Rooted in five generations of history, we provide food that’s good for you, good for the land, good for our world.
About
Glacier Ridge Farm is the culmination of five generations of hard work, perseverance, and vision. Nate and Amanda focus on working with nature, not against it, and promote regenerative practices to produce food that’s good for you, the land, and our world. We believe in a farm that promotes a healthy ecosystem, and a place that’s welcoming and hospitable to everyone.
What is regenerative agriculture? Regenerative ag uses practices that promote healthy ecosystems from the water and soil, to the food produced. We integrate livestock into crop production, rotate crops and animals to benefit soil health, plant cover crops between growing seasons to improve soil nutrition, and integrate wildflowers and other techniques to combat climate change, promote a healthy ecosystem, and provide diverse forage for our animals and for the wildlife who call this area home.
Regenerative agriculture is a hard. But we know its worth it. We hope that you’ll sit for a spell and share this place with us.
In recognition of our commitment to these values and to support the beginning of our bison herd, we are the proud recipients of a 2024 grant from American Farmland Trust’s Brighter Future Fund.
History
The farm we now know as Glacier Ridge Farm began in the late 1890s when the Preheim family fled persecution in Russia (present day Ukraine). Beneficiaries of the Homestead Act, federal legislation that forcibly took Indigenous lands by encouraging settlement throughout the ‘frontiers’ of the United States, the family settled in southeastern South Dakota. First living in sod homes while they built their permanent home, which is still standing and housing the family today. The history of this place is fraught - built by immigrants fleeing persecution, seeking and finding safety and religious freedom, this place is also a representation and lasting legacy of settler colonialism, Indigenous removal and ethnocide. We honor the family who had the courage and strength to move across the globe to make a new beginning, while we acknowledge the generational harms to others.
As the fifth generation on this land, we continue to steward the legacy, while we innovate and look towards the future generations who rely on our work today. We are transitioning crop production to organic certified, which is a three year long process. We are upgrading fencing, looking into renewable energy options, and planting diverse mixtures of native warm season grasses and prairie flowers. While you’ll still find us running old tractors from the 1950s and 1960s to accomplish our work here on the farm, we look for the cutting edge science and longstanding wisdom that enables us to produce food that’s good for you, good for the land, and good for our world.
Hours and Location
44229 281st Street
Freeman, SD 57029
We are a working farm; we are by appointment or designated event only. Please join us for a scheduled tour, stay with us, or check out our other events. If you are a photographer and would like to discuss working with us, please send us an email.
gr-farm@outlook.com
All images on this website are courtesy of Amanda Reinke and Nate Preheim. They are not available for use.