In the summer of 2018, Charlie and Brianna Faust made a brave decision to quit their office jobs and move to their family’s farm just outside of Long Prairie, Minnesota. Charlie, Brianna and their three children are the fourth-generation of Fausts to live on the property.
Today, the sixth-generation farmers are thriving, along with their no-till, regenerative, fresh-cut flower farm.
When they first moved to the farm, Charlie worked soybean, corn and small grain fields, while Brianna renovated their 1924 farmhouse and watched over their tiny farmers. As the home renovations began to slow down, the family was searching for more ways to utilize the land they called home.
Brianna has always loved working with her hands and bringing creativity to any project. After researching sustainable, fun tasks, Charlie proposed that the family start a large garden. Brianna agreed as long as they could grow flowers alongside the vegetables. In the spring of 2020, the Faust family purchased a hearty amount of seeds and got to work.
The family planted flowers and vegetables on a one acre lot, watching with excitement as they grew tall and brought increased activity to the farm. The activity continued offsite, as the Faust’s flowers were wowing visitors at the Long Prairie farmers market. Brianna and Charlie knew their family was on the cusp of something big.
In order to become more serious about growing fresh-cut blooms, the family knew they’d need to plant a wide variety of flowers. They also knew that they’d need an extra hand around the property – which came to them in the form of a 2004 Kubota RTV.
Their RTV assists them in transporting flowers and tools, dumping compost, pulling and laying fabric for seed beds and traversing the farm quickly. It was extremely helpful in the family’s completion of a 30’ x 96’ high-tunnel structure, which allowed them to extend their growing season.
But Mother Nature had a hurdle in store for the Fausts. Long Prairie, Minnesota experienced a major drought in 2021, halting their growing season and showcasing an immediate need for reliable irrigation systems. With the drought behind them and lessons learned, the Fausts decided to focus on flower and vegetable production, officially becoming Back Forty Flower Farm.
The Faust family is constantly learning new lessons surrounding flower production, but maintains their standard of no-till regenerative growing without pesticides or herbicides. Instead, they focus on soil health and sustainable growing practices. Whether Charlie, Brianna or their childrens’ hands touch the seedling, each flower grown on Back Forty Flower Farm is cared for up to the time of cutting.
The family currently grows tulips, ranunculus, peonies, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, amaranth, statices, dahlias and more.
Back Forty Flower Farm sells specialty bulbs, flower subscriptions, merchandise and more from their website. Orders can be shipped to customers or delivered within a 15-mile radius. Brianna also has a makeshift farm stand on the farm and would love to expand their sales operations, once their kids are older.
The Fausts are staying busy with their new passion and hope to grow that same passion in others. You can learn more about Back Forty Flower Farms, browse their store, download growing resource guides and explore a seed library from their website.
