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WHO: |
Brenda Chisholm of Chisholm Trail Farm |
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| BUSINESS TYPE: | Grain Farm | ||
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SIGNATURE PRODUCTS: |
Buckwheat and Stone-Milled Flour |
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WHERE: IN-PERSON: WEBSITE: SOCIALS: |
Gary, MN Pick-up available at their farm https://chisholmtrailfarm.com/ @chisholmtrailfarm on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads |
By Millie Frankel, Staff Writer at Meet the Minnesota Makers
When it comes to sustainable farming, worms are the magic word. “We noticed that our soil lacked them. We were like, where are the earthworms?” remembers Brenda Chisholm. Naturally sandy soil and the consequences of over-tilling saw a depletion in the soil at Chisholm Trail Farm, an issue not unique to the family farm in Gary, Minnesota, located in the northwestern part of the state.
“There has to be a legacy for future generations because people have to eat,” Brenda says. The Chisholms are fourth generation farmers through Brenda’s husband, Mike, whose family began farming in Gary 126 years ago. Due to erosion of the soil, the stability of their fifth generation, their son Alex, seemed uncertain. 
“If you talk to some people, they’ll tell you there’s only 30 years left in the soil,” explains Brenda. “If Alex farms, he’s going to be farming 30 years from now. What happens? Is the land done? Is it dead? Is there nothing left?” Over the past eight years, the Chisholms have committed to regenerative farming practices, eliminating the herbicide glyphosate, cultivating heritage grains, and milling those same grains on their farm. Since they got the call asking if they wanted to plant some extra einkorn, an ancient grain often called “the original wheat,” their soil, and their farm has transformed.
Cover Crops: Regenerative Farming at Chisholm Trail Farm
So how did the Chisholm Family transform tired, depleted soils into healthy, biologically active soils that retain moisture, support thriving crops, and grow more resilient year after year?
Cover crops.
They introduced cover crops, which are planted for the purpose of preventing soil erosion and improving the soil quality by keeping “a living root in the ground so the microbiome can keep eating and keep producing healthy soil,” Brenda explains. Instead of repeatedly tilling the soil to prepare for planting, new crops can be planted directly in the ground where the cover crops were grown. 
They experimented first with buckwheat. Not only was their soil healthier the next year, but they found a new customer base that purchased their entire harvest almost instantly.
Now their soil is filled with worm castings– better known as “that little special fertilizer that every animal excretes when they come across your land,” jokes Brenda. Just as exciting as the expanding worm population, the popularity of buckwheat was one factor that led them to expand their operation to process, package, and sell their grains direct-to-consumer straight from Chisholm Trail Farm.
Fresh Milling: Ancient and Heritage Grains
Taking care of the earth goes hand-in-hand with healthier crops and a more sustainable future. 
When Brenda made changes to her diet to help manage a Hashimoto’s disease diagnosis, she found that consuming their farm’s buckwheat and fresh-milled flour had a positive impact on her health. “We decided from there, if it’s helping me, who else can it help?” says Brenda.
Now, the Chisholms grow numerous ancient and heritage grains, including einkorn, emmer, rye, red fife wheat, and buckwheat, as well as modern hard red spring wheat, and non-GMO corn and soybeans– all while raising a small herd of cattle. Brenda’s buckwheat granola and rye brownies are massive hits with her customers. In fact, she’s been told they’re the best in the tri-state area. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and a great source of protein, while rye has an earthy, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with chocolate. “Now if I bake cookies, that’s all I’m allowed to use,” says Brenda of her kids’ taste preferences.
These positive health impacts were another motivating factor toward expanding their on-farm milling operation. Chisholm Trail Farm sells minimally-processed grains that are hard to find in grocery stores,
like groats and wheat berries, which still contain the germ and bran typically removed in commercial grain processing. By milling the grain whole, “we’re able to provide to people what we consider a more nutrient-rich flour for them to work with,” says Brenda.
You can incorporate the freshly-milled grains from Chisholm Trail Farm into your favorite baking recipes, or simply cook them in their whole-grain form. Brenda likes to eat a bowl of buckwheat for breakfast as if it were oatmeal. Wheat berries are an excellent ingredient in salads.
Recipes tested by Brenda and instructions on how to cook berries and groats can be found on the Chisholm Trail Farm website, where you can also purchase the grains, either freshly-milled or in their whole-grain form.
Sustainable Networks: RBIL, Artisan Grain Collaborative, 4Access Partners, and MN Grown (It Takes a Village!)
Chisholm Trail Farm is forging a new path forward in their farming and business practices, so 
they find support in communities of makers and growers on the same sustainable journey. They are a member of the Rural Business Innovation Lab (RBIL), which is a cohort-based, entrepreneurial development program redefining the narrative of rural decline. RBIL helps small businesses succeed and scale within their communities through one-on-one consulting while connecting them to businesses in their community with whom they can share ideas and support. As Chisholm Trail Farm embarks on this new path of direct-to-consumer goods, RBIL support has been indispensable through grant applications and developing a marketing plan. The support is ongoing even after the initial cohort period concludes.
Another indispensable community has been the Artisan Grain Collaborative, where Brenda meets with other growers, millers, and bakers committed to reviving ancient and heritage grains. They hash out ideas, make connections, and learn about running a grain-based business.
At first, Brenda was surprised to find that her fellow growers didn’t see her as competition. One
day at a Northern Crops Institute roundtable, she met a miller who told her, “there could be a thousand of us, and there still wouldn’t be enough to meet the demand.” Their work toward a sustainable future and food supply outweighed any desire to beat out the competition. “We all have the same mission, and we all have the same goal, and we can all work together to make sure that people get the product that they want,” says Brenda. More important than anything is getting the word out about their project to revitalize grain diversity and sustainable farming practices: “The more we can teach, the more we can emphasize what we’re doing.”
Work with 4Access Partners has helped them find industry mentors. As the farm develops its direct-to-consumer and wholesale connections, making connections with the support of 4Access helps them get more established and recognized as a reliable agricultural partner. MN Grown offers the farm marketing support ranging from branded packaging, its digital guide, and its custom logo that recognizes the value of products created with Minnesota grown ingredients.
Chisholm Trail Farm is a Family Affair
At its heart, Chisholm Trail Farm is a family operation. Mike oversees crop production and equipment management, Brenda leads business development, marketing, customer engagement, and product development, and Alex contributes to field operations, grain quality management, and processing activities. Brenda and Mike’s daughter, Savannah, also helps on the farm and with packaging. Their other daughter, Morgan, helps Brenda out with the books.
There are two parts of running Chisholm Trail Farm that fulfill Brenda. The first is providing a future for her children, and “seeing it become an actual legacy,” says Brenda, “something that we can pass on, something that they can all benefit from if they want to.”
The other part of Brenda’s fulfillment comes from providing healthier foods and a sustainable future food system for her entire community. “Whether I benefit one or I benefit 50,000 people, I don’t care. At least I made the difference for one,” she says.
Chisholm Trail Farm is a vendor at Healing Harvest Market and Red River Farmer’s Market in Fargo, as well as Grand Forks Market in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Brenda feels hope for the future when she sees people incorporating the grains she sells into their own recipes for bread or cookies or enjoying her buckwheat granola. Chisholm Trail Farm has uncovered a community of people who care about bringing a rich diversity of plants back into their diets and who care about the earth and how we treat it.
Keep in Touch
Visit Chisholm Trail Farm and order whole and freshly-milled grains at https://chisholmtrailfarm.com/.
Follow @chisholmtrailfarm on Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and subscribe to their YouTube channel to follow along on their sustainable farming journey and learn more about ancient grains.
Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com or follow @meettheminnesotamakers on Facebook and Instagram to discover the small business owners leading Minnesota on a tasty sustainable path forward. Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive.
