Tours will leave the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center at 1:00 pm and return around 5:00 p.m. so that everyone can attend the Welcome Reception at 5 p.m
On April 30 at 1p.m. CT, we will email those who have tour tickets to select their tour of choice.
PLEASE NOTE: A full meal will not be provided on the tour. The hosts of the tour may provide snacks, but if you require a meal around this time, please make arrangements for yourself before the tour starts. Thank you!
Tour 1: Whole Foods Co-op Farm & River Tour: Native Foods & Watershed Wisdom
Tour hosts: Whole Foods Co-op, Native Wise, and St. Louis River Alliance
This tour highlights the deep connections between land, culture, and community. Tour attendees will kick off with a visit to the Denfield location of Whole Foods Co-op. Next, at Native Wise, experience a farm rooted in Indigenous foodways and forward-thinking stewardship. A Grow Local Food Fund recipient, Native Wise produces maple syrup, raw honey, and wild rice, while also raising bison through a genetics program free of cattle influence. The farm is part of the Ojibwe Spirit Horse breeding effort—visitors may even meet a foal from this rare and sacred breed. A walk through their on-site processing facility offers a firsthand look at traditional and sustainable food production.
Next, explore the evolving story of the St. Louis River, a waterway being restored after decades of pollution. Led by the St. Louis River Alliance, a GIVE! Community Support Program recipient, this effort strengthens both ecosystem health and community ties. Learn how the Alliance is reconnecting people to the river through education, recreation, and environmental stewardship—restoring a vital habitat for plants, wildlife, and the growth of wild rice.
Explore the powerful intersection of food, land, culture, and water on this unique tour celebrating Indigenous stewardship and environmental restoration.
Tour 2: Deeply Rooted in Local Food Tour
Tour Host: Whole Foods Co-op, The Food Farm, Northern Harvest Farm, Spirit Creek Farm, Yker Acres
Explore three inspiring farms rooted in community, sustainability, and local food traditions. Start off the tour exploring the expansive shelves of the Hillside location of Whole Foods Co-op. Then, at The Food Farm, discover a multi-generational organic farm founded in 1976. Now run by Janaki Fisher-Merritt and Annie Dugan, the farm grows 18 acres of vegetables, raises laying hens, and maintains conservation habitat—all while continuing its deep ties to the Whole Foods Co-op.
At Northern Harvest Farm, learn how founders Rick and Karola Dalen were mentored by The Food Farm and shaped by their early co-op experiences. Today, they collaborate with Uff-da Organics to produce the Spirit Creek Farm line of fermented vegetables—made entirely with produce from their three farms.
Then head to Yker Acres, a pasture-based farm raising heritage breed pigs outdoors year-round. With a focus on humane practices and clean-label meats, Yker Acres produces high-quality pork and beef distributed throughout Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visitors can meet the animals and see rotational grazing in action.
Tour 3: Connecting Community and Expanding Access through Innovation and Partnership
Tour Hosts: Community Action Duluth, Mobile Market, Eco3 Urban Farm, and Duluth Farm to School
This tour highlights how innovative urban agriculture is expanding food access and education in Duluth. Begin at the Deep Winter Greenhouse in West Duluth, where fresh greens are grown year-round using passive solar energy. Operated by Community Action Duluth’s Seeds of Success, the greenhouse supports food distribution efforts and serves as a hands-on learning space for Denfeld High School students.
Also at the site is the Mobile Market—a refrigerated van that brings affordable, local food directly to neighborhoods with limited access. It accepts EBT and offers pre-ordering, making fresh food more accessible citywide.
Next, visit the Eco3 Urban Farm, a two-acre site above Lake Superior College featuring high tunnels, perennial gardens, and raised beds. It’s a hub for community learning, food production, and partnerships with local organizations. The tour includes insights from Duluth Farm to School, which connects students to fresh fruits and vegetables through school gardens, field trips, and classroom programs.
