Our Family

We are Eric and Steph Haakonson, and together with our two daughters Lindy and Josie, we are the faces behind Red Pine Pastures.

Eric was born and raised in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Growing up immersed in the outdoors through hunting and fishing, Eric has an appreciation for both conservation and good eating.  He is handy and is the muscle power behind the construction and maintenance of the farm.  Eric is incredibly innovative and has no shortage of wild ideas.

Steph grew up in Maple Lake, Minnesota. A natural born animal lover, she enjoys tending to all the livestock. Steph grew up showing rabbits and poultry in 4H and was destined for farm life.  Some of her hobbies include gardening, cooking, baking, and anything that involves the outdoors- she has a knack for identifying birds and insects!

Lindy was born in 2019 and has known no other home than right here. She has yet to meet an animal she doesn’t love and has given her official stamp of approval on Red Pine Pastures pork, chicken, and eggs over and over again.

Josie joined our family in late 2021. She is the happiest baby you’ve ever met and we are so excited to share with her the wonders of farm life!

Our Farm History

The original farmstead was established in 1893 by Nels Waage, a Norwegian immigrant whom raised prized Red Poll cattle. Despite numerous renovations and over 125 years of time, the original home and barn still stand. With time comes wear, and since purchasing the farm in 2018, we have been continuously rebuilding and updating. Although it’s a work in progress, with sweat and ambition we are working towards breathing life back into this old farm.

Since 2018, we have turned all row crop fields into pasture. We have planted numerous varieties of fruitbearing trees with plans for sugar maples. We thinned out our crowded red pine stand to let light reach the forest floor and promote new, natural and native growth. We do this all with regeneration in mind and are doing our best to leave this farm a thriving homestead for the next generation.

Our Philosophy

We believe real foods are found in our gardens, our pastures, our forests, and our communities.

We believe you will not find the very best food down a grocery store aisle as food like this simply cannot bought. We started our venture with the intention of producing the very best food for our family and have grown into producing food on a small scale for those who seek the taste and appreciate the value of real food as well.

We are not certified organic, but do practice and adhere to most organic (or better) standards.