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
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
It’s nearly time for Minnesota’s state-wide giving holiday: Give to the Max! We are thrilled to share that a group of generous board directors, staff, and donors have put up $5,000 to match your donations, dollar for dollar. Click here to give. The official Give to the Max day is scheduled for November 21, but early giving…
Read MoreBy Katie Feterl • Communications Director Throughout our Fall New Member Drive, we’ve been sharing member experiences, in their own words. By now you may have seen posts spotlighting folks like Tom Barthel, Dayna Burtness, and Bianca Goncalves Da Costa, among others who shared their reflections in video interviews. With members top of mind and a fresh mission…
Read MoreAs our Fall New Member Drive continues, we wanted to highlight one of the lesser-known benefits of SFA membership: access to innovative research and shared learning! SFA is a leading regional partner in sustainable agriculture research, and our members receive priority in SFA research and education projects. Whether it’s soil health and silvopasture case studies, cultivation…
Read MoreWho are SFA members? We call ourselves the “farmer-to-farmer network,” but our ecosystem is far wider. We attract and partner with people and organizations interested in shifting the agricultural paradigm from an extractive model to a regenerative one. Our 1,300 members include both seasoned and new farmers and ranchers, as well as agricultural educators, agency…
Read MoreWho are SFA members? We call ourselves the “farmer-to-farmer network,” but our ecosystem is far wider. We attract and partner with people and organizations interested in shifting the agricultural paradigm from an extractive model to a regenerative one. Our 1,300 members include both seasoned and new farmers and ranchers, as well as agricultural educators, agency…
Read MoreWho are SFA members? We call ourselves the “farmer-to-farmer network,” but our ecosystem is far wider. We attract and partner with people and organizations interested in shifting the agricultural paradigm from an extractive model to a regenerative one. Our 1,300 members include both seasoned and new farmers and ranchers, as well as agricultural educators, agency…
Read MoreFor more than 30 years the Sustainable Farming Association has brought together Minnesotans interested in improving soil health, growing healthy food, and revitalizing rural communities. Our “Farmer-to-Farmer” network continues to bring together farmers, ranchers, researchers, advocates, ag professionals, and eaters to transform agriculture, one farm at a time. Become a member during SFA’s fall new member drive…
Read MoreBy Lucinda Winter, Executive Director After many months of work by our staff, consultants, board directors and all of you who completed our first-ever survey, I’m delighted to share SFA’s new mission and strategic roadmap with you. This new mission and focus for our work felt necessary at this time. Our previous strategic plan was…
Read MoreOctober is National Co-op month, and while you’re visiting Lakewinds Food Co-op you can also support SFA! Throughout October, you have the opportunity to round up your bill at any of Lakewinds’ three locations (Richfield, Minnetonka, and Chanhassen). Proceeds will go towards our pilot On-Farm Consulting program. Led by fellow farmers, this program is one of the ways we’re…
Read MoreBy Jonathan Kilpatrick • Farmer Education Director For 11 years, the Sustainable Farming Association has proudly hosted the Midwest Soil Health Summit, an educational event developed during a time when soil health was still a budding concept. According to our resident historians, the Summit emerged as a platform for sharing agricultural innovations and assisting farmers…
Read MoreOur Blog
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Dr. Temple Grandin to Keynote the 2026 Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit
…and we are simply over the moon about it. Dr. Grandin’s trailblazing work in the beef cattle industry is world-renowned and part and parcel of today’s agriculture. Throughout her career, Dr. Grandin has studied livestock behavior to develop facility designs, handling equipment, and standards that prioritize animal welfare which are utilized by meat processing plants…
Read MoreSFA at Farm Aid 40
SFA is thrilled to be part of Farm Aid’s 40th annual festival — the first one held in Minnesota! From noon to 5 PM, you’ll find us in “The Fertile Ground” neighborhood of HOMEGROWN Village. We’re demonstrating the differences between soil samples from fields managed conventionally and regeneratively using a slake test. We’re really looking forward to chatting…
Read MoreWelcoming Joel Barr
Meet Joel Barr, our new Market Garden & Farm Management Systems Consultant! Joel owns and operates Abraham’s Table Farm in Sandstone, Minn. which produces and direct markets organic vegetables, pasture raised chicken, eggs, and beef. With over a decade of experience and multiple opportunities to start and build farms, Joel has learned what works and…
Read MoreHarvest Festival celebrates with Food, Farmers, Community
By Julie Allen • Lake Superior Chapter Coordinator Celebrate the harvest season at the 31st Annual Lake Superior Harvest Festival on September 6, 2025, brought to you by the Sustainable Farming Association. From 10am-4pm at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth, come and enjoy the largest farmers market in the region as well as artisan vendors,…
Read MoreWe’re hiring!
October 15, 2025: The application period for this position has closed. SFA is hiring! We’re looking for an experienced Grazier to join our team as Grazing Education Lead. This full-time position is funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to expand regenerative grazing in the Upper Mississippi Watershed. Our ideal candidate has a solid background…
Read MoreApply for $100 per acre/animal unit to implement conservation practices
By Katie Feterl • Communications Director Farmers, ranchers, and landowners operating in eligible counties are invited to apply to participate in the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture program through July 28, 2025! This program offers selected applicants $100/acre or animal unit to implement common conservation practices: You can apply to implement a practice on a maximum of…
Read MoreMid-year State of the Association Report
By Lucinda Winter • Executive Director Those of you who were present at SFA’s February Annual Conference may recall that during my opening remarks I expressed concerns about our 2025 financial stability. The Trump administration had just “frozen” a large number of Federal grant contracts while they were under review, withholding payment for work already…
Read MoreNew Funding to Support Our Farmer-to-Farmer Mission
By Jonathan Kilpatrick, Farmer Education Director SFA is excited to announce two new grant awards that will significantly strengthen our work of transforming agriculture, farmer-to-farmer consulting, and providing adaptive grazing support across the Upper Midwest. First, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has awarded SFA a $260,000 grant: “Expanding Regenerative Grazing in the Upper…
Read MoreFacing Drought: Tough Decisions and Smart Solutions for Graziers
As we look at the weather forecast and study the drought monitor, it appears that we are in for another dry spring and summer in the upper Midwest. According to the drought monitor, about 75% of the state is experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions and it’s only the beginning of May. In a…
Read More