Title: Atina and Martin Diffley Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1991, 2006-2009 (bulk 2006)

Creator:

• Diffley, Atina, 1959-

Call Number: Mss 1194; VDA 434

Quantity: 0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box), 1 DVD, and 264 megabytes

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers, mainly from 2006, related to the proposal by the Minnesota Pipe Line Company to build an oil pipeline, part of which would cross the Gardens of Eagan, an organic vegetable farm then owned by Atina and Martin Diffley. The Diffleys' challenge to the company's proposal resulted in an alternate pipe line route that did not cross their farm and an appendix to the agricultural impact mitigation plan for organic agricultural land that could help protect other organic farms facing similar issues. Included are legal documents, expert witness testimony, news clippings, and community letters of support for the farm. Also included is a DVD of Turn Here Sweet Corn (1991), a film about the Diffleys' farm.

Note:

Forms part of the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection.

There is a restriction on access to this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01194

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Atina Diffley (née Schoof) was born in 1959, and grew up on a farm in southeast Wisconsin. Martin Diffley was born in 1949, and grew up on a farm in Eagan, Minnesota, that five generations of his family had farmed since 1855. In 1973, Martin Diffley established Gardens of Eagan, which he began farming organically; the farm was certified organic in 1974. Diffley was involved with the Organic Growers and Buyers Association (OGBA) from 1975 to 1990, as an organic inspector, a certification committee advisor, board member, and board chair. From 1983 to 1985, he was also involved in the formation of Minnesota state organic standards.

After Martin and Atina married in 1985, continued farming on the land became untenable as first an elementary school and then housing developments led Diffley relatives to sell the remaining farmland. In 1991, the Diffleys were featured in Helen de Michiel's video production, Turn Here Sweet Corn, about Gardens of Eagan farm and the broader topic of preservation of agricultural land. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the Diffleys farmed on rented plots of land. They eventually established an organic farm in Eureka Township, and as the size of the farm increased, Gardens of Eagan produce became known for its high quality and a staple of the extensive cooperative grocery store movement in the Twin Cities. They sponsored field days to share their expertise and established an internship program on their farm to train younger farmers. Active participants in the Organic Farming Conferences organized by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), both Atina and Martin Diffley presented (separately and together) on various organic farming topics such as cover crops, green manures, farm equipment, growing for market, post-harvest handling, farm labor, soil health, and biodiversity. In 2004, the Diffleys were honored as the MOSES Farmers of the Year.

In 2006, the Minnesota Pipe Line Company (MPL, part of Koch Industries, which operates the Minnesota pipe line system), proposed building a pipe line to transport crude oil from Canada that would cross Gardens of Eagan land (also known as MinnCan, or “Soil vs. Oil, Kale vs. Koch,” as the Diffleys dubbed the project). The Diffleys filed as parties to the proceeding, and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission subsequently received over 4500 public comments in support of Gardens of Eagan. MPL ultimately settled on an alternate route which did not cross the Diffleys' land, and an appendix to the agricultural impact mitigation plan (AIMP) for the MinnCan project specifically detailed measures intended to protect organic farms which might face similar challenges from proximity to oil pipe line infrastructure.

In 2008, the Wedge Community Co-op purchased the Gardens of Eagan name and equipment, leased the land for the next few years, and ultimately purchased land to which they moved the farm and established an organic field school. After the sale of the farm, the Diffleys established Organic Farming Works, a business that promotes organic agriculture through educational outreach and consulting.

Martin Diffley has participated in joint research with University of Wisconsin-Madison plant breeder Bill Tracy and UW graduate students to develop a cold soil-tolerant, open-pollinated organic sweet corn variety so that farmers could eventually save the seed and continue to improve the variety for their particular circumstances. The “Who Gets Kissed?” variety of organic sweet corn was released at the end of 2014.

Atina Diffley designed and edited Roger Blobaum's organic history website; wrote a book, Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works (2012), which was awarded a Minnesota Book Award the following year; and served as co-editor, with Jim Slama, of Wholesale Success: A Farmer's Guide to Food Safety, Selling, Postharvest Handling, and Packing Produce (4th ed., 2013), a manual published by the organization FamilyFarmed, for which she serves as a trainer. Diffley also serves on the boards of the Organic Seed Alliance (2010-present), Farm Commons (2014-present), and the Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (2008-present), and is a former board member of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (2006-2013), and the Organic Field School at Gardens of Eagan (2007-2011).

The papers document the legal proceedings over the crude oil pipe line route initially proposed by Minnesota Pipe Line (MPL) Company, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, which would have crossed Gardens of Eagan, an organic vegetable farm operated by Atina and Martin Diffley. Gardens of Eagan, one of the earlier certified organic farms in the country, reached a settlement with MPL that set a precedent for other organic farms in Minnesota and across the country whose operations and certification might be negatively affected by siting of oil pipe lines.

Affidavits and expert witness testimony detail the requirements of organic vs. conventional agriculture, the importance of soil health, threats to organic certification posed by proximity to oil pipe lines, and specific measures to mitigate potential problems. Letters from the Diffleys' supporters document community mobilization and support for a long-established local food resource. Included are filed documents, affidavits, information requests and responses between the Diffleys (represented by their attorney, Paula Goodman Maccabee) and MPL, as well as expert witness testimony, township and county resolutions, news clippings, petitions, public hearing registers, community letters of support for the farm, and letters from other farmers and property owners along the proposed pipeline route (for the latter, see digital files dated July 24, 2006, July 28, 2006, and September 20-22, 2006.).

Food Sleuth Radio Audio Recordings (Audio 1760A)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Atina and Martin Diffley, Farmington, Minnesota, June 12, 2016. Accession Number: M2016-054

Access Restrictions

RESTRICTED: See Archives Reference for access to electronic files.

Processing Information

Processed by Julia Wong, August 2016 and August 2019.

Mss 1194	Minnesota Pipe Line Company
Box   1 Folder   1	Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan (AIMP), MinnCan Project, 2006 January
Box   1 Folder   2	Environmental review diagrams
Box   1 Folder   3	Letters to Atina and Martin Diffley, 2006 February 27, April 17
Box   1 Folder   4	Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), background materials
Box   1 Folder   5	Initial thoughts and advice received, undated
Box   1 Folder   6	“Why the MinnCan Proposed Oil Pipeline Cannot Cross Gardens of Eagan Soil” / by Atina Diffley, 2006 April 24
Box   1 Folder   7	Filed intervention and affidavits, 2006 May 30
Box   1 Folder   8	Township and county resolutions, 2006
Box   1 Folder   9	Filed documents, 2006 July-August
Box   1 Folder   10	Information requests and responses, 2006 July-August
Box   1 Folder   11	Notice of public meetings and public hearings, 2006 August
Box   1 Folder   12	Media coverage, 2006 May-2007 January/February
	Citizen letters campaign
Box   1 Folder   13-14	2006 May-August
Electronic Folder	Digital files, 2006 May-September
	Filed expert witness testimony
Box   1 Folder   15	Allan, Deborah L., 2006 August 7
Box   1 Folder   16	Minowa, Craig, undated
Box   1 Folder   17	Riddle, James A., 2006 August 7
	Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) campaign
Electronic Folder	Petition against proposed pipeline route, 2006 May-August?
Electronic Folder	Letters urging denial of MPL permits for certificate of need and proposed route, 2006 September
Box   1 Folder   18	Amended Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan, draft, 2006 August
Electronic Folder	Public hearing registers, 2006 August-September Note: Also includes news clippings and background materials.
Box   1 Folder   19	Stipulation between MPL and Gardens of Eagan, with Appendix to Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan for Organic Agricultural Land, 2006 September 1
Box   1 Folder   20	Post stipulation findings of fact and conclusions, 2006 October 13
Box   1 Folder   21	“Pipelines, Power Lines, and Organic Farms” / by Paula Goodman Maccabee, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, 2009 Spring (Vol. 14, no. 1): 19-42, article offprint, 2009 Spring
VDA 434	Turn Here Sweet Corn: film / by Helen De Michiel, 1991