Minnesota Crop Improvement Association welcomes Frances Schuster to the staff of Organic Services. Frances started work on April 1, training with Rose-Marie Odell as the department’s new administrative specialist. Rose-Marie has plans to retire from MCIA later this summer.
Frances is passionate about organic farming and is eager to contribute to the department’s work. Frances holds a B.S. degree in plant sciences with an emphasis in organic horticulture and local food from the University of Minnesota.
Since 2020, Frances has run a small cut flower operation, Seeds to Stars. Their farming experience includes past work at Racing Heart Farm, a no-till vegetable operation in western Wisconsin, and as the team lead at Loon Organics, where Frances was responsible for leading harvest crews, Loon’s high-volume farmer’s market booth, and comanaging the greenhouse and seeding operation.
MCIA also welcomes back Maddie Barkholtz, who was recently re-hired as an organic certification specialist/inspector for the Organic Services department.
Maddie has returned to MCIA after completing an M.P.H. degree in environmental health from the University of Minnesota. In addition, Maddie holds a B.S. in animal science from the University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences, where she was on the Dean’s list.
Maddie has an interest in agricultural sustainability and environmental health and is knowledgeable about USDA National Organic Program certification standards. She has hands-on experience working with dairy and beef cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry. In addition to her prior employment with MCIA, Maddie’s past work experience includes being a manager at Core Pet Zone’s Legends Rescue.