ALEXANDRIA – Berry Ridge Farm, west of Alexandria on Firemans Lodge Road near Lake Latoka, was opened in 1988 by Ron and Ann Branch. Starting its 36th year, the couple grows everything from raspberries, blueberries and strawberries to potatoes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, flowers and more.

Ron said they use not only the land to plant on, but they also use six high tunnels to grow their crops in. A high tunnel, according to the Department of Agriculture, is a polyethylene covered structure that allows growers to increase production of certain crops, grow some crops that could not otherwise be grown in their area and extend the length of time in the year, or growing season, that the crops may be grown.

The high tunnel, said Ron, doesn’t have a lot of frost protection, but it will help keep out the wind and the rain and hail. He said it keeps his plants semi protected.

Plenty of the produce grown on the farm finds its way to the Alexandria Farmers Market. However, people can go out to the farm to purchase items, as well. Ron said everything is pre-picked, but during blueberry season, customers can go out to the farm and pick their own blueberries.

When it comes to their style of farming, Ron said, “It is better than organic” and called it more biological farming.

According to pro-soil.com, “Biological farming should not be confused with organic farming. Biological farming is the use of conventional and organic farming methods side-by-side to cultivate the healthiest possible soil that results in the healthiest possible crops and livestock.

Contributed photo / Ron Branch

Biological farming seeks to restore the naturally occurring microorganisms and beneficial macro-organisms to the soil including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and earthworms. Biological farming creates a sustainable soil management system. The microorganisms in a natural ecosystem facilitate soil viability and nutrient availability to crops.”

Ron said they use lots of compost and very little, to almost no, pesticides. If pesticides are used, he said they are organic. He added that it has been a couple of years since he’s really used any organic pesticides at all.

“With the nurturing of the soil and all the little microbes inside it and a lot of compost, the fertility is high,” said Ron, adding that there is also plenty of TLC. “We’ve had tomatoes in the same foot and a half area for the last 15 plus years and they’re better than ever.”

Contributed photo / Ron Branch

When asked what keeps them growing year and year, Ron quickly said because it is fun and rewarding. He noted that in 2018, they were chosen as the Douglas County Farm Family of the Year.

He also added that they get to create something from the very beginning and that there are plenty of chances for creativity and adaptability and optimism.

“It’s also the people,” Ron said. “After 35 years, you get to know families and they get to know you and there is that connection. It’s fun to see families bring their kids to the market and they pick out fresh produce and then hopefully go home and prepare a meal together.”

Contributed photo / Ron Branch

Growing their produce and then selling their goods at the Alexandria Farmers Market is not all about the profit. Ron said it is about that connection, the community and the social aspect, along with the promotional aspect of locally grown foods. He shared a saying he had heard about that road trips are for people, not food, which promotes locally grown goods.

As the market manager for the Alexandria Farmers Market, Ron loves to promote locally grown items. He has been involved with the market for many, many years, even before it was actually an organization. Now, the Alexandria Farmers Market is a 501c6 organization. According to the Internal Revenue Service, 501c6 “provides for exemption of business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade, and professional football leagues (whether or not administering a pension fund for football players), which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.”

He said it is also part of the Minnesota Farmers Market Association. Ron is on the board of directors for the association, which has more than 300 farmers markets across the state of Minnesota.

Contributed photo / Ron Branch

The association has helped define what a farmers market is and has helped with building rules and regulations. They host seminars and workshops for growers and also help to get new markets established.

This year’s Alexandria Farmers Market is set to open on Saturday, May 13 and is expected to have about 25 vendors, although Ron said they may not all be there at the same time. He loves that the market has grown over the years and that it now also includes the Saturday Art Market for craft vendors. “It’s a community hub of activity down there,” said Ron about the Second Avenue, Big Ole Central Park location of the farmers market and art market.

Over the years, Ron has seen a few changes in the farmers market. Not necessarily with the food itself, he said, but instead with marketing, along with packaging and displays. It’s no longer a farmer selling goods out of the back of his rusty old pickup, he said.

Now there are canopies and coolers and creative displays. He said there has been an upward evolution in the way people display their goods and also some friendly competition.

He also said that on days where the weather isn’t the best, like cold, windy and rainy, nowadays, there are still people at the market. Most people, he said, know they have to dress accordingly as this is Minnesota.

Contributed photo / Ron Branch

He said there have been days he has on his winter bomber hat and is all bundled up and people ask if he’s cold. He isn’t, he said, because he came prepared.

“You need to be prepared for all kinds of weather,” he said.

Despite what the weather will bring this year, the Alexandria Farmers Market will be open May 13 through Oct. 28 on Saturdays, on June 27 through Oct. 31 on Tuesdays and from June 22 through Oct. 26 on Thursdays.

More information can be found on the Alexandria Farmers Market Facebook page, www.facebook.com/alexandriafarmersmkt. For questions about the Alexandria Farmers Market or Berry Ridge Farm, call Ron at 320-460-0135. More information about Berry Ridge Farm can also be found on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BerryRidgeFarm.

IQVIA’s Digital Enablement Center of Excellence joined advertisers, marketers, and innovators at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March. Innovation and inclusivity are the foundation of SXSW and the sessions in 2023 held true to these themes. The Health and MedTech tracks highlighted “how technological and social changes are impacting one of the world’s largest industries.” From the dozens of sessions in these tracks, the Digital Enablement team identified these key themes:

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in healthcare marketing

AI/ML are helping healthcare advance to new heights with innovative technology, including:

• Supercomputers and healthcare: Analysis of medical literature by supercomputers is helping shape advancements in disease diagnostics and drug discovery.
• Existing tech adapting for healthcare: Technologies typically seen in other industries are adapting to meet needs in healthcare, such as audio monitoring and image recognition. Both examples uncover sensory patterns correlated to specific therapeutic categories (e.g., respiratory and oncology) and can enhance diagnostic decision making, recognizing predictive patterns to identify certain diseases earlier.
• AI chatbots: Despite efficiencies gained from expedited responses from chatbots and similar technologies, a focus remains on the importance of human involvement with AI/ML, with several sessions asserting it as a requirement for future use.

Technology aiding consumers and physicians

How technology (especially technological advances) aid the work done by healthcare providers and ultimately improve consumer experiences and outcomes was also a central tenant of the tracks.

• Hospital at Home: Going beyond the question of “how will consumers receive care in the future” some sessions focused more specifically on the places where they’ll receive care. The session on Hospital at Home demonstrated the benefits of care received in one’s own space, with early research suggesting reduced readmission rates and improved health outcomes. “Human experience in the wake of illness is optimized,” said Dr. Pavitra Krishnamani, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
• A workforce supported by technology: A common theme throughout the Health and MedTech tracks was the prominence and likelihood of healthcare provider burnout. It was suggested that to scale the system appropriately it needs to have technology be the workforce in ways healthcare providers cannot sustainably support. For example, when advance testing and biometric monitoring area applied to understand one’s health through advancing technology and data capture, it can aid in an improved patient and provider experience resulting in early detection, continuous monitoring, and improved personalized support.
• Speaking of burnout: Physician burnout, in particular, was an arresting topic. Ahead of our arrival at SXSW, we envisioned topics of discussion leading toward technological advancements in medicine so profound that physicians would not be in regular practice as they are today. Instead, it was not technology offering a relief to providers, but rather current and expected trends towards burnout and mental health burdens having deep influence, from professionals leaving the field completely to increasing suicide rates. One panel in particular struck a chord with the audience, It’s 2032 and All the Doctors Are Gone and panelist Ritu Thamman, MD, FASE, FACC, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said it best: “We’re not heroes. We’re human and we still need help.”

Technology: Healthcare’s reality check

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) were two technology stars extending beyond panel discussions to event experiences and exhibit floors. In healthcare, AR/VR technology is utilized to improve and provide new methods for education, training, and patient tranquility.

• Pharmaceutical companies are exploring AR/VR strategies to engage with medical students, physicians, and sales representatives. From virtual reality, in-office surgical procedure training models, to AR product demo training through smart and mobile devices. These innovations are intended to improve the standard of learning in an efficient manner and change the health landscape as it exists today.
• Consumer-facing advertisers like Disney are focused on storytelling, creativity, and innovation to continuously improve customer experiences. Now, they are using AR/VR to further drive storytelling immersion beyond the screen. While this tech was not showcased to heighten healthcare advancements, there was a continuous focus on its customers and especially on those with life -threatening illnesses, to celebrate the ability to allow patients to forget they’re patients, even if for a brief moment in time.
• A new alternative to anesthesia induced sedation using VR as an alternative to putting patients under. There are advancements in digital technology that can immerse patients in virtual worlds, providing enough distraction needed for physicians to perform some surgical procedures without putting someone to sleep.

The future state of healthcare marketing

Healthcare marketers must consider a future-state where their omnichannel marketing strategy is optimized, and several sessions discussed central elements affecting this:

• Privacy: Increasingly, privacy measures are inhibiting certain areas of advertising – particularly in activation and measurement. While crucial for all industries, and none more so than healthcare, how brands approach privacy and compliantly reach audiences with accuracy remains a conundrum. Predictions show that privacy will require change and adaptation within the Ad Tech industry on how marketers engage with audiences.
• Budget: In light of controversial times, do not go dark with your advertising campaigns. Maintaining market strength and awareness of your product is critical and reducing spends can be damaging. Rather, be sure to integrate and reflect current reality within your marketing. When there is downtime, use this to become smarter about your audience(s).
• Are we transitioning from omnichannel to omnidynamic? The way we discuss omnichannel marketing today is overused and not wholly representative of what omnichannel is, and at SXSW that message was front and center. Omnichannel is more than multi-channel amplified, and even still, many marketers who are in an omnichannel mindset and are still executing their strategy as multi-channel, in large part due to challenges outside of their control, whether that’s an absence of alignment on time and resource investments needed, or deficient data and campaign measurement capabilities. Healthcare marketers must consider a future state where their omnichannel marketing strategy is optimized – enter omnidynamic. Omnidynamic represents the interconnected components of marketing strategy converging with the functionality required to deliver and optimize campaigns, resulting in enhanced reach, relevance, and value-driven engagement to audiences in real time. Or, as Andrew Lyle from AstraZeneca shared on the panel Going from Omnichannel to Omnidynamic, “Omnidynamic is predicting where a physician is going next, rather than just getting them to the right message at the right time.”

Final thoughts on SXSW 2023

Innovation in the digital space is key to healthcare marketers and we in IQVIA Digital Enablement left SXSW feeling fueled for the “what’s next” in healthcare advertising. The interconnection of healthcare and tech is top-of-mind more than ever before: from AR/VR in healthcare, to mobile apps for post-surgical orthopedic care, it’s clear that a healthcare evolution is on the horizon. As healthcare adapts, healthcare marketers can and should consider how technology will impact future strategies.

To learn more about these themes and how we can prepare for the future-state of healthcare marketing together, contact Zachary Farrell at zachary.farrell@iqvia.com.

(Image: Black Arts Love)
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?fit=400%2C500&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?fit=584%2C730&ssl=1″ decoding=”async” class=”size-large wp-image-2067277523″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=584%2C730&ssl=1″ alt width=”584″ height=”730″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=600%2C750&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=400%2C500&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=160%2C200&ssl=1 160w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove5.jpg?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>

(Image: Black Arts Love)

(Image: Black Arts Love)
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?fit=400%2C500&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?fit=584%2C730&ssl=1″ decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” class=”size-medium wp-image-2067277520″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=400%2C500&ssl=1″ alt width=”400″ height=”500″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=400%2C500&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=600%2C750&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=160%2C200&ssl=1 160w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https://i0.wp.com/www.capitolhillseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blackartslove2.jpg?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w” sizes=”(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>

(Image: Black Arts Love)

The overhaul of Pagliacci’s Pike/Pine pizza headquarters has made new space for black art and community on Capitol Hill.

Black Arts Love — “a welcoming community space that is inclusive to all that support our mission of amplifying and uplifting black artists” — is now open in the 400 block of E Pike neighboring the Seattle pizza maker’s slice bar and “Center for Excellence” that opened in a 2020 overhaul of the company’s Capitol Hill headquarters.

The new venue is a mix of arts, retail, and community gathering from an organization that has grown through prop-up events and the leadership of founder Malika Bennett.

Bennett has said she created Black Arts Love out of a response to police killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in 2016:

It was so traumatizing seeing those videos online. I noticed so many people were feeling like they wanted to do something, but we were feeling hopeless. How do we get this to stop? At the time, I was working in corporate America just figuring things out, and I just had a come to Jesus moment. I asked myself, what can we do to really feel more empowered to get healing into our community? Then, a dream came to me about this big group of really brilliant, excellent, Black leaders that came together and were standing around this table and looking at this blueprint of action.

Bennett said she started Black Arts Love events that summer with the first market held at the Garfield Community Center in the Central District.

Black Arts Love has grown to work with a thousand black artists and prides itself as “a catalyst for community building, healing and social justice.”

The new Capitol Hill venue now gives it a core for its schedule of marketplaces, networking events, and community art classes. Black Arts Love has also grown to provide marketing and small business resources for artists and creators.

(Image: Black Arts Love)

(Image: Black Arts Love)

(Image: Black Arts Love)

The growth of black arts and community spaces around Capitol Hill and the Central District appears to be one of the positive outcomes from the activism, frustration, and trauma born out of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and harsh Seattle Police response.

The arrival of Black Arts Love on Capitol Hill follows the debut of Arté Noir at 23rd and Union where the new Central District arts center focused on “Black art, artists, and culture” became a surprising anchor tenant for the new development on the corner after drugstore chain Bartell’s backed out.

And another community and arts organization Heartful Rootz has said it intends to open a space on Capitol Hill though has had difficulty so far securing a lease, its first step in a multi-year plan in the city it says will include community gardens, assistance services for “Black, Indigenous, and people of the global majority” businesses, a restaurant with food from a community farm, an education center and cooperative living spaces.

Black Arts Love, meanwhile, celebrated its grand opening over the past weekend and is now settling in to becoming part of the E Pike mix.

Black Arts Love is opens Wednesday through Sundays at 417 E Pike. For hours and more information, visit blackartslove.com.

WE NEED YOUR HELP —  SUBSCRIBE TO CHS — OUR VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIBER TOTAL HAS FALLEN! BUT THE CHS AUDIENCE HAS GROWN! — HELP US PAY REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS!
CHS is funded by voluntary subscriptions from paying supporters. If you enjoy CHS, SUBSCRIBE HERE. Become a subscriber at $1/$5/$10 a month to help CHS provide community news.

Since 2020, developing effective and engaging art and design programming for teens has been the focus of Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education (RISD CE). In addition to online courses and certificate programs for adults, RISD CE now offers two formats of virtual engagement specifically designed to meet the needs and goals of young students across the globe.

Teen artists from anywhere in the world can now participate in courses taught by academics, creative practitioners, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who advance RISD CE’s mission to provide an art and design education for everyone. Students’ unique goals are met by instructors who provide opportunities to expand their worldview and hone critical visual communication skills applicable to any career path.

RISD CE teen online courses allow students ages 13 to 17 to explore one or more visual arts and design subjects. They attend weekly live Zoom meetings, which foster connection and community building.

Our first live class had students pair up to draw blind contour portraits of each other while asking questions about who they were, where they lived, likes and dislikes. Afterwards, everyone shared their portraits and told us what they had learned about their drawing partner. The blind contour portraits got everyone laughing and created a class connection. It definitely set the tone for the rest of the session and I could see a marked improvement in student interaction. —Bunky Hurter, Fashion Illustration instructor

In addition to Zoom meetings, students will review asynchronous course materials, work on projects independently, and receive narrative assessments with personalized feedback.

Summer 2023 teen online courses are offered in two sessions from June 25 to August 5.

For high school students ages 15 to 18 looking for more intensive experiences, CE offers RISD’s Advanced Program Online, a year-round online alternative to its residential summer pre-college program. This certificate program is for changemakers who want to develop their art practices, learn new ways to collaborate, and pursue art and design topics in depth. The Advanced Program Online allows students to focus on a passion, reflect on contemporary circumstances, and create a future they’re excited about.

Summer 2023 Advanced Program Online courses are offered in two sessions from June 17 to August 13.

RISD CE Summer 2023 is now enrolling!

To learn more, visit ce.risd.edu.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article RISD Continuing Education Reaches Teen Artists Globally With Online Youth Programming appeared first on Colossal.