Nettle Valley Farm

Nettle Valley Farm Nettle Valley Farm is a small farmstead in southeastern MN providing whole and half pastured pigs.

Our pigs get fresh pasture every week and feast on a corn/soy/fishmeal free feed made from certified organic peas and barley.

Do I know anyone who loves mothing and would be willing to either A) let me tag along or B) set up here in our valley so...
08/30/2026

Do I know anyone who loves mothing and would be willing to either A) let me tag along or B) set up here in our valley some night?! DM me!

PS iNat says this is a chickweed geometer moth! What a stunner!!

08/28/2026

Once the caffeine finally hits I wander around the farm in my bathrobe and crocs and make a plan for the day. Without fail, I see something interesting!! Usually I just send these videos to my favorite sister but I’m going to try occasionally sharing them with you all!

08/25/2026

And I found a couple more right after I took the video!! 😍

08/23/2026

I’ve been super bummed about the non native oleander aphids swarming all over our rose milkweed seed crop. They’re fine in gardens but in a production plot they can dramatically reduce seed yield.

We can’t do anything about them because you know what else the rose milkweed is swarming with? Dozens of monarch caterpillars, up to 5-6 on each plant! Even OMRI listed insecticides approved for certified organic farming are out of the question because they’d kill the monarchs too, so I just decided to harvest what we can and wait to see if beneficials would arrive. (I know I know I could have purchased beneficials but tbh I’m too nervous about diseases moving with the commercially reared insects)

But look who showed up in droves! Not sure what species and honestly they could very well be the larvae of the non native biting Asian lady beetles, but either way I’m thankful for how quickly they’re putting a hurt on the aphids. We’ll see how it all shakes out in terms of seed yields but this has to help at least a little.

Any experienced milkweed seed growers out there with advice?

Field trip to the Weaver Dunes sand prairie with the Driftless Chapter of the Prairie Enthusiasts!! I met sooooo many ne...
08/22/2026

Field trip to the Weaver Dunes sand prairie with the Driftless Chapter of the Prairie Enthusiasts!! I met sooooo many new plants but the highlight of the day was actually a few minutes into the drive home. anesa spotted a big ole bull snake sunning itself on the gravel road so of course we pulled over to catch a glimpse of it in the ditch… check out her video of it kind of climbing up a small tree sapling?! NEATURE!

We made so much more progress on removing invasive species like buckthorn and honeysuckle in this fenceline! 💪💪💪 THANK Y...
08/20/2026

We made so much more progress on removing invasive species like buckthorn and honeysuckle in this fenceline! 💪💪💪 THANK YOU Anesa and Nick!!

Cut, haul, daub, pile, repeat! Slowly but surely making progress on the cedars, honeysuckle and buckthorn amongst these ...
08/18/2026

Cut, haul, daub, pile, repeat! Slowly but surely making progress on the cedars, honeysuckle and buckthorn amongst these poplars and oaks. I hope we can include this area in future burns to encourage the native species that are still hanging on in there!

Extremely thrilling to see TWO rusty patched bumblebees (Bombus affinis) and an American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus...
08/10/2026

Extremely thrilling to see TWO rusty patched bumblebees (Bombus affinis) and an American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) in the garden yesterday!! RPs are an endangered species and ABs are threatened due to habitat loss, insecticides and diseases from bumbles commercially bred for greenhouse pollination among other reasons — uff da.

I look forward to the day when these are common again but until then, I’ll keep freaking out with joy when I spot them!


Epic field trip afternoon yesterday!! First, we learned all about native seed production on a phenomenal tour at THE Pra...
08/08/2026

Epic field trip afternoon yesterday!! First, we learned all about native seed production on a phenomenal tour at THE Prairie Moon Nursery. (Did you know prairie dropseed smells like a mix of buttered popcorn and cilantro and that it’s kind of a diva in the greenhouse? Or that foxglove beardtongue seed kinda smells like feet? Or that deer will come from miles around to eat New Jersey tea plant?)

Then it was off to visit Gabe Ericksen of LandSpirit Design and see the marvel that is his natural swimming pool (😱🤯) and his rusty patched bumblebee filled land. (Sorry was too flabbergasted to take pics)

THEN Missy of Pleasant Bluff Prairie Restoration introduced us to her YAKS (You read that right!) and magical restored remnant bluff prairie overlooking Winona.

THANK YOU one hundred times over to all the humans of Prairie Moon, the Ericksen family, and Richards family for the blood sweat and tears you’ve put in over decades to help make this corner of the world and beyond a better place. ♥️♥️♥️

08/07/2026

I wasn’t sure if the anise hyssop seed crop we planted this spring would actually bloom much this year but wowza, look at it go! The hummingbirds, bumblebees, honeybees and butterflies are loving the sea of purple blooms almost as much as me 💜

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Spring Grove, MN
55974

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