Renewing the Countryside: Plant Protein Power

For 20 years, Renewing the Countryside has brought engaging sustainable food and farming education to the Minnesota State Fair Eco Experience, inspiring more than 200,000 fairgoers each year. This year’s Bird Friendly Farming exhibit highlights how thoughtful agricultural practices can restore and protect vital habitat for Minnesota’s native farmland birds—from Western Meadowlarks and Greater Prairie-Chickens to migratory songbirds that depend on healthy prairies, wetlands, and working lands. Through interactive exhibits, local food tastings, chef demonstrations, and family-friendly activities, visitors will discover how practices like cover cropping, pasture management, riparian buffers, and shelter belts support biodiversity, strengthen resilient food systems, and create healthier communities. Featuring farmers, conservationists, and organizations leading this important work, Renewing the Countryside’s 2026 exhibit celebrates the powerful connection between sustainable agriculture and thriving bird habitat across Minnesota.