Rotary Notes 1.12.2016

Chuck Fields led the club in a rousing a cappella version of America. We’re taking it on the road!

Elyssa Weber offered an inspiring blog post about putting our energies toward love, purpose, dignity and all the things that actually move our happiness needles.

Michael-jon Pease served as scribe. Please respond to his email asking for meeting volunteers for the coming weeks.

Mindee Kastellic introduced visiting Rotarians and guests, including Claud Hone's daughter.

Thanks to today’s greeters Linda Mulhern and Cindy Shiely.

Don’t miss our annual Rotary Night at the Wild on Feb. 23. And let’s show those Rotarians across the river strong turnout for our joint meeting with downtown Minneapolis Club #9 on Thursday, Feb. 12. (Please note that we will not have our usual Tuesday meeting on Feb. 9).

Welcome new member Brianna Vujovich, Funderal Director with Dignity Memorial.  She has had long experience with Rotaract, RYLA and GSE exchange. She’ll be a great addition to the club!

Mark Henneman promoted next week’s speaker Tim Butler, Saint Paul Fire Chief.

Mindee Kastellic collected happy dollars from Chuck Whitaker (promoting the free case of Summit Beer for each new member and one for their sponsor!); $20 to celebrate the new Midway YMCA from Dave Dominick; Roger Nielsen in honor of his wife and former club member Vicki Gee-Treft ‘s new part time job fundraising for the Shell Lake Art Center; $5 from Debbie Lee in honor of her Dean’s list college student; $10 from Shelly Rucks in honor of the temperature change after her vacation with her daughter (who has a new job!); Dan McKeown - $5 for each child – daughter doing great in college and son with a new job who just moved out!; David Laird in honor of his 2 ½ grand daughter and her first skating lesson; Linda Mulhern brought $5 and a quick update from her daughter in honor of her first five months  of Youth Exchange ein Finland; Steve Gerber in honor of his wife’s news that they are expecting a baby this spring (so he’ll be busy with that instead of RYLA this year!); Carla Hauge in honor of her dad Bob’s partial tumor removal surgery – thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Ann Frisch introduced speakers Mhonpaj Lee and her mother May Lee. May is a Ramsey County Master Gardner and the owner of the first Hmong certified organic farm in the US, Mhonpaj Garden. Fun fact: May’s favorite vegetable is Fennel – “fun to plant and very beautiful.”

The farm is a family effort including all seven of Mhonpaj’s siblings, farming, marketing, selling, writing the newsletter. The family was always practicing natural, sustainable techniques and then sought all the certifications needed to become a USDA organic farm. Mhonpaj’s interest in health and the negative effects of pesticide on the immune system was one of the motivations for pursuing organic status. Not using pesticides means that family members have to walk the potato rows to hand pick off the Colorado Potato Beetles (18 pounds of beetles each year!)

May Lee enjoys the self-sufficiency and self-mastery of running her own farm and hopes that each of her children will have their own land. May Lee’s inspiration has led Mjonpaj to open her own financial coaching business as well as stay involved with the farm.

May Lee spoke about her experience farming in Laos, where fertilizer and pesticides weren’t available and the old techniques are still used. When she came to America and bought produce, she missed the great taste of the food she grew herself. Bananas in particular were an unpleasant surprise compared with what she knew. Wanting this healthy food for herself and her family motivated her to become an entrepreneur. Keeping the generations working together, even practicing the ancient art of hand-carving vegetables.

Lee has led workshops on health and nutrition, such as the traditional Hmong Herb post-partum to support new mothers. Daughter Zong Lee is publishing a book on this health regimen. They donate 10,000 pounds of food to Second Harvest, Neighborhood House, churches and Emergency Food Shelf – all from a farm that is only a few acres!

Q&A

A: Are you encouraging other Hmong farmers to use organic practices? B: It’s very hard to inspire new immigrants who’ve learned the ease of chemical farming to “unlearn” big ag techniques and adopt old techniques that are high labor. Additionally, farming is not a valued career in the Hmong company, who value the professions so their children can make more money and get ahead in American society.

Q: What do you use in place of fertilizers? A: Natural products like fish oil and long-term strategic crop rotation to build soil nutrients and cut down on natural predators.

Q: Is there a cooperative Hmong farm? A: They learned some land stewardship at the Wilder Foundation’s farm and also worked as laborers at a pickle farm.

Q: How do handle deer? A: They have 12’ foot tall fences around their land.

President Carla Hauge closed the meeting by leading the club in the Four Way Test.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael-jon Pease