Annual Conference
Saturday, February 11, 2023
Gorecki Conference Center
College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph
Early bird registration is now open!
$50 for current SFA members, $75 for nonmembers. Ends December 31, 2022. Prices go up by $25 on January 1, 2023!
Emerging Farmers: Free
Children's program (ages 5-12): $10
Lunch ticket in St. Ben's excellent cafeteria: $15. (You may also do lunch on your own.)
Register HERE.
With topics including:
- Fruit & Vegetable Soil Health and Profitability
- Grazing Strategies
- "Burn the Box" Changing Ag Paradigms
- Beekeeping
- Farm Profitability
- Emerging Farmer Resources
- Climate Adaptability
- New Cooperative Marketing Models
- and more!
Full schedule coming soon.
Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities
Please consider partnering with us on SFA's flagship event for farmer-to-farmer education and networking.
More information and an application form are HERE.
Our 2023 Sponsors
BLOOM SPONSORS
Afternoon Social Sponsor
A community owned grocery store with 3 locations in the Twin Cities Metro area, Lakewinds' mission is to promote sustainable agriculture, support local makers. and nourish our community. No membership required to shop, and all are welcome!
Opening Plenary Session Sponsor
SAPLING SPONSORS
A voluntary opportunity for farmers and ag landowners to take the lead in conservation practices that protect our water while obtaining regulatory certainty for 10 years.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture mission is to enhance all Minnesotans' quality of life by equitably ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment and the strength and resilience of our agricultural community.
SEED SPONSORS
Solar Electric (PV) design, sales and installation.
A look back at our 2022 conference:
Why attend our Annual Conference? Take it from these farmers:
Our Blog
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Winter can be the most expensive time to own a cow in the Midwest. As the season changes, five of our staff who also raise beef and dairy cows gathered to share the ways that they’ve found to reduce the cost (and labor) of wintering cattle on their unique operations. All five live in different…
Read MoreFinding ways to integrate livestock back on the landscape has the potential to significantly benefit farmers, the environment and rural communities. From creating opportunities for beginning farmers, to improving the soil, to helping make cover crops profitable, livestock are often a missing piece in Midwestern agricultural systems, where the grazing of vast herds of bison…
Read MoreI attended a talk at the Pollinator Summit last year where one of the speakers said something that really stuck in my head as a high drama moment: “It makes no sense. We rake up all of our leaves, bag them up, put them on the sidewalk, or throw them away, and then spend hundreds…
Read MoreWe are very excited about the partnership we have formed with Kiss the Ground, an organization based out of California that shares our passion for soil regeneration! Their Farmland scholarship provides soil health training, soil testing and consulting to farmers here in Minnesota. The Sustainable Farming Association is acting as their Minnesota boots-on-the-ground to help…
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Read More“We want a vast array of solar collectors out there.” Kent Solberg and Doug Voss are striving to get as much plant diversity in their pastures as possible. The benefits for animal performance, soil microbes, profitability, resiliency, and the function of the ecosystem as a whole are exponential. In fact, “increase diversity” is the third…
Read MoreLakisha Witter of Live Organically, Oak Grove, shared her farm journey in the TC Grower’s most recent “Grower Spotlight.” Witter, who purchased her farm in 2018, detailed the challenges and successes of her first two seasons, as well as her plans for the future including soil health and organic matter building, expanding markets, and a…
Read MoreWhen Kent Solberg and his wife first got started where they farm today, the soil biology had been so degraded that there were corn stalks on the ground from six years before, unable to decompose. You might say he has a bit of first-hand experience with land renovation! Kent and Doug Voss give an overview…
Read MoreAs the weather gets crisp, I find myself thinking of Halloween and what great costumes I could make with a bucket of papier-mâché and a will to create. Even though Halloween will likely be different this year as everything has been, that’s no reason not to come up with a stellar costume. And what better…
Read MoreIn a past Connect Newsletter, I shared how important it is to keep your soil covered in hot times. Sunshine and heat can kill your soil biology fast, not to mention the erosion that can come when your soil is not protected. Today I will share a few simple ideas for how to keep your…
Read MoreOur Blog
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Pasture Walk Series to Begin in Otter Tail County
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Read MoreGrowing sales while building up a farm and a family
Market more effectively with Charlotte Smith on April 18 By Jonathan Kilpatrick • Farmer Education Director Before working for SFA, I managed a ranch that sold grass fed meats direct-to-consumer. It was around the time I started that position that I came across some of Charlotte Smith’s marketing resources and podcast, “The Profitable Mindset Podcast.”…
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Ford: They pay me, but I’d go anyway. By Jerry Ford • Chapter & Events Coordinator Why have I gone to 9 of the 10 Midwest Soil Health Summits so far? Well, yes, as many of you know, they pay me to. After all, I’m the EVENTS & Chapter Coordinator for SFA, and I manage the logistics…
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By Jerry Ford • Chapter & Events Coordinator The SFA Annual Conference is Saturday, February 10, 2024 in St. Joseph, and we’re looking for some volunteers. Most needed are people to help with our Conference Kids program. This is the only volunteer position that comes with free registration for the conference, so sign up early. Shifts are 90…
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