecting the region’s extensive agricultural business assets to the world by enhancing collaboration and investment with public and private sector partners. We are committed to the long-term prosperity of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa by strengthening collaborations and partnerships, growing businesses and their workforces, as well as communities they call home. GreenSeam is a business unit of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.
About Christensen Farms & Feedlots, Inc.
Christensen Farms is one of the largest, family-owned pork producers in the United States, marketing approximately 3 million hogs per year. Headquartered in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, the company operates throughout the Midwest with facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and South Dakota. Christensen Farms owns three feed mills, manages 140,000 sows on 44 farms, and oversees more than 350 nurseries and grow finish sites. The company employs nearly 1,000 people and maintains 1,500 contract partnerships.
The company is vertically integrated with a strong presence across the pork value chain – from farm to fork. Christensen Farms is the largest shareholder of Triumph Foods LLC, a producer-owned primary pork processing plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. In turn, Triumph Foods own 50 percent of Daily’s Premium Meats, a specialty pork processor of bacon and other premium pork products. Triumph Foods also holds a 50 percent partnership in Seaboard Triumph Foods, LLC of Sioux City, Iowa, a primary pork processing plant.
About South Central MN Food Recovery
South Central MN Food Recovery (SCMNFR) was developed in 2019 and is designed to provide nutritious meals to families in need by using high quality food that would otherwise be going to the landfill. SCMNFR accepts large quantities of fresh produce and meats, makes them into ready-meals, and works with partners to distribute to people who are low-income and/or Black, Indigenous, or people of color.
SCMNFR is an organization working to reduce food insecurity and food waste in the community. Wooden Spoon is a commercial restaurant, caterer and bakery committed to partnering with local organizations to help increase food security. There is a need for low cost or no cost, nutritious, ready-to-eat meals for people in South Central Minnesota and food is being turned away from retailers and not being consumed. To address these challenges, SCMNFR and Wooden Spoon collaborate in utilizing recovered food as available to prepare meals that are distributed to community members in need through local organizations. Meals are provided free of cost.