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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Editor’s Note: Megan Benage of New Ulm is the Regional Ecologist for the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, where she works to conserve and restore prairies, grasslands, and savannas with a focus on diversity, pollinators, and working collaboratively with agriculture producers to integrate conservation across the landscape. This will be a recurring feature. Beyond Your…
Read MoreWe’re excited to announce the debut of SFA’s new podcast series: Dirt Rich. Each episode will bring you a seasonal conversation on food and farming, and highlight the regenerative agriculture work in Minnesota. As you know, there’s a wealth of knowledge in the farmer-to-farmer network, and plenty of people willing to share their experiences. Farmers,…
Read MoreA few weeks ago I asked for you to share what you’ve been doing on your farms with me and I wanted to share this short story of what Bil and Alise of Under The Sun Herbs have been up to on their farm. Below follows their account of their farm projects this spring. It’s…
Read MoreThe Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship has some exciting news to share! DGA has been approved as a national vendor for FSA’s Borrower Training Program. Farm Service Agency, which requires financial management training for its beginning farmer loan agreements, has approved DGA to provide that training nationwide. FSA works with local and national vendors to help borrowers…
Read MoreBy Dan Zimmerli • SFA Community Organizer & Outreach Coordinator Developing skills and learning new ones is crucial to not only being a good farmer but also being a good leader. With that in mind, SFA has begun working on curating a list of events, trainings, workshops, and webinars that are excellent resources to develop…
Read MoreRecently I attended the Women in Ag Conference in Willmar, where I attended several sessions on farm topics. There was one that really hit home with me. It was called, “Building Resilient Dairy Farms.” Agricultural resilience is about equipping farmers to absorb and recover from shocks and stresses to their agricultural production and livelihoods. Right…
Read MoreThe demographic of farmers is changing as more women and minority groups are getting involved in agriculture. The Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture has been busy making a plan to help these emerging farmers; Patrice Bailey, MDA assistant commissioner, started by hosting six listening sessions around the state to discover how we can help advance the…
Read MoreDairy Grazing Apprenticeship has its own course offering that has been traditionally for apprentices going through the DGA program, the Managed Grazing Innovation Center. It is also now available to Masters, Interns, and the public for the first time! The MGIC currently has seven different offerings. In the fall, you can take Dairy Cattle Health…
Read MoreFarmers are busy people who often don’t have extra time in their day. If you are a Master Grazier in the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program, DGA will advertise a job opening for you! This is one of the many advantages of being involved with DGA as a Master Grazier. DGA wants to help you find…
Read MoreThere has been considerable buzz about 60-inch corn rows, and several Minnesota producers are dabbling with this idea. Here’s an article summarizing what some Iowa innovators are learning. If you grow crops and have beef or dairy replacements you would like to graze on corn stubble, wide-row corn with interseeded cover crops may generate two income streams…
Read MoreOur Blog
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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…
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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…
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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…
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