Route 1 cultivating more inviting landscape for emerging farmers

Growing up in Kenya, Callin Bosire and her three sisters developed a passion for working the land. Now they spend 12 hours a day, six days a week, growing nearly two dozen types of vegetables on 30 acres in Loretto.

LORETTO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A social enterprise educates, encourages and empowers emerging farmers.

‘It’s exciting doing farming’

Local perspective:

Growing up in Kenya, Callin Bosire and her three sisters developed a passion for working the land. Now they spend 12 hours a day, six days a week growing nearly two dozen types of vegetables on 30 acres in Loretto.

"Farming is so wonderful because you can produce your food and give it to the community and even for yourself, especially when it's organic," said Bosire.

‘It’s a passion’

The backstory:

Route 1 helped plant the seeds for the sisters to start farming again here in their adopted homeland.

The social enterprise not only leases unused farmland and sublets it to BIPOC and other emerging farmers so they can learn how to grow both food and a business. It also helps those farmers sell their produce to food banks, chefs and restaurants around the Twin Cities.

"I am a fourth generation farmer and in our family, we understand what it's like when you're a farmer and you don't have access to resources," said Route 1 Founder Marcus Carpenter.

Carpenter says Route 1 has also grown nearly 300,000 pounds of food on a pair of farms in the west metro that has been distributed in underserved communities since the organization started in 2020.

Route 1 also operates a hydroponic farm in a converted shipping container so it can grow lettuces, herbs and root vegetables year round.

"It's trying to find ways in which we can ensure that some of this great Minnesota food ends up in the bellies of those who need it," said Carpenter.

Digging the dirt

What they're saying:

Bosire and her sisters hope to buy their own farm one day instead of leasing land on someone else's, so they can continue to toil in the soil for as long as possible.

"At least we can be able to even build there and stay there. That is our dream," said Bosire.

Since Route 1 started, it has worked with about 200 emerging farmers, but it hopes to increase that number to 3000 in the next five years.

Voices For Change Loretto