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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Mid-year State of the Association Report

By SFA of MN | Jul 10, 2025 |

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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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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Our Blog

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Quick Cover Crops Guide and other New Soil Health Resources

By kfeterl | Aug 25, 2021

A few new soil health resources for growers have been added to our website in the past few months, created by Conservation Connector Sarah Lindblom. The newest is a Quick Cover Crops Guide that can help you identify your needs in the context of the land you’re working with, and the cover crops that may…

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Luhman: Drought Resources

By jluhman | Aug 24, 2021

I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit of information that may be helpful during this drought we are experiencing in 2021. Forage and hay is in short supply and when it can be found it is expensive. If you are in need of forage, there are a few places that you…

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DGA Update: Fair Season Celebrates Farmers

By awalter | Aug 20, 2021

It’s fair season in MN!  Next week is the start of the Minnesota State Fair.  The first Minnesota State Fair was held in 1859 near what became downtown Minneapolis. This was a year after Minnesota was granted statehood.  During the fair’s early years, the site of the exposition changed annually with stops in Minneapolis, St.…

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Podcast: Growing Grazing Dairy Farmers

By kfeterl | Aug 18, 2021

Angie Walter and her husband Nate run an organic dairy in Central Minnesota, and are also masters in the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program. Today’s episode of Dirt Rich features them in conversation with their first apprentice, Ryan Heinen, who now manages a dairy in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His passion for ecology and restoration led him to…

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Beyond Your Backyard: We’re going deep–underground, that is

By mbenage | Aug 15, 2021

When you look at a prairie, most people are distracted by the majestic grasses and beautiful blooming wildflowers. You can spend hours watching bees busily collecting pollen and monarchs glide through the prairie. It’s mesmerizing and soothing watching all this wildlife work. And while all this work is going on aboveground, there’s an incredible amount…

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Dirt Rich: Pastured Pork & an Incubator Farm

By kfeterl | Aug 10, 2021

“What else is livestock farming but sort of a dance and a balance between farmer happiness, livestock happiness, and soil health happiness?” Dayna Burtness discusses her “pastured pig-centric farm,” marketing enterprise, and incubator farm near Spring Grove, in the Driftless region of Minnesota. Dayna is the sixth generation in her family to farm in Houston…

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DGA Update: The Pasture Productivity Pail

By awalter | Aug 9, 2021

I attended a field day last week about the Pasture Productivity Pail (PPP). This pail contains a set of tools used to make informed decisions on pasture management and improvement. It is modeled after and complements the NRCS Soil Health Bucket. The PPP provides additional information on many above-ground factors that influence pasture productivity. It…

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Luhman: Drought

By jluhman | Aug 5, 2021

I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit of information that may be helpful during this drought we are experiencing in 2021. Forage and hay is in short supply and when it can be found it is expensive. If you are in need of forage, there are a few places that you…

Read More

From the Executive Director: Field Day Series Previews Soil Data Project Findings

By SFA of MN | Aug 2, 2021

The first three in a series of five field days to discuss soil health research featured farmer-led programs at the Michael Larson Farm in Stephen, Doubting Thomas Farm near Moorhead with Noreen Thomas, the Pfarr farm near Lamberton with Brain and Bill Pfarr and Grant & Dawn Breitkreutz’s Stoney Creek Farm near Redwood Falls. The…

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