Living and farming on the land she grew up on, Liz Dwyer and her husband, Curtis Weinrich, run Dancing the Land Farm in Clearwater along with the family-owned business North Star Press.

 

Dancing the Land Farm is a diverse, soon-to-be certified organic small family farm. The couple grow vegetables, flowers and herbs for farmers markets, as well as raise sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks.

 

The two actually met on the farm. Dwyer’s family home had burned down and Curtis was part of the crew that was hired to rebuild it.

 

The couple moved to northern coastal California and learned how to farm small diverse agriculture there. When Dwyer’s mom offered them the farm back in Clearwater seven years later, they found it was an offer they couldn’t refuse; land in California was too expensive.

 

“We moved back to Minnesota in 2012,” she said. “It turned out to be the best thing we could have done.”

 

The couple spent the first year just getting their bearings and trying to bring the vitality of the land back. Instead of rotating crops, it had been farmed in corn ever since Dwyer could remember and the soil was extremely depleted. 

 

They brought in truckloads of compost, and after the ground could again grow things they began grazing sheep and goats on it, which helped build topsoil the natural way.

 

They were married their second year on the farm, growing the food and flowers for the wedding off the land. Today they have a daughter, Andalucia.

 

Originally wanting to name the property Crane Dance Farm after the sand hill cranes that arrive each year, they settled on Dancing the Land Farm when they discovered their first choice was already taken.

 

“It’s what the cranes do,” said Dwyer. “They dance on the land.”

 

Over the years they’ve built a thriving business, and today they’re at three farmers markets and supply organic food to restaurants. They also have vegetable and flower CSA (community supported agriculture) memberships residents can subscribe to. Members of their CSAs receive weekly shares of food grown on the farm (or flowers during the growing season).

 

Dwyer advises people interested in diverse, organic agriculture to just dive in and start asking questions of people who love what they’re doing. Dancing the Land Farm hosts events, classes and volunteers who want to experience organic farming. Every year they also take on an apprentice who lives on-site for the growing season.

 

“Farming is one of the last places of oral history in our culture,” said Dwyer. 

 

The couple also runs North Star Press at the farm, which was begun by Dwyer’s grandfather in 1969. The company specializes in publishing books from regional authors. Her grandmother took over after her grandfather passed away, and when it passed to Dwyer’s mom she brought the business side of the company out to the family farm. Today Dwyer and her husband run it.

 

“Ingenuity and curiosity is what got us here,” said Dwyer. “We have two bustling little companies, food and books. What else do you need?”

 

Along with running the two businesses, Dwyer is a felt maker and fiber artist, which she also teaches classes on. 

 

To learn more about Dancing the Land Farm, visit dancingtheland.com or follow them on facebook.com/dancingtheland or Instagram, @dancingtheland.