When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered farmers markets across Minnesota, Sazzy Calhoun saw an opportunity to keep local food moving.

“I founded Farm Direct Minnesota during COVID, when everything closed down,” Calhoun said of the Facebook group where farmers can market their products directly. “You had a lot of produce and other things just going to waste.”

After reading about a farmer who opened his fields for people to take potatoes that would otherwise rot, Calhoun was inspired to start a Facebook group where farmers could connect directly with customers.

“It was a member of one when I started it,” she said. “I sat there with my finger on the button and thought, ‘Do I really push this? Is this a good idea?’ And I did it.”

Five years later, the group has grown to more than 111,000 me

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