Produce cooler building workshop for small farms

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety 

Join UMN Extension for a hands-on workshop on building on-farm produce coolers. Coolers are critical for maintaining produce quality and safety, but for many small farms, new coolers can be expensive and can seem complex to build and maintain.

Image: Cool-Bot and an AC in a walk in cooler

Image credit: Cool-Bot

This field day will walk participants through the process of putting together disassembled and used cooler panels to make a produce cooler, installing an AC and using a Cool-Bot controller unit to turn the AC into a cooling unit.

Participants will participate in all aspects of building the cooler from start to finish.  You will leave with a list of materials and suppliers and the ability to build your own low-cost produce cooler. Plan to wear work clothes, get dirty, and learn together!

This workshop will be led in English. If you require translation, please reach out to the organizers at least 3 days prior to the event date. Space is limited due to the hands-on nature of the workshop. Other field days will be hosted this spring and summer, so if you do not get into this event, please try again for a future date.

Date: April 16th, 2026, 10:00 - 3:00

Location: Indoors at 1390 Eckles Ave, St. Paul, MN

To Register: https://z.umn.edu/CoolerBuildDayApril16

Cost: $15 per farm. Scholarships available upon request.

Lunch will be served. 

This workshop is supported by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.