Annual Conference

Annual-Conference-Logo

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.

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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

Lakewinds Co-op

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

Compeer

SAPLING SPONSORS

MAWQCP

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.

MN Department of Agriculture

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 Farm LLC

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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Savanna Restoration: A Multiyear Project

By tbarthel | Mar 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Savanna Restoration: A Multiyear Project

By Tom Barthel • Snake River Farm Editor’s Note: Tom Barthel is a longtime SFA member and owner/operator at Snake River Farm in Becker, Minn. A stalwart sustainable farmer and soil health expert, Tom writes often for his farm website and has shared the following article with SFA. You can get in touch with Tom by…

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From the Executive Director: Silvopasture is Next-Level Soil Health

By SFA of MN | Jan 25, 2019 | Comments Off on From the Executive Director: Silvopasture is Next-Level Soil Health

Minnesota 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…

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Rumination, Various Coats Help Differing Species Survive Winter

By tbarthel | Jan 24, 2019 | Comments Off on Rumination, Various Coats Help Differing Species Survive Winter

By Tom Barthel • Snake River Farm Editor’s Note: Tom Barthel is a longtime SFA member and owner/operator at Snake River Farm in Becker, Minn. A stalwart sustainable farmer and soil health expert, Tom writes often for his farm website and has shared the following article with SFA. You can get in touch with Tom by…

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Restoring Savannas With Bison

By tbarthel | Jan 24, 2019 | Comments Off on Restoring Savannas With Bison

By Tom Barthel • Snake River Farm Editor’s Note: Tom Barthel is a longtime SFA member and owner/operator at Snake River Farm in Becker, Minn. A stalwart sustainable farmer and soil health expert, Tom writes often for his farm website and has shared the following article with SFA. You can get in touch with Tom by…

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Animal Gender and the Taste of Meat

By tbarthel | Jan 24, 2019 | Comments Off on Animal Gender and the Taste of Meat

By Tom Barthel • Snake River Farm Editor’s Note: Tom Barthel is a longtime SFA member and owner/operator at Snake River Farm in Becker, Minn. A stalwart sustainable farmer and soil health expert, Tom writes often for his farm website and has shared the following article with SFA. You can get in touch with Tom by…

Read More

New Resources and Lessons Learned in Grazing Cover Crops: Save Money, Build Soil Health

By SFA of MN | Jan 15, 2019 | Comments Off on New Resources and Lessons Learned in Grazing Cover Crops: Save Money, Build Soil Health

Wade 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…

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Tiffany Tripp of Graise Farm: SFA Beginning Farmer Training Gave Us Skills to Succeed

By SFA of MN | Jan 16, 2018 | Comments Off on Tiffany Tripp of Graise Farm: SFA Beginning Farmer Training Gave Us Skills to Succeed

Editor’s Note: SFA board of directors member Tiffany Tripp wrote the following in the Faribault Daily News, where she writes an occasional column. We knew little to nothing about raising poultry or pigs when my partner Andy and I started farming three years ago. A fellow farmer suggested that we attend a local meeting for…

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In Memoriam: Ralph Lentz

By SFA of MN | Oct 5, 2017 | Comments Off on In Memoriam: Ralph Lentz

By Audrey Arner Founding SFA President Ralph Lentz, 88, of Lake City, Minn., passed away Sun., Oct. 1, at Lake City Care Center. Early in his career he taught high school Earth science in Henderson and in 1965 moved to Lake City and bought a farm outside of town. He was an agricultural teacher as…

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Solberg on Soil: Cover Crop Videos Worth Watching

By SFA of MN | Jul 20, 2017 | Comments Off on Solberg on Soil: Cover Crop Videos Worth Watching

By Kent Solberg • SFA Livestock & Grazing Specialist Innovation in cover crops and crop rotations in this video may be a stretch for much of Minnesota, but something along these lines may hold potential in southern part of the state under right conditions and variety selection. It’s worth watching just to get the creative…

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From the Executive Director: Soil Health Can Fix Modern Agriculture

By SFA of MN | Jul 6, 2017 | Comments Off on From the Executive Director: Soil Health Can Fix Modern Agriculture

Editor’s Note: This column appeared July 7, 2017, in the Mankato Free Press under the headline, “My View: Farming can be sustainable and profitable.”  Scott Haase works on his family farm in Faribault County, where most farmers grow corn and soybeans using methods they’ve been encouraged to use for decades. It’s become conventional wisdom: government…

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Our Blog

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New Funding to Support Our Farmer-to-Farmer Mission

By SFA of MN | Jun 4, 2025

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…

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Facing Drought: Tough Decisions and Smart Solutions for Graziers

By SFA of MN | May 12, 2025

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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Preparing for Drought in the Pasture

By SFA of MN | May 7, 2025

By Kent Solberg • Senior Technical Advisor Even with pastures greening up fast, 2025 is shaping up to be another drought year.  Much of Minnesota (>74%) is still rated as Abnormally Dry or Moderate Drought according to the US Drought Monitor.  Most of Minnesota was dry last fall and the snowpack for much of the…

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Five Summer Festivals

By SFA of MN | May 7, 2025

By Jerry Ford • Chapter & Events Coordinator Five SFA chapters host a local foods-centered festival each year, and they are all busily preparing for their 2025 events. Learn more about each one at www.sfa-mn.org/festivals. Here are a few ways you can get involved: ADMISSIONS:  Tickets are on sale or will be soon. BE A…

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Farm Day Growers & Makers Markets

By SFA of MN | May 7, 2025

This summer, SFA and Lift Bridge Brewing Company are partnering to host a series of monthly local Growers & Makers markets! Every third Saturday from June through September, we will be showcasing the best in local produce, meat, cheese, pickled veggies, and hot sauce, as well as amazing talented artists, craftspeople, and vendors. Market Dates:…

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Learn how to raise your own meat chickens this summer!

By SFA of MN | Apr 7, 2025

You’ve probably heard that chickens are the gateway into Homesteading life. There’s a reason! Raising your own chicken meat and eggs requires fairly minimal inputs and infrastructure to begin on your own.  With egg and meat prices on the rise, this summer sounds like a great time to begin raising your own! We’ll talk specifically about: This…

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Expanding our perspectives, addressing pressing issues at the Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit

By SFA of MN | Mar 6, 2025

By Jonathan Kilpatrick  • Farmer Education Director It’s hard to believe that in just two weeks, we’ll be right in the middle of the inaugural Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit! Still on the fence (no pun intended) about attending? Let me give you a few reasons—beyond our all-star lineup of speakers—why you should reconsider. Beyond the session…

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Member Spotlight: Caroline Hegstrom & Growing Organic Farming

By SFA of MN | Mar 6, 2025

By Katie Feterl • Communications Director Like all SFA farmers, Caroline Hegstrom wears many hats. She is a very active member of our Association Board, serving both as the delegate for the Lake Superior Chapter and the Board secretary. Out in the field, she runs The Boreal Farm in Duluth (organic vegetable and flower CSAs;…

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New Member Discount with Red Wing Shoes

By SFA of MN | Mar 4, 2025

We’re excited to announce another great benefit to SFA membership, a 10% discount on Red Wing Shoes! This member-exclusive discount will save SFA members 10% on all IN STORE purchases of regularly priced Red Wing Brand footwear. When you visit a Red Wing retailer, you’ll be measured for an accurate fit to ensure maximum comfort…

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