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: 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…
Read MoreToday 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…
Read MoreOnly 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…
Read MoreIt’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…
Read MoreBy 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…
Read MoreAs 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…
Read MoreWho 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 MoreWho 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 MoreWho 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 MoreFor 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…
Read MoreOur Blog
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DGA Update: Data Show Resilient Dairy Farms Typically Smaller, High-Quality & Well-Planned
Recently 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 MoreDGA Update: MDA Report Illustrates Issues Facing Emerging Farmers
The 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 MoreDGA Update: Grazing Innovation Center Now Open to the Public
Dairy 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 MoreDGA Update: Hiring Support Another Benefit Provided to Master Graziers
Farmers 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 MoreSolberg on Soil: Wide-Row Corn Can Generate Two Income Streams
There 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 MoreSolberg on Soil: Let Progress Affect Your Farm Goals: Measure & Monitor for Regenerative Success
“Are we there yet?” is the all-too-familiar phrase heard from the back seat of the car during a family road trip. Similar questions have arisen from farmers who have started down a journey of soil regeneration wondering about their progress. I don’t recall who stated it first, but “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”…
Read MoreSolberg on Soil: The Basics of Creating Wildlife Habitat
Creating wildlife habitat is often cited among landowners and farmers as a reason to alter management on their land, including moving to a focus on soil health. For some species generalists such as deer, downy woodpeckers and Canada geese, this is easy as they can thrive in suburban areas, golf courses and parks as well…
Read MoreSolberg on Soil: Small Grains Can Work in Crop Rotation
Corn and soybean farmers question the financial ability of adding small grains, namely wheat, into their crop rotation. Dr. David Hooker presents some interesting work on calculating returns when adding wheat inter-seeded with red clover to the corn and soybean rotation. While the video is a few years old, he stands by the thought process…
Read MoreNew Minnesota-Grown Company to Provide Alternative Seed Source for Farmers
This summer, a new seed company, North Circle Seeds, is breaking ground with its circle of seed growers and farmer partners, to provide regionally-adapted seed grown using chemical-free, organic practices. Zachary Paige, the company’s founder, designed the business around a need for greater seed diversity at a time when over 65 percent of the world’s…
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