Dreams Come True in Sustainability and Horticulture

“My favorite dream is North Dakota vegetables home cooked on every dinner plate in the state.”

What’s it like to have your dream come true? Ask Holly Rose Mawby. Or one of the many growers helped by the Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture (ECH).

Located at Dakota College in Bottineau, North Dakota, the ECH is a unique enterprise.  Their motto — We Work for Food– pretty much sums it up; the ECH exists to assist small to mid-size farmers and gardeners produce organic and specialty vegetables for sale.  It is also well on its way to becoming a demonstration site for production and growing techniques.  The college runs a “community supported agriculture” (CSA) program where community members are involved in the production and sale of produce in the Bottineau region.

Holly Rose Mawby, ECH Director

Holly is the ECH’s Executive Director and the work is her “dream come true”.  Here is her story:

Many little girls dream of their wedding day, being a princess or being a mother.  Not me.  I never once dreamed of a white wedding dress, a fairy tale ball or being Mom to a herd of tow-headed children.  By the age of six I was designing secret gardens in shoe box dioramas; by twelve I was planting my own herb and flower gardens; by fourteen my room was so filled with houseplants my mother couldn’t get in the door!  That passion continues to grow today.  

Like many young North Dakota girls, I did move away to go to college, find my dream man and start my family.  When North Dakota called me home in 1999, I couldn’t believe I had been away from the blue skies, the golden prairies and the good brown earth for so long.  I came back to take a position with Lake Region State College that allowed me to work with entrepreneurs across the northeast quarter of the state.  During my seven years with Lake Region, my love of entrepreneurship — especially new or emerging entrepreneurs in hidden locations in our great state — flourished.

Holly with Adam Montri at high tunnel build workshop

When Diane Olson, (Economic Developer for the city of Bottineau), called me about a new and exciting position at Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB), it was like a dream come true.  The Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture at DCB, begun in 2007, exists to help small to mid-size farmers who want to diversify into or begin in the vegetable production field.  This special ND State Center of Excellence focuses on ways to grow, market, and distribute organic or sustainably grown vegetables to North Dakota tables and consumers.  The mission is an important one as small farms continue to struggle and look for economical ways to diversify, earn extra income and make a living off the land.  It is important as a growing number of North Dakotans look for healthier, fresher ways to eat; and consumers all over seek safer, more local food supplies. 

When I first began the job as Executive Director of the ECH, I was overjoyed to find the College had commissioned a complete and comprehensive plan prepared by A.K.A. Coach and Company.  This feasibility study and business plan for the Center has proven to be paramount to our success.  Being a list person, somewhat of a data nerd and a person who uses the ‘P’ word (plan) often, I began using the documents prepared by A.K.A. Coach and Company immediately upon hire; and have used them ever since.

Marv and Ilene Baker of North Star Farm partner with ECH

 Even though a business plan should be a living document that is updated often, ours has gone through many reviews but no major revisions.  The preparation, research and analysis that A.K.A. Coach and Company put into this plan have stood the test of time.  With the help of the feasibility study and business plan, we have been able to leverage almost $2 million in grant funds, government funding and donations to operate the center.  And the biggest testament to their success:   we have helped many small to mid-size farmers all across the state with questions regarding their entrepreneurial efforts in vegetable production.   

Heather Mills, ECH Farm Manager

Now, five years later, the things that excite me most are very similar to what excited me when I was six.  My favorite shopping trip is the farmers market.  My favorite afternoon is sitting in a vegetable patch or at the kitchen table of a small vegetable producer in North Dakota dreaming about the growth of their garden and their enterprise.  My favorite dream is North Dakota vegetables home cooked on every dinner plate in the state; and my favorite consultant is A.K.A. Coach and Company.

Thank you Holly – for everything you and your staff contribute to helping growers and to sustainable food production!!

To learn more about the ECH and the resources available, visit their website: Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture

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