Eternal Hope Farms

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For the past three years, Dean and Cathy Fredrickson have quietly begun rooting themselves in the land and in their new life here in Moody County. The two, who have literally traveled the world over the course of their lifetimes, built a modest home just northwest of Flandreau in 2019 so that they could be closer to their two grown children, who now have families of their own.  
But because the couple is incredibly private, the chance that you’ve met them is rather unlikely. The pandemic has also kept Cathy and Dean fairly isolated and focused on building the sustainable life they say they are grateful to live locally — with a nearly zero footprint. The couple has invested in solar energy, so they power their own home and energy needs, often selling what they produce back to the power company. They have their own well and appreciate the access to good and plentiful water. And they are otherwise busy growing enough food each season to help sustain them for nearly an entire year.
They are savoring every moment of a deliciously simple, quiet and healthy rural life.
Through their gardens, they are hoping that you might too.
The Fredrickson’s are among several local growers working right now to build a stronger local foods movement in the area. While they haven’t yet applied for any official labels, the couple grows organic onions, tomatoes, peppers, corn, herbs, root vegetables, melons, flowers, fruit trees, and lots and lots of garlic.
“It’s easy,” they both answered, when asked what it was about growing garlic that they love.
The couple lost many of this season’s starter plants in the derecho storm that hit the area this spring, so this year’s crop is slightly behind where they might want it to be. Other than the garlic, that is. That gets planted in the fall.

But one look across the property makes it easy to see that all of their new plants are coming along quickly.
“We’ve always kind of gardened, but not on this scale…the peas right now, they’re just putting on. They’re actually covered…this time last year, they were done. Dead and falling-off-the-vine done. But they’re okay, they look great,” said Cathy, excited about where some of their plants are at.
Dean added, “The opportunity is, if we don’t get an early frost, we’ll have some good late produce that typically you don’t have.”
What they don’t keep for themselves or sell at markets in Brookings, Brandon, Madison, and now Flandreau, they plan to donate to the Breadbasket, Moody County’s local food pantry. Last year the pantry and local families received a lot of their produce.
“We took a lot more to the food bank than we ever sold at the farmer’s markets,” Dean said, with a chuckle. “We love the Breadbasket and hope that others might do what they can to support it. We are their number one fan.”
“Absolutely,” agreed Cathy, stating that they estimated it was about 400 pounds of food donated this past year from their gardens.                                           
The two hope that more start to come out and experience what local foods growers like them are looking to provide the community, believing that more locally grown foods benefit everyone. While they await much of their garden to come to fruition, the couple has homemade soaps, baked goods, and children’s clothing and kitchen towels to offer.
“I just like to make things, I’m a maker,” said Dean.
Dean, who was born in Minnesota, met Cathy while the two were schoolchildren in Uganda. The two went to the same K-8 school in Kampala. Each had parents who were involved diplomatically at a high level. Dean’s father worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, teaching cooperatives and how to organize agricultural programs. He would go on to a career in agriculture himself, working primarily for Cargill at various locations throughout the U.S., including Houston and Cincinnati. He ultimately landed at (Broin Companies) POET in South Dakota, helping to grow that company locally as the General Manager in Wentworth, then Mitchell and then several other locations
Cathy, who was born in Colombia, refers to herself as “a State Department brat.” Her family moved, on average, about every three years with her own father’s position — a public affairs officer with the U.S. State Department. She and Dean married when she was just 19-years-old.
Cathy would go on to earn her teaching degree, filling open positions in any number of subjects over the years, wherever she, Dean and their children lived. She still enjoys sharing what she knows whenever she can, including anything you might be interested to learn about the food that she and Dean are growing, recipes you might want to try, or about gardening in general.
After a lifetime of experiencing other communities and countries, the two are grateful for the place they now call home in Moody County. In fact, the couple has named their acreage and gardens “Eternal Hope” Farm, a namesake that they inherited from Dean’s family homestead in Minnesota.
It is a fitting title for what they also hope that their work and gardens have to offer. “It is a sweet name,” said Cathy. “Especially in these days.”
You can find Cathy and Dean each Thursday at the newly restarted Flandreau Farmer’s Market on the east side of the Moody County Courthouse complex from 5:30-7:30 p.m.