Meet the Board
At Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, our nonprofit organization is driven by a dedicated team of individuals who are passionate about enhancing our local food system. Our board members, comprised of local food leaders from various sectors across North Iowa, play a crucial role in shaping the direction and initiatives of our organization. With a focus on high-level strategy, oversight, and accountability, our board ensures that we continue to connect, educate, and support our local food community effectively. Interested in joining? Email board@healthyharvestni.com.
Shannon Jensen, Chair
Hilary Kollasch, Vice-Chair
Hilary and her husband, Matt, own and operate Kollasch Family Farms where they raise cattle, pigs, chickens and certified organic crops in Kossuth County. Their farm has special focus on soil health incorporating regenerative practices into their operation as the platform for all of their products. She is passionate about raising her family in a rural setting creating strong values based around local, nutrient dense foods. She helps her kids manage their own portion of the farm, Kollasch Kids Coop, providing pastured eggs to the community. After 8+ years, their farm business continues to be progressive, expanding to offer farm based body products and most recently, Kollasch Feeds, supplying high quality feeds and ingredients to help other small farms reach their full potential.
L. Timothy Knutson, Treasurer
Tim is a retired healthcare administrator having spent his career in management positions with rural hospitals and urban physician groups. His most recent employment prior to his retirement was with a large, multi-specialty physician group practice in Fort Worth, Texas. When he retired, he and his wife (now deceased) moved back to Tim’s family farm in northern Iowa where they had built a new home. The farm’s tillable acres are all in CRP, most planted with a pollinator blend of native plants to attract bees and butterflies. In addition to Tim’s hobby of restoring old Ford tractors, he has two bee hives and two Norwegian Forest Cats to keep him company. He is the father of two adult children, a son and a daughter.
Jackie Armstrong, Secretary
Jackie Armstrong is a retired attorney. She and her husband steward land on the Cedar River and volunteer for soil and water conservation, climate change mitigation, and Meals on Wheels.
Joanne Roepke Bode, Member
Joanne Roepke Bode lives in rural Algona where she and her husband Beany own and operate Bode’s Moonlight Gardens. Their family raises 2 acres of diverse vegetables for the Kossuth County Farmers Market, where Joanne serves as the market manager. They also grow pumpkins, and offer u-pick pumpkins, gourds and squash on the farm every weekend in October.
Ron Rachut, Member
