Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit

March 3 & 4, 2026

Willmar Conference Center
Willmar, Minnesota

-> Please note that the dates have shifted slightly. <-

Registration and sponsor information coming mid-November.

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2026 Presenters

Dr. Temple Grandin

We are thrilled to have Dr. Temple Grandin join us as a keynote speaker. 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 and food companies across the industry.

Dr. Grandin is a Distinguished Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, where she has taught and conducted research for over thirty years. Having dedicated her life as a scientist and author to improving livestock handling practices and advancing animal welfare, her myriad of achievements and awards are too numerous to list in full here. They include:

Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Named a "hero" in the TIME 100 2010 issue of 100 most influential people
Meritorious Achievement Award from the Livestock Conservation Institute
Induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Women's Hall of Fame, and Cowgirl Hall of Fame

In addition to her industry accolades, Dr. Grandin is a prominent figure in the autism community. She is the author of several books on visual thinking and her lived experience with autism -- experiences which guided her research and informed her designs. Her life story was the subject of the 2010 HBO biopic Temple Grandin, which starred Claire Danes and won several Emmy awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, a Golden Globe, and Peabody Award.

Keith Berns

Keith Berns has over 25 years of no-till farming and 10 years of teaching Agriculture and Computers. In addition to no-tilling 2,000 acres of irrigated and dryland corn, soybeans, rye, triticale, peas, sunflowers, and buckwheat in South Central Nebraska, he also co-owns and operates Green Cover Seed, one of the major cover crop seed providers and educators in the United States. Through Green Cover Seed, Keith has experimented with over 100 different cover crop types and hundreds of mixes planted into various situations and has learned a great deal about cover crop growth, nitrogen fixation, moisture usage, and grazing utilization of cover crops.

Keith was honored by the White House as a 2016 Champion of Change for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Agriculture. Keith also developed the SmartMix Calculator™, one of the most widely used cover crop selection tools on the internet.

Keith has a Masters Degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Nebraska and teaches on cover crops and soil health more than 40 times per year to various groups and audiences. Keith also was appointed by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts to be part of the Nebraska Healthy Soils Task Force and had the privilege of serving as the chairman.

Jared Luhman

Jared Luhman farms on his family's farm in Goodhue, MN along with his wife Valerie and dad Jon. They raise a herd of 230 registered Red Angus and 50 black angus cattle that are bred to thrive in their environment without the use of expensive inputs. On the crop side they practice no-till, cover cropping and livestock integration.

Their goals are to manage their farm in a way that improves the land under their stewardship, the profitability of their business and the lifestyle that they enjoy. You can learn more about what they do on Jared's Ranching Returns Podcast where he talks to farmers and ranchers across the US who have learned to improve their financial returns, returns to their land resource and returns to their lifestyle through Ranching.

Jason Cavadini

Jason Cavadini is the Grazing Outreach Specialist with the UW-Madison Division of Extension. He conducts research, outreach, and educational programming focused on perennial forages, livestock-integrated cropping systems, and managed-grazing for farms of all scales.

Jason grew up in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin where he developed an appreciation for soil and water conservation farming practices. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Crop & Soil Science from University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and a master’s in Agronomy from Purdue University. Jason is a Certified Professional Agronomist, serves as an advisor to GrassWorks Inc., and operates a cow-calf to finish grazing operation with his wife and five children near Stratford, WI.

More to be announced!

Registration opens mid-November 2025.

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities

Information for sponsoring and exhibiting at the 2026 Summit is coming mid-November.

A Look Back at the 2025 Summit

Thank you to all who joined us at the March 2025 Summit in Willmar!

Check out some highlights below and click here to download a flyer.

Keynote Speakers

The Summit has an exciting lineup of nationally recognized experts, alongside experienced farmers and ranchers from the Midwest. See a few profiles of the keynote speakers and features below, or scope out the full schedule to see it all!

Jim Gerrish

Jim Gerrish is a renowned grazing lands educator, consultant, and writer who works with farmers and ranchers across the US and internationally through American GrazingLands Services LLC.

With over 22 years of experience in beef-forage research at the University of Missouri, Jim played a pivotal role in elevating its Forage Systems Research Center to national prominence. His work laid the foundation for principles of Management-intensive Grazing.

Sessions

Why We Can't Continue Business as Usual

Grazing Management for Targeted Animal Performance

7 Things I Have Learned about Profitable Farming & Ranching Over 45 Years

Melinda Sims

Melinda Sims and her husband are the fourth generation on the ranch at Sims Cattle Company (McFadden, Wyoming), and are actively bringing the fifth generation on. Over her 24 years on the ranch, Melinda has taken on diverse roles, from managing daily operations to overseeing long-term planning and business strategy. Melinda is passionate about helping ranchers build profitable, resilient businesses and is a Ranching for Profit instructor.

Sessions

Profit and Legacy: Ensuring Ranch Viability for Successors

Profitable, Adapted Livestock: The Art of Winter Grazing at 7200’

Brett McRae

Brett and Chantel McRae own and operate McRae Land & Livestock near Brandon, MB. They manage 2,000 acres of land, raising commercial cattle and growing a diverse mix of crops, including cereals, canola, pulses, and corn. Committed to regenerative agriculture, the McRaes focus on soil health, resiliency, and practical field-scale solutions.

Sessions

Corn Grazing 101

Building a Systematized Regenerative Farm

Special Features

Book Signing & Social with Jim Gerrish

Jim has authored three acclaimed books on grazing: Management-intensive Grazing (2004), Kick the Hay Habit (2010), and Keeping it Green: A Handbook for Creating and Managing Irrigated Pasture (2022). He also revised the second edition of Allan Nation’s classic Quality Pasture in 2019. Additionally, he contributes a monthly column to The Stockman Grass-Farmer. Copies of these books will be available for purchase and signing by Jim during our Wednesday Social Hour!

Screening of Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there)

Wednesday night is movie night! Enjoy episodes from the docuseries showcasing innovative cattle farmers, their herds, and their land. Follow a group of pioneering scientists investigating whether a grazing approach that mimics the natural patterns of bison can promote environmental health and combat climate change.

Grazing Equipment and Demonstration Trailer

Explore the NRCS's mobile educational tool equipped with essential fencing and watering system components, as well as other grazing-related materials.

The Evolution of SFA's Midwest Soil Health Summit

For 11 years, the Sustainable Farming Association has proudly hosted the Midwest Soil Health Summit, an educational event developed during a time when soil health was still a budding concept.

As the importance of soil health has become more widely recognized and soil health education more readily available, we are shifting the educational focus of the Summit and rebranding the event as the Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit.

More than just a name change, this evolution acknowledges and celebrates the deep connection between soil and livestock in building thriving ecosystems and communities.

This new emphasis allows us to explore the dynamic harmony between grazing and soil health—together, they create a regenerative path forward for farmers and ranchers.

Learn more

2024 Fall Mary and Jonathan outside goat and sheep pastures cropped for web

Our 2025 Sponsors

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Our mission is to preserve, enhance, and expand the quality and quantity of grazing lands in Minnesota, and to enhance the profitability of the businesses that depend on them through education, technical assistance, and partnerships.

HARVEST SPONSOR

Technical and financial support for conservation practices.

BLOOM SPONSORS

A voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our water. Certified producers receive many benefits including access to grant funds, technical assistance & recognition.

SAPLING SPONSORS

The mission of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is to enhance all Minnesotans' quality of life by ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment and the strength and resilience of our agricultural economy.

SPROUT SPONSORS

A member-owned, Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities, we provide loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America.