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From its very beginnings, Inver Grove Heights has placed a great deal of importance on fully using the area’s natural resources. Pioneers began staking claims within the rolling countryside west of the Mississippi River in 1852, and by 1880 there were already 240 farms.

That focus on agriculture is still present today in Inver Grove Heights. The city is the headquarters of CHS, a Fortune 100 company that has active businesses in farm supply, grain merchandising, agricultural transportation, fertilizer, animal-feed production and sale, and sunflower and soybean processing.

Inver Grove Heights is also home to the family-owned-and-operated Gerten’s Farm Market, one of the area’s largest garden centers. Started in 1983, Gerten’s was originally a place to buy fresh produce. In his first season, founder Terry Gerten also began selling flowers and shrubs. During its thirty-five-year history, the company has shifted its focus primarily to spring bedding plants, including vegetables, herbs, annuals, and perennials. Gerten’s also sells fertilizer, grass seed, lawn and garden statuary, and decorative pots—everything residents need to beautify their yards or plant a productive garden.

Realizing the wholesome benefits of farm life for kids, one Inver Grove Heights farm provides the farm experience to kids in four-day camps. Our Farm, a three-acre hobby farm run by a mother-daughter team, gives children a chance to explore nature and make friends in a setting that includes ducks, chickens, bunnies, horses, goats, a donkey, a llama, and a dog. Four- to twelve-year-olds learn about animals, gardening, and nature and come to appreciate Inver Grove Heights’ agricultural beginnings. The camp’s goal is to give children the same nurturing experience they would receive if they visited, say, a grandparent’s farm during the summer. Camp staff take on the role of Inver Grove Heights tutors—but these tutors get to share firsthand the joys of nature, rather than solutions to math problems.

Though not focused directly on agriculture, the Inver Grove Heights Parks & Recreation Department extends the city’s focus on outdoor life with a novel program that rewards its residents for being active outdoors. Called “Random Acts of Fitness,” the program catches residents of all ages “in the act” of playing or exercising outdoors. Parks & Rec employees scour the neighborhoods and “bust” people they catch riding a bike, playing tennis, playing at the park, golfing, and even just walking the dog. In this case, it’s a good thing to be busted! “Cardio criminals” receive a G.O. (Get Outdoors) T-shirt and a backpack loaded with gifts, which in the past has included a frisbee, water bottle, carabiner, and/or gift certificate to Jimmy John’s.

Of course, having the time to enjoy the outdoors is a result of good time management. Connecting with an Inver Grove Heights tutor can help kids burn through their homework fast, giving them more time to do sports, play in the park, and basically just enjoy all that Inver Grove Heights has to offer.