Seventh-Generation Farmer Builds Freedom Farms in Minneapolis

Todd Western IV runs Freedom Farms on a small plot squeezed between two houses in north Minneapolis, one of roughly 46 Black-owned farms operating in Minnesota, according to USDA data. He grows Malabar spinach, okra and collard greens on land a few blocks from his home, where he also raises microgreens.

"It became more important to me at that time to use my family's legacy as Black farmers to grow food here, in a place that needs fresh food," Western said.

The word "farm" usually conjures a specific image in the Midwest: open pastures, rows of corn and soybeans, a big red barn. That picture resembles the Western family's operation in Iowa, one of the oldest Black-owned farms in that state and, according to the family's website, one of the last 10 Black-owned farms in Iowa.

Western, a seventh-generation farmer, grew up in Minnesota and visited his grandparents' Iowa farm as a child to help with planting. Farming did not interest him then. That changed when his father took over the operation and Western pitched in.

"I felt more of responsibility than anything, honestly, to kind of hold my foot in that door since we already have that place of privilege," Western said.

From Basement to Backyard

Western started Freedom Farms in 2021, growing microgreens in his basement and teaching himself through online tutorials and family knowledge. Microgreens are young versions of plants, small sprouts that take only a week or two to harvest.

"It's much more nutritionally dense than the full-grown versions of produce, in a lot of ways," Western said.

He began selling at farmers markets shortly after launch and struck an agreement to supply microgreens to Owamni, a Minneapolis restaurant. He then expanded outdoors with grant funding from the USDA, which paid for garden beds, a shed and a rainwater collection system on a small Minneapolis plot.

"Agriculture affects us all. And we all need to eat. We all do better when we have local food grown closer to us," Western said.

Today Western sells microgreens at the Richfield Farmers Market and at Valley Natural Foods in Plymouth. He also partners with Route 1, a farming nonprofit. Most of his outdoor produce goes to Open Arms, a nonprofit that provides free, medically tailored meals to people with medical needs.

A Business Case for Diversifying Farm Ownership

Western's ambitions extend beyond his own revenue. As of 2022, only 1.5 percent of U.S. farms were Black-owned, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture.

"I really want to see more black and brown kids come into farming," Western said. "To have more kids get into farming as a way to sustain themselves both financially, nutritionally and everything in between, I think will only help our communities."

He has started by hiring younger members of his own family, including his daughter and his sisters. He plans to train more emerging farmers of color as the business grows.

"I think the more [farmers] that we can have in communities of color, and in low-income communities as well, I think that will only help," Western said.

Western's day job is in social media strategy, so the farm means early mornings and late nights. His father, Todd Western III, lives in Maple Grove and helps connect farmers across the Midwest.

The schedule is worth it, Western said, for the chance to grow his community from the heart of it. As demand for local food in Minneapolis food deserts grows, Freedom Farms offers a template: USDA grant money, fast-turnaround crops and nonprofit buyers can sustain a small urban operation — and widen a shrinking pipeline of Black-owned farms.