April 10, 2025

You're invited! The Prior Lake News Compass will host a community meeting on Tuesday, April 15, at the Twin Oaks Middle School Media Center, 15860 Fish Point Rd., Prior Lake, from 7 to 8 p.m. which will include an update on how our volunteer-led project has progressed since starting three months ago. We're also looking for volunteers! If you're interested in helping us with news/event reporting, photography, advertising sales or fundraising, please join us to learn more.

April 10, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

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TOP STORY

Matt Arends has been putting in long days readying Spring Lake Farm for this year's busy season.

From farm to table, Prior Lake native returns to roots

Matt Arends is an environmentalist and entrepreneur, but he best known for turning taking a small garden plot of land and within a short time, turn it into a thriving business committed to organic growing practices.

Arends operates Spring Lake Farm located on the edge of Prior Lake off Panama Avenue, and his client base of local residents looking for healthy food choices has grown dramatically in a short time. The farm is located next to Queen Beez, which is owned by Crystal Wohler and specializes in decorative fresh plants and flowers. The two were correct in assuming their respective businesses would complement each other in drawing similar clientele.

Now in its fourth full growing season, the farm specializes in regenerative, organic growing practices through which a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables are grown, harvested and sold locally throughout much of the year. Business grew so rapidly, Arends purchased additional acreage south of Prior Lake last year and is in the process of constructing three new greenhouses while preparing for the 2025 planting season.

He returned to Prior Lake in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After studying international affairs at Princeton University, his career path led him to working at various organizations in Europe, Tanzania and both coasts of the U.S. His experiences living abroad allowed him to compare traditional foods and norms. Arends found those living in Europe usually buy small quantities of groceries throughout the week, which allowed them to regularly eat fresh foods rather than those that are canned and preserved with chemicals.

"The quality of food is so much better there," Arends said. "I felt significantly better because I had access to fresh food all of the time."