Faith and Family at the Center of Growing Veggies with Berndt Family Produce

What began with a tent purchased with an anonymous $200 donation and Dawnna Berndt’s idea to grow a garden to bring in more income, turned into a family-based vegetable farm market (Berndt Family Produce) that’s been serving their community of customers in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota for 24 years.

At the time, she and her husband, David, had five young children and even though she admits she knew zilch about gardening, she leaned on David’s knowledge as a lifelong farmer to start growing and harvesting veggies on less than two acres, and selling the produce at their own local farm stands and self-serve stands.

David Berndt in the field holding muskmelon — David Berndt

On the Podcast

Not only was she a city girl, Dawnna says she was the “inside girl” and her sister was the “outside girl” when they were growing up. In this week’s Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens show, you’ll learn about Dawnna and David’s operation, where to find their produce, how to store your vegetables at home, what Dawnna wishes she would have known when they started, which podcasts she likes and why she’s intentional about building connections with the people who work for and shop with Berndt Family Produce.

Since their start in 2000, they’ve grown to six children, eight grandkids, 30 acres of sweet corn and 25 acres of some of the best vegetables, CSAs and canning and salsa shares around! And Dawnna says that along with all that growth and change, faith and family have always been at the center of what they do and how they treat people.

David and Dawnna Berndt's children in the bed of a truck with pumpkins — David and Dawnna Berndt’s children Christmas 2001, year two of Berndt Family Produce

Berndt Family Produce has always been a family business, growing everything from broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkins, gourds, sweet corn, squash, cauliflower, potatoes radish, carrots, watermelon, cucumbers, beans, muskmelon, and more.

Farm and self-serve stand locations

For details on the locations, dates and time, follow them on their Facebook page.

Brookings Farm Stand:

Econolodge: 2515 6th St, Brookings, SD 57006

Watertown Farm Stand:

Cowboy 2 Store: 504 9th Ave SE, Watertown, SD 57201

Self-Serve Stands:

Brookings

Runnings: 2421 6th St, Brookings, SD 57006

Dale’s Alignment: 1006 Main Ave S, Brookings, SD 57006

Volga

Casey’s Gas: 422 US-14, Volga, SD 57071

Lake Poinsett

Dollar General: 19591 US-81, Arlington, SD 57212

White

Corner Gas and Goodies: 20402 478th Ave, White, SD 57276

Recipe Links From Dawnna at Berndt Family Produce

If you listen to Dawnna’s podcast episode, you’ll learn which few vegetables her husband, David, will eat. The following are recipes all the family can agree on.