MNF Agricultural Diversity
Soil health is at the heart of agricultural conservation. MNF partners with farmers and farms to find the best practices that will keep our soils healthy now and far into the future. An historical perspective helps to understand certain fields over the course of decades to understand techniques and strategies. The picture at the left shows field #10 on the Milewski Farm with a great hay crop from the 1940's. The image on the right shows the same field in 2010 with a corn crop yielding the proteins area dairy farmers need for their cows. The Milewski's know their farm may have half "given back to nature" but the other half has to continue to feed the world.
Preservationists
MNF works with preservationists to keep the history of rural communities intact in their structures and land uses. Barns, homes and other structures need to knowledge preservationists have in order to sustain current and future farmers while also honoring those who have passed.
Conservationists
Conservationists recognize the importance of agricultural diversity and their best practices in building strong ecosystems and preserving wildlife can be applied to agricultural pursuits as well.
Farmers
Farmers understand the importance of diversity in their cropping and communities. MNF works with current farmers and others who are interested in becoming farmers to bring new ideas and perseverance to the careers of being a farmer.
Balance
MNF seeks to find a balance between the agricultural pursuits and the conservation efforts they are leading with the hope that these activities will inspire local farmers and community members to actively preserve their bioculture, support environmentally sustainable farming and conservation practices and assist in continuing the family farm tradition which is the strength of this landscape.
MNF travels widely to display their work and have conversations about the future of where our food comes from. The Memorial Nature Fund Seed Library Project has become a part of these travels and we thank Vivien Sansour for her inspiratonal Palestine Heirloom Seed Library which has assisted MNF in the formation of their Seed Library Project. MNF travels locally, nationally and internationally to engage with others socially, professionally and at their dinner tables—“promoting cultural preservation through food choices.”