Heirloomista Farm
Kelsey Zaavedra’s family left farming two generations ago, which defines her as a first-generation farmer. Kelsey has a background in regenerative farming and horticulture. She bought farmland in 2018 and has built her five-acre farm from the ground up. What started as a marginalized piece of raw land, whose owners went under during the 1980s, is now a working farm producing food for many.
Heirloomista is a woman-owned and woman-run farm. Kelsey is the sole owner and operator. She uses regenerative principles on her diversified vegetable operation. Most of her crops are grown from saved seed or propagated from old varieties. Most of the harvest is sold directly to consumers at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis or at Kelsey’s on-farm store.
Kelsey is an outspoken emerging farmer and spends much of her time advocating for underserved farmers. She is a member of the Minnesota Farmers Union and serves as her county’s president where she finds ways to engage all farmers in local policy and community building.
Kelsey is a Land Access Fellow on the National Young Farmers Coalition focused on federal policy to spur equitable land transition to the next generation. She serves on the Emerging Farmer Working Group with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. She is also the founder of the Summer Kitchen Cooperative, a Chisago County-based marketing cooperative for regenerative, chemical-free farms.