About Dalarna Farm

Former  chislic judge, current farm blogger and (hopeful) future author, Heather Benson's day job is for a farming non-profit.  Originally from Menno, SD and currently residing with her daughter on a small farm in western Minnesota, her official night job is shepherding her herd of Icelandic sheep, tending (an undisclosed number) of chickens and trying to convince her demented turkey Lloyd that he cannot, in fact, marry his favorite basketball.  

Dalarna Farm got its name from its original location in Clay County, South Dakota.  The area in which the farm was located was originally homesteaded by a group of settlers who hailed from the Dalarna region of Sweden.  And since the Dalarna area is known for horses and hogs in Sweden, it seemed fitting to name the farm for it.

Today the farm is located on the tallgrass prairie in western Minnesota, just above the Minnesota River valley.  Encompassing 65 acres, it sits adjacent to thousands of acres of federal and state protected prairie--some of last original prairie left anywhere in the United States.

The sad truth is that the only "cash crop" of this farm is the stories. Although we once raised pastured pork and Icelandic sheep, today most of the farm residents are happily freeloading.  They do, however, provide a consistent harvest of crazy stories because, as the Irish say, "where there is stock, there is trouble".