Staff Farm: All farm students at Big River Farms benefit from working with staff who are highly experienced in organic growing techniques. Two staff maintain market garden plots on site where students can see an example of how to manage weeds and control pests, and how to grow a diversity of crops on a larger scale.
In 1980, May Lee, her husband Chue, their children, and May’s mother came to the United States as refugees from Laos. They found work farming. When May’s mother was diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to pesticides used in conventional farming, May knew she wanted to start farming organically.
May’s daughter, Mhonpaj, learned about the New Immigrant Agriculture Program offered by the Minnesota Food Association (now Big River Farms). The family enrolled in the program together and graduated in 2010. May became the first certified organic Hmong farmer in the U.S.
May farms just under an acre at Big River and operates a 9-acre farm in Hugo, MN, with her daughter Mhonpaj. She also works for Big River as a farm operations specialist and farm mentor. Dozens of new farmers every year can see how she grows a variety of vegetables.
Big River Farms encourages farmers to grow culturally relevant foods and herbs to meet the needs of our diverse community. May grows vegetables as well as medicinal herbs used by the Hmong community. The University of Minnesota has worked with May to research the healing properties of these plants.
