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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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 MoreBy 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…
Read MoreExperts from near and far will convene in Mankato for the 11th annual Midwest Soil Health Summit on March 13 & 14, 2024 to dig into “Managing for Profit: Soil Health Principles as a Profit Strategy.” Meet Burke Teichert Burke Teichert is one such expert who attendees will hear from during a keynote presentation, breakout session, and at our…
Read MoreJoin the Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI) and Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) on January 18th in Alexandria for a discussion on improving farm resiliency through alternative forages and forage management. Four area dairy farmers will be sharing strategies around forage selection and grazing management that they have seen increase the ability of their farm to weather the recent…
Read MoreThis Thursday, November 16 marks Minnesota’s ‘biggest giving holiday.’ Early givers have already rounded up a total of $10,500 for our Give to the Max campaign! TWO Generous donors — one a Minnesota-based family foundation and the other a corporate community fund — are putting up a $20,000 match. Our lofty goal is to fully match…
Read MoreWe have exciting news! TWO Generous donors — one a Minnesota-based family foundation and the other a corporate community fund — are putting up a $20,000 match for our Give to the Max campaign. Our lofty goal is to fully match these funds, and raise a total of $40,000 for our 2024 programming. Early giving has begun,…
Read MoreCome one, come all! Registration for the 2024 Annual Conference is open. We can’t wait to reconvene with hundreds of you farmers, ag professionals, aspiring growers, homesteaders, and local foods supporters. Join us at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph on Saturday, February 10, 2024. Members can take advantage of a $25 Early Bird discount. Register…
Read MoreTwin Cities Metro Growers Network event, September 11, 2023 Writing and photos by Lia Spaniolo, University of Minnesota Extension Educator “Prepping the beds” and “harvesting” are Nana’s and Malachi’s responses when asked about their favorite farming activity on the farm. They both are youth interns who work at Urban Roots, a non-profit organization based on…
Read MoreOur last pasture walk of the season with Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship will be held Thursday, October 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in La Crescent, Minn. Click here to register. Meet Angie Walter at Enchanted Meadows, an organic, pasture-based dairy in La Crescent. Chad & Melissa Crowley and Art & Jean Thicke milk Ayrshires here on the Mississippi…
Read MoreSFA is bringing a café chat to Granite Falls! Join us at Falls Cafe & Canoe on Tuesday, October 24 from 12:00-1:30 PM for lunch and a casual conversation featuring the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program as well as SFA’s popular On-Farm Consulting services. Come to this informal gathering for lunch during the busy harvest season and a chance to have a…
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…
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…
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