Big Woods Farm is owned and run by David and Laurie Hougen-Eitzman. It is located in the fertile fields of Rice County, one hour south of Minneapolis. Laurie’s family settled in this area in the late 1800’s . Nearby is the Big Woods State Park and small town of Nerstrand, which was settled by Laurie’s great-great grandparents among other Norwegian immigrants.

The farm is 79 acres near the southeast corner of the state park. David and Laurie Hougen-Eitzman are the primary farmers at Big Woods Farm. They have been farming in Nerstrand since 1992, and the 2012 season will be the 20th year of Community Supported Agriculture at Big Woods Farm. This year the farm will be growing produce for about 85 shares (about 115 families) , with about half in Rice County and the other half in the Twin Cities. We grow vegetables on about 15 acres, with the remaining 50 acres of tillable land being used for organic alfalfa. Our farm is run organically. We grow mainly produce and fruit for the CSA. In addition, we have beehives, mainly for pollination.

Laurie grew up in South Minneapolis and spent much of her childhood summertime at the farm, which belonged to her uncle. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Education from Northland College, and has worked as a naturalist at a variety of parks and museums. David was born and raised in Florida, an unlikely upbringing for a Minnesota farmer. For some reason (the snow?) he went to college in Northfield at St. Olaf College. After graduating, he spent some time in Minneapolis, met Laurie, and got a Ph.D. in ecology at Duke University in North Carolina.

Now Laurie and David are buying the farm from Uncle Bob (who farmed it for about 30 years), and Uncle Bob still comes out to the farm several days a week during the summer. David also teaches Biology during the school year at Carleton College in Northfield.

David and Laurie have two children who take care of our two farm cats and 14 chickens.