DANUBE -- One obvious sign of the growing interest for locally grown foods is the development of viniculture in Renville County, which is otherwise better known for corn and soybean production.
There are now 12 operating vineyards in Renville County, Dick Hagen of Olivia told attendees at the "Raising and Marketing Locally Grown'' conference in Danube on Friday.
Hagen is among them: He planted 592 vines on an acre of land north of Olivia two years ago and is now looking forward to his first harvest. It takes three years before a newly-established vineyard produces grapes.
Steve and Maria Zenk, rural Danube, are among the pioneers of viniculture in Renville County. They harvested their first grapes two years ago and this year collected 1,340 pounds of grapes from their first 100 vines. They're hoping to harvest one ton of grapes next year, he said.
Zenk said there are some 300 grape producers in Minnesota today, and some 23 or 24 wineries.
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That sounds like a lot, but he noted that many other states are well ahead of Minnesota. Iowa has nearly 80 operating wineries, according to Zenk.
