Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Jahnke.
Hi Meghan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My path to rural Minnesota begins with my dad, Don. He was born and raised in Parkers Prairie, and our family spent summers and deer season here, always with time on the farm. I grew up in Lancaster, PA—suburban life, but with agriculture all around—so even though I didn’t grow up on a farm, I felt close to the land and to community. My first job was at the farm behind our neighborhood, picking peas and strawberries and weeding the pumpkin patch.
After earning a BA in anthropology, I imagined doing field research with primates. Instead, I planted a backyard garden and, in 2011, took a permaculture design course that became my doorway into sustainable, community‑supported agriculture and local food systems work. Over the next several years I lived and worked on farms across PA, WA, and OR, and spent three years with a large organic farmers’ cooperative in Pennsylvania that taught me the power of outreach and volunteerism.
In early 2021, after my dad had a stroke, I moved closer to my parents. I left a dream role managing a family farm in Oregon—where I was designing a sustainable model for them to carry forward—and came to Minnesota, initially living on 40 acres with my partner. When that relationship ended, I moved into town near my parents and had to reassess.
Without land to farm and without a clear way to access high‑quality local food, I decided the best way to root myself, support the local food system, and meet people was to start a farmers’ market. City Hall got behind the idea immediately, as did the regional food council I’d joined, and within six months the Prairie Farmers Market launched. I’m now in year two as manager. We began with roughly 10 vendors; this season, over 20 applied. Watching neighbors and strangers come together around fresh, local food—and supporting our crafters and artists—has been one of my life’s great gifts.
Like many small towns post‑COVID, Parkers Prairie lost several businesses, including its local grocery store. The market has helped revive the local economy, created opportunities for stay‑at‑home parents to earn income, and—best of all—made it possible to shop right in town every Friday for some of the freshest produce, meats, and cottage foods around. I wasn’t sure I’d love rural Minnesota, but I’ve found purpose and meaningful connections here that have changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been very smooth, yet I’m still full of gratitude. Farm seasons were joyful and educational, but they often ended with uncertainty about winter income. I moved at least once a year after high school, sometimes twice, for more than 15 years. Leaving my dream job in Oregon to move to a small town where I knew almost no one outside of family was another leap.
My dad’s stroke reshaped our family’s needs, and this spring my mom passed away unexpectedly after major surgery. I’m now my father’s full‑time caregiver while managing the market in its second year. Through the doubt, scarcity, and uncertainty, my compass has stayed the same: spread love and help people reconnect with the land and with each other.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Prairie Farmers Market?
The Prairie Farmers Market began in January 2024 and opened its first season that June. We run every Friday, 3–6pm, from June to October in City Park, and we added a monthly indoor winter/spring market at the local brewery this year. I’m the founder and manager, handling vendor coordination, communications, marketing and design, promotion, and accounting. So I’ve learned a lot about online advertising and love using those skills to lift up local efforts.
We’re a producer‑only market: every vendor grows, raises, or creates what they sell. We prioritize farmers and makers within 30 miles of Parkers Prairie, and we’re set up to accept SNAP/EBT as well as produce vouchers for single mothers and low‑income seniors. We also host workshops during market hours and welcome musicians, entertainers, and food trucks.
What makes me most proud is watching vendors sell out, seeing kids and adults light up about what’s on the tables each week, and reading positive community recommendations for the market pop up on local social pages. For a modest‑sized market, we feature beautiful organically grown produce and an impressive range of foods and handmade goods. City Park’s shaded trees, open grass, nearby bathrooms, the aquatic center, playground, and pavilions make it an ideal, central place for the community to gather.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
It’s hard to pick one, but I’ll never forget roaming the woods for hours with my best friend from next door. Our parents let us explore and invent our own worlds—learning to get our feet dirty, how to pee outside, to chase (and respect) the wild turkeys, and to avoid the electric fences. Even in Pennsylvania suburbia, I had my own little pocket of rural roots to grow up in.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prairiefarmersmarket/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrairieFarmersMarket
Image Credits
Meghan Jahnke
