The Specialty Crop Collaborative is cultivating community and sowing a meaningful life for people of all abilities.
Our Vision is to produce collaborative education of job and life skills toward meaningful employment for special people of all abilities and to cultivate sustainable land and livestock stewardship in order to grow special food.
How it started…
Chris is a Sioux Falls native and Katie grew up in a suburb east of Saint Paul, MN. The two met in 2003 at Augustana (then College), moved to Saint Paul for Chris to attend seminary and moved around Minnesota before coming back “home” to Sioux Falls in 2016. They completed their family there with their fourth child and finally bought the farm in Hudson, SD.
Katie grew up in a special needs family, her oldest sister, Shaina was autistic and cognitively impaired. Her family included her sister in every aspect of life and made sure that Shaina shared in all life experiences. Because of her sister and the radical advocacy modeled by her parents, Katie felt a calling to work the special education field. When she was a senior in high school, Katie took a course in work experience and was employed at a Montessori preschool in a farm setting. “Each day, the kids would arrive and we immediately went to the barn to feed the animals, collect eggs, and take a nature walk to observe the seasons and natural world around us. It filled me with such a sense of wonder. To see such young people filling big responsibilities and grasping the importance of caring for creation was inspiring, and it stirred something in me. I knew then that I wanted to have an educational farm and I wanted to use it to serve people with disabilities. After graduating with degrees in elementary and special education, I had several teaching jobs. I saw my students change and open up when we went on field trips that involved nature. I never wavered in my dream for a farm. After raising four babies and paying off our student loans, it was finally time to see that dream become a reality.”
The couple purchased and moved to the five acre farm in rural Hudson, SD in August of 2021. In spring of 2023, the farm officially became The Specialty Crop. In three years on the farm, they have spent countless hours renovating, building, and pouring into their farm dream.
There are two parts to our farm. The first is an LLC that is run by our family and promotes agritourism in South Dakota through a farm stay and events at the farm. The LLC (along with donations and partners) feeds into and promotes the second part which is a 501c3 organization called The Specialty Crop Collaborative. The Collaborative provides programming for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in job and life skill training through agricultural experiences. Our nonprofit tends a half acre garden and grows produce for sale in our (coming soon) farm stand. We also tend a flock of approximately 25 laying hens which includes coop chores, egg collection and chicken health management. The Collaborative also manages farm upkeep including grove clearing and small building projects. We also prioritize rest and relaxation at the farm including sharing the special food we grow, testing our farm products. We actively work to cultivate community and sow a meaningful life for people of all abilities.
How it’s going…
As a young organization, we are always working to improve and expand our operations. The 2024 growing season was our first operating The Specialty Crop Collaborative. It was our hope to have a full programming schedule this summer. However, Katie’s sister Shaina had a short battle with bladder cancer and died in June of 2024. The family prioritized time spent together during this tragedy, and farming looked a little different.
At the recommendation and encouraging of several people in the community, Katie reached out to Hope Haven, a local organization just across the Iowa border, that provides a wide range of services and supports for people with disabilities, She wondered how the organizations could help support each other. A partnership was established with Hope Haven volunteers attending the farm one morning a week. Living in a rural area can mean a lack of programming and experiences for people with disabilities. We want to fix that in the SE SD/NW IA region. By teaming up and focusing our efforts together on meaningful programming, we are deepening the experience for people in our communities.
The group ranged from 1-4 gentleman from the My Day program and Hope Haven support staff. During our growing season together, starting in July, we planted some things in the garden, pulled LOTS of weeds, cleared sticks and logs from the grove, cared for the chickens, cleaned their coop, collected many dozens of eggs, played with the farm pup named Runa, constructed some German wood-curing-stacks called Holz Hausen, and did some building projects including bat houses and a curing rack for produce. It was a productive and formative summer for all of us!
The future at The Specialty Crop looks very bright. This spring, we are lined up to offer full private programming three days a week at the farm. We will also be offering events including live music at the farm. We hope to continue to partner with other organizations including Fun & Friends and Augustana Friends Link. We encourage groups to reach out for visits and partnerships.
Because of the generosity of the Shaina Strong Memorial Fund, The Specialty Crop Collaborative has more than $11,000 in a scholarship fund to support farmers enrolled in our nonprofit program. Recently, a kick off campaign raised more than $7,000 for the renovation of one of our Morton shops to create a classroom and event space for the Collaborative. That renovation is set to begin in November 2024 and completion is expected in time for the 2025 growing season.
If you are interested in supporting The Specialty Crop through volunteerism, becoming a farmer in our program, attending farm events, learning more, or donating please join our mailing list below. You can also find, like, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
