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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‘Give to the Max’ and help us transform agriculture

By SFA of MN | Nov 21, 2024 |

By: Lucinda Winter Executive Director Today is Give to the Max Day! Minnesota’s annual giving holiday is always a sure sign that the year is coming to a close. This has been a year of growth and evolution for SFA. Through our newly refined mission and strategic plan, we are focusing on what we do best: providing boot-on-the-ground…

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Thursday is Give to the Max Day

By SFA of MN | Nov 20, 2024 |

Today is the final day of early giving before Give to the Max Day! Give your gift to support our general fund today on our Give to the Max page or SFA’s website. Thanks to a generous match provided by board directors, staff, and members every donation up to $5,000 will be doubled! SFA has forged a reputation as a…

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Your impact doubled during Give to the Max!

By SFA of MN | Nov 18, 2024 |

Only three more days until Give to the Max Day! This year, we’re focusing our Give to the Max contributions on our vital general fund. SFA’s mission of transforming agriculture one farm at a time is driven by our dedicated team. We maintain a lean operating structure with four core staff members supplemented by role-specific…

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Support SFA this Give to the Max Day!

By SFA of MN | Nov 16, 2024 |

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…

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An assuring blast from the past

By SFA of MN | Nov 8, 2024 |

By 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…

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“It’s one of the organizations I’m really proud to be a member of.”

By SFA of MN | Oct 30, 2024 |

As 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…

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Who are SFA members? Meet Bianca Goncalves Da Costa.

By SFA of MN | Oct 24, 2024 |

Who 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…

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Who are SFA members? Meet Dayna Burtness.

By SFA of MN | Oct 24, 2024 |

Who 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 More

Who are SFA members? Meet Tom Barthel.

By SFA of MN | Oct 23, 2024 |

Who 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 More

Join SFA during our Fall New Member Drive!

By SFA of MN | Oct 21, 2024 |

For 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…

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Our Blog

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Conventional to Kernza®: A Soil Health Journey

By kfeterl | Dec 17, 2021

Kaleb Anderson is the third generation of his family farm in Goodhue, Minnesota, and grew up with a conventional ag background. Living in the Driftless region, soil degradation and erosion were always a big concern. Since moving back onto the farm in 2006, Anderson has adjusted practices and diversified the business. He would say that…

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From the Executive Director: Celebrating World Soil Health

By lwinter | Dec 14, 2021

World Soil Day has been observed annually on December 5th since 2014, when the United Nations General Assembly designated that date as the official first. Every year since, this annual observation has been designed to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. Reading stories…

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Payments for Hauling Water and Feed to Pasture

By awalter | Dec 13, 2021

Attention to livestock producers with pasture: as a result of the drought we had this summer, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) has edited the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish program (ELAP) and it will now give producers payments for hauling water and feed to livestock on pasture. The payments are easy to…

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Luhman: What do you want to know about livestock?

By jluhman | Dec 3, 2021

Agriculture is so incredibly broad and diverse! Within crop farming there are so many crops and grains that a farmer can produce. As a livestock farmer you can produce a handful of species options, either grazed, or in more conventional feedlot methods. You can market directly to consumers, or on a commodity market, or in…

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Dirt Rich: (Pastured) Turkey Talk

By kfeterl | Nov 25, 2021

This week on Dirt Rich, we’re revisiting our episode on the bird of the hour: turkeys! Kathy Zeman pasture-raises a veritable menagerie: goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, turkeys, broilers, hens, meat rabbits, and honeybees graze her twenty acres at Simple Harvest Farm Organics. The array of animals she raises now ensures she never has to…

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Build farm resilience when you Give to the Max

By jluhman | Nov 15, 2021

My name is Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead for the Sustainable Farming Association, SFA member, and grazier in southeast Minnesota. 2021 was a challenging year for farmers across the state. With Covid increasing the demand for local meat along with shortages of processing and possibly the worst drought in decades, we were challenged. The thing…

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Dirt Rich: Studying Soil Health

By kfeterl | Nov 11, 2021

On this week’s episode of Dirt Rich, Dr. Anna Cates, the State Soil Health Specialist for the Minnesota Office for Soil Health (MOSH), discusses the roles and interplay of both scientific research and anecdotes in soil health education and implementation with host Jared Luhman. In her opinion, both are quite valuable in making the case…

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Dirt Rich: Field Notes

By kfeterl | Nov 6, 2021

We’re shaking things up! My cohost and colleague Jared Luhman and I are playing the roles of both guests and hosts (ghosts?) in today’s episode. Join us for some “field notes” as we reflect on the past year: drought challenges and lessons, in-field experiences across the state, hopeful moments, and observations from different spaces in…

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Luhman: Lightening the Load

By jluhman | Nov 5, 2021

So often people fear that in order to improve their soil health and regenerate their soil it will come at the expense of their profitability and the success of their farming business. And while it is true that adopting regenerative farming practices can be a learning experience, and sometimes that comes with yield hits or…

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