Vote for Duluth to Receive a FREE Apple Orchard

You may or may not know that Duluth is in the running for a FREE Apple Orchard from Edy's Fruit Bars Communities Taking Root campaign! However, we're in 3rd place. Please take a minute to vote, and pass the word along. We can do this Duluth!

Sustainable Agriculture Program (UMD Heritage Orchard)

Imagine an apple production and consumption culture within a thriving orchardist community, small orchards dotting the landscape, filled with heritage varieties locally adapted to our region. This was the reality of the area around Duluth, Minn., during the first half of the 20th century. But the advent of the industrial food system divested this community of its heritage, although those abandoned orchards beckon our call back to a more sustainable way of life. The Sustainable Agriculture Project at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, formed in 2009 to help restore that reality. Awarded stewardship over abandoned lands that include a five-acre heritage apple orchard, we have instituted education, research, and community engagement around local food systems and food security in the western Lake Superior region. Our restorative project draws on a rich history of regionally focused agricultural research and knowledge embedded in archives, abandoned orchards, people and affiliated institutions. “UMD’s Heritage Orchard” will be a focal point for education for our community and students by providing regionally adapted tree fruit varieties and models of organic, sustainable tree fruit management. We are instituting a wide range of public events and collaborations with community organizations dedicated to addressing issues of poverty and hunger in our region, such as Duluth Community Action’s “Seeds of Change” Urban Farming project, Duluth Community Garden Program, and nutrition programs at K-12 schools. We aspire to provide a place for people to collaborate in rebuilding our local food system and cultivating “food skills” for the betterment of all.

VOTE HERE!