Jack Hedin has been a vegetable farmer his entire adult life. Hedin founded Featherstone Farm with his family in 1994, while a resident of rural Winona County. The farm grew from 3 rented acres servicing two farmers markets, to its current scale of 140 acres of vegetables, 50 seasonal employees, and distribution throughout the upper Midwest. Featherstone Farm moved to rural Fillmore County in 2008 following a devastating flood the previous year. Hedin became a vocal advocate on issues of agriculture and the environment in the early 2000s, writing and lobbying on topics from federal farm policy and land use to climate change and immigration. He and Jenni McHugh raised 3 boys on and around the farm; all 3 graduated from Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS). Hedin retired from active management of the farm business in 2025, turning operations over to a team of managers. Hedin was elected to the (WAPS) board in 2024.