May 13, 2006
Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger
Office of Administrative Hearings
Suite 1700, 100 Washington Square
Minneapolis, MN 55401.
Fax: 612-349-2665
RE: Minnesota Pipe Line Company Crude Oil Pipeline 15-2500-17136-2
Dear Judge Heydinger:
I am writing as a Gardens of Eagan former intern and young organic farmer currently renting land from Martin and Atina Diffley. This is the second year my partner Adam and I have rented two acres of certified organic farmland from Gardens of Eagan, as well as the use of their infrastructure and equipment. From my everyday experience of living, learning, and working here over the past four years, I can tell you that this certified organic farm is a rare environmental and educational treasure. I’m asking that you require the Minnesota Pipe Line Company to choose a pipeline route that avoids the verdant fields of Gardens of Eagan.
Adam and I would not be farming right now without the land, assistance, and mentorship of Martin and Atina Diffley. For us and many others, Gardens of Eagan is and has been a wonderful place to become educated about all aspects of organic farming. I consider the farm to be a sustainable model of how to feed local communities, participate in the local economy, educate consumers and young people, and serve as a habitat for wildlife. Impressively, Gardens of Eagan is not only feeding the second generation of customers, but they have been educating and assisting the next generation of organic farmers over the past three decades!
Additionally, certified organic farmland like Gardens of Eagan’s is a rarity in this area and next to impossible to replace or repair. Martin and Atina’s farm is essentially a one-hundred acre island of certified organic land surrounded by homogeneous corn and soybean fields. In nearby conventional fields the only life I see is an occasional big tractor moving methodically down the multitudinous rows of corn or soybeans. In contrast, Gardens of Eagan is a dynamic, revitalized patch of truly sustainable Minnesota farmland. Constructing a pipeline through the center of this farm would be an environmental, educational, and economic tragedy that could not be “mitigated”.
Please honor and respect Martin and Atina Diffley’s livelihood and their work as educators by re-routing this pipeline to another location.
Thanks for your consideration,
Laura Frerichs
Loon Organics
8199 257th St W
Farmington, MN 55024