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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This summer, a new seed company, North Circle Seeds, is breaking ground with its circle of seed growers and farmer partners, to provide regionally-adapted seed grown using chemical-free, organic practices. Zachary Paige, the company’s founder, designed the business around a need for greater seed diversity at a time when over 65 percent of the world’s…
Read MoreBy Scott Haase Editor’s Note: Scott Haase is a member of the SFA Board of Directors. He wrote this article for the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance. Contact Scott at scott@bluedirtfarm.com. For years, I’ve been watching the Blue Earth River wildly fluctuating in terms of its flow. It can be nearly dried up and then a…
Read MoreDairy farmers are struggling with low milk prices. A large cost for dairy producers is rearing replacement heifers. Depending upon whose numbers you look at it costs between $1,700-$2,400 to raise a heifer to first lactation. This is not financially competitive given current heifer market values ($800-$1,000/head). Managed grazing can be an effective means to…
Read MoreDr. Mike Lehmann, who spoke at the 2016 Midwest Soil Health Summit, is featured in this three-video series that explores how a diversity of microbes in healthy soil can accelerate decomposition. Spoiler alert: the cotton undies decomposed faster in the more diverse crop rotation. View the videos on our Soil Health Videos page (to order…
Read MoreMinnesota has over 650,000 acres of unmanaged farm woodlands that are being grazed by livestock but are yielding limited economic and environmental benefits. Without active management of livestock, forage and trees, this practice produces limited forage, lower weight gain, environmental challenges and little to no soil health benefits. That statistic was shared at SFA’s Greater…
Read MoreWade Dooley is a sixth-generation farmer who operates Glenwood Century Farm in Albion, Iowa. Since 2015, he and seven other cooperating farmers in Iowa and Minnesota have participated in a grazing cover crops trial to dig into the benefits of grazing diverse cover crops with cattle. Wade and the other cooperators wanted to quantify just…
Read MoreOur Blog
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Drink for a Cause!
On Tuesday, May 21 from 4:00-7:00 p.m., you can support a sustainable future for Minnesota farmers (and eaters like you) just by grabbing a drink or dinner at Wooden Hill Brewing Company in Edina. 10% of all taproom sales will go directly to SFA’s programming! Wooden Hill has an extensive selection of beers, hard seltzers, ‘beertails,’ and several non-alcoholic options.…
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It’s safe to say that spring is here (although, you never know in Minnesota), and we are excited to be kicking off our season of pasture tomorrow! On the fourth Thursday of each month, SFA will host an engaging pasture walk with a specific focus at various Minnesota farms. All of the walks will be free to…
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.”…
Read MoreTwo new Member Benefits are live!
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Read MoreShape the future of SFA
By Liz Morris-Otto, SFA Board President SFA has been hard at work for months now, crafting a strategic plan to guide our work for the next few years. To guide that effort, we’d like to know who you are, where you come from, where you are headed – and how we can help you get…
Read MoreMidwest Soil Health Summit benefits farmers across scales; crops
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 Jared Luhman • Soil Health & Grazing Lead Over the past year I have taken a significant step back from my responsibilities with SFA to focus on farming with my family! However, I have stayed involved to assist Jonathan and the team in the planning of our Midwest Soil Health Summit! This is one of…
Read MoreVolunteer at the Annual Conference
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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