Minnesota Ag News Headlines 3 Selected for Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Ag Board Minnesota Ag Connection - 11/18/2009 The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture has appointed three new board members to three-year terms: Atina Diffley, Lisa Smiley and Dale Woodbeck. Diffley, an organic farmer from Farmington, has been farming for 24 years and formerly co-owned Gardens of Eagan, a 120-acre certified organic vegetable farm. She currently owns Organic Farming Works LLC, which provides private consulting services in organic vegetable production systems, marketing and planning. Smiley is a former board member for the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, has worked on special projects for the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute and was conference director for the MGGA's Cold Climate Grape and Wine Conference. She and her husband own a farm in Cannon Falls, where they use sustainable practices for crop supplementation and for disease and insect control. Woodbeck, of Excelsior, is a member of the Sustainable Farming Association and a board member for Lakewinds Natural Foods Co-op and the Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners. All three will serve on the board through August 2012. MISA is a partnership between the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota; the Sustainers' Coalition, a group of individuals and non-profit organizations; and University of Minnesota Extension. MISA brings together the diverse interests of the agricultural community with interests from across the University community in a cooperative effort to develop and promote sustainable agriculture in Minnesota and beyond. Its board of directors includes equal representation of sustainable agriculture practitioners, university representatives, and representatives from the sustainable agriculture community including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and citizens. More from this state at: Minnesota Ag Connection Copyright © 2010 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.