Your Farmers

John & Emily Beaton

"Good food starts with good farming."

Our mission is to gather, nourish and inspire our community by producing good food, grown right. We are motivated by our shared vision of thriving local communities centered around thriving farms. We are a values-driven farm using organic, regenerative and holistic management practices to grow and produce the best food. Through our work, we hope to engage, connect, and empower other farmers, farm supporters, and a community of eaters to join us in creating the food system of the future.

Farm on!

John Beaton

Founder, Director & Co-Visionary of Fairhaven Farm

John is the heartbeat of the farm — Steadily and fully engaging in the farm's operations, ensuring things are running smoothly and efficiently. His role at the farm varies from day to day, but he especially enjoys big-picture planning and strategizing as well as networking and relationship building.

John's ultimate wish is to see Fairhaven Farm become a model for regenerative and holistic agriculture here in Northern Minnesota. John is not only devoted to Fairhaven's success but envisions a thriving farm community made up of many successful small farms. Through his efforts in advocacy and leadership work he hopes to see his vision come to life.

John is proud to carry on the entrepreneurial spirit his father and grandfather instilled in him. He is thankful for a strong-willed lineage of thinkers, inventors and 'Jack's of all Trades'.

He is also grateful for his generous teachers and mentors who taught him the value of kindness, how to endure adversity, and not to fear the road less traveled.

Lastly, but certainly not least, John is thankful for his wife and partner, Emily. She is his constant source of inspiration and working with her fills his life with joy.

John loves music! He plays guitar, harmonica and drums and enjoys American Roots music. He also loves to cook and host dinner parties. He is equally at home in the woods, back-country canoeing, camping and rock climbing.

Emily Beaton

Creative Director & Co-Visionary of Fairhaven Farm

Emily is the breath of the farm — steadily and quietly breathing beauty into every aspect of the farm: From holistic planning to website designing to newsletter writing to floral arranging.

She enjoys expressing her creative vision through farming.

Though much of the time you'll find her working behind the scenes, she equally enjoys getting her hands dirty working in the greenhouse or in the field alongside the farm crew.

Her wish is to inspire others to take joy in ordinary, everyday moments like sharing a meal together around a farm table.

Emily envisions a future where all farms and all communities are thriving. She hopes that Fairhaven Farm will inspire this vision and be known far and wide as a gathering place that offers the best food, the best experiences, the best music and the best flowers.

Emily is proud of her experience growing up in the Northwoods that instilled in her a love for nature and is grateful for her parents who always encouraged her to follow her heart.

She is grateful for her farming experience and farm mentors and friends who helped ignite her passion for growing (and eating) good food and equally grateful for her formal design training that prepared her to design her own livelihood.

She is most thankful for her devoted husband and partner, John who shares her vision and has faithfully encouraged and supported her dreams and helped them come true.

Emily loves to draw, paint and dream up stationery and pottery designs. She also loves camping, canoeing and hiking in the woods with her husband and pup. She also enjoys playing guitar, singing and song-writing.

Bonus the Farm Dog

Farm Dog, Loyal Companion & Resident Shade Hound