Our Story
The Farm
Riparia Farm is in Eden Lake Township (adjacent to Paynesville), Minnesota., 30 miles southwest of St Cloud.
We are a 200-acre farm that includes 2,100+ feet of shoreline on Rice Lake (part of the North Fork of the Crow River), 50+ acres of undisturbed wetland, 43+ acres of woodland, 70+ acres of farm field, a farmstead, and a family home.
Tom & Marie Mattson and their family, steward the farm. Additionally, it is home to an abundance of wildlife, including, deer, turkey, pheasant, coyote, fox, beaver, groundhogs raccoon, rabbit, mink, bat, Trumpeter swan, geese, duck, pelican, Sand Hill crane, American Bald eagle, hawk, owl, Monarch butterfly, and an abundance of smaller birds and insects that routinely call it home.
The natural parts of the farm are as important to its identity as the fields. Our wetlands buffer the farms (ours and our neighbors) from Rice Lake. They enhance water quality, control erosion, sequester carbon, and provide a home to threatened and endangered species.
The lake shore is tucked in the rear of the property. It is completely private, serene, and untouched. It exists in its natural state and will remain that way.
In 2023 we took a large step in our commitment to the health of the land by enrolling 24 acres of the farm fields into conservation reserve programs. Our enrollments are split between a program designed to protect and restore wetlands, and a program designed to restore and enhance the land as a home for our native wildlife.
In addition to all of the above, it is still very much a functioning farm.
At present our primary crop is gourmet, Minnesota hardneck garlic.
Tom & Marie Mattson
Tom & Marie Mattson live on and steward Riparia Farm. Our co-habitants include a couple of rambunctious rescue dogs (Burt & Libby), and our daughter Liana who joined us in September 2023.
Tom has a passion for wildlife, agriculture, and land management. He grew up in Mora, MN, and has been surrounded by these passions all of his life. His family continues to own the 80-acre wooded parcel where Tom grew up. At his family home land stewardship and sustainable agriculture always have been and continue to be a way of life.
Marie grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis. She developed an early love for local agriculture after joining a local co-op in college, regularly attending farmers markets, & signing up for many CSA shares. As her love for food and cooking grew, Marie attended the San Francisco Baking Institute for training in artisan bread making. Marie also has obtained a Level 2 Wine Certification from Wine Spirits and Education trust (WSET). Marie is passionate about all things food and wine, as well as, where both come from!
Tom had a dream to have a farm of his own. Together they traveled all around Minnesota looking for the farm to bring their vision to life. As far south as Winona, as far north as Taylors Falls, and as far west as Alexandria. After many months, many ups and downs, they stumbled on what is now Riparia Farm, and the pieces all came together.
Our Vision
Our vision for Riparia Farm is that it is a place that supports minimizing the distance our food travels while improving the health of this precious resource that is our land, and giving equal care to the wildlife and natural surroundings it resides with.
