Meet the Mill City Farmers Market Vendors, Part 3 - Prairie Hollow Farms

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided 

Pam BenikePam Benike comes from a long line of farmers who believed in conservation and regenerative practices.  We talked to her about the range of products offered by Prairie Hollow Farms at the Mill City Farmers Market – year-round greens anyone? Pam explained how her early training in the ministry translates to serving people with healthy wholesome foods. Want to try your hand at organic farming? She’s  even offering a year-round vocational program which will teach organic farming, marketing and the business of farming.

Q:  Your family farm in Elgin MN produces a wide range of products - ranging from vegetables, baked goods, cheeses and meat. How did it all evolve?

A:  From my grandparents' time forward, our family has grown more vegetables and fruit than the family used and sold the rest. Sometimes just to friends and neighbors and sometimes informal farmers markets. As I began running the business, we just kept evolving and adding more direct to consumer products and searching out new marketing venues as a way to stay afloat financially. Farm commodity prices fluctuate too much for a small farm to remain in business, so the alternative was to either create new markets or add value. So instead of selling milk to the processors, we started making cheese. Instead of selling wheat to the local elevator, we started grinding flour and making bread. Rather than shipping our beef and hogs to the sales barn, we teamed up with a family-owned processing plant to offer meat directly to the consumer. We also turned our lifelong foraging habit into a part of our business. Currently, we sell all our products directly to individuals, restaurants, schools and caterers.

Above, Prairie Hollow Farm has been located at the train shed entry since the MCFM began. They have the largest variety of offerings - produce, jams, mushrooms, fresh baked bread, cheeses, walnuts and more. Below, their set up inside the Mill City Museum for the November-April winter markets.

Above and below, greenhouse structures for growing produce during the winter months.

Q:  Do you have a year-round presence at the Mill City Farmers Market?

A:  Yes, we have been with Mill City Farmers Market since its inception, and we were so happy when a winter market was added. We have 4 unheated greenhouses that rely completely on sunshine for warmth (yes, that really does work in cold Minnesota winters!). So, in the winter we have fresh greens: lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, arugula, chard, kale and more. We also have other cool season crops like radishes, salad turnips, beets, carrots, pac choi, etc. We also have our storage crops like potatoes, onions, cabbage, turnips and rutabagas. We love serving up amazing fresh produce to our market and CSA customers in the middle of winter.

Q:  Your college degree is in Church Ministry. You now run the Prairie Hollow Farm, are a consultant and trainer on sustainable agriculture and direct marketing of agriculture products. Please tell us about your pivot from ministry to family farmer.

A:  It's not as big a leap as you might think. Ministry is about serving people at their point of need. The kind of farming we do is also all about serving people at their point of need, the need for wholesome, nutritious food. I discovered that while I have a deeply-rooted relationship with God, I could not be part of organized religion that sought to keep people in bondage to rules and expectations. I love God and I love people and the best way I can serve others right now is by meeting their need for awesome food. I can have a far more meaningful impact on people's lives by providing them with good food and encouraging words. If anyone wants to talk about God, I am always willing, but I believe that actions speak far more loudly than words. During Covid, we were feeding over 300 families a week. By doing so, we offered them hope to replace the anxiety about where they could get good food. To me, that is putting love into action which is what ministry should be about.

Q:  Do your children want to continue a legacy of farming?

A:  Yes! I have seven children with spouses and 26 grandchildren. Not all of them have chosen to farm, but enough of them share my passion for farming and feeding people to carry on the work of providing fantastic food. As a family, we seek to teach the next generation how to grow and use locally grown food. We believe this is the best safeguard against future hunger crises.

Q:  Farmers Kitchen + Bar sources ingredients from your farm. What do you supply to the restaurant?  How often do you bring farm products to the restaurant? Do you provide Prairie Hollow Farm products to other restaurants?

A:  We love our relationship with Farmers Kitchen and Bar! We provide lots of vegetables and fruit, cheese and foraged items like mushrooms and wild greens. We provide them with deliciousness every week. Gardens of Salonica is also a consistent customer. Ground beef, foraged mushrooms and lots of greens are the primary items from us that you see on their menu. Other restaurants in the area look to us for seasonal items. For example, all the asparagus that is used for Spargelfest at Black Forest Inn every May, comes from us. 

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  Biggest news right now is that I am teaming up with Dr. Jacqueline Zita to offer a year-long, vocational level organic farming/marketing/business course which begins in November. 

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