Posts by dzimmerli
Tune in to the Latest Dirt Rich Podcast Episodes
For me, winter is podcast season. It’s when I sit down and really listen and think critically about what other farms are doing, why it works for them (or doesn’t), and if it could fit into my own farm. Podcasts have been a really important part of the development of our farm and have contributed…
Read MoreWhere do you want to see our Fruit & Vegetable efforts go?
In the past, SFA’s work on fruit and vegetables has largely centered around garlic and asparagus (for good reason). Both garlic and asparagus have significant demand from local food shoppers and also help us, as farmers, follow the six principles of soil health. However, this is just a small piece of the collection of specialty…
Read MoreHow profitable are your enterprises?
On my farm, I’ve always had an intuition that certain crops were more profitable than others just due to the labor involved and the varying price points and demand that we have for our products. I never had solid data to back up my intuition, so this year I set out to see if my…
Read MoreIncorporate cover crops on your market farm this year!
More hours of sunlight and warmer temperatures mean spring is on its way! If you are a produce farmer there’s a good chance you’ve already started your first seeds of the season or will do so in the very near future. It’s an exciting time of year! While we’re busy considering which cash crops to…
Read MoreZimmerli: First MN River Chapter Farm Gathering a Success!
The first MN River Chapter Farm Gathering was held at Under the Sun Herbs by owners Bil Carda and Alise Torgusen and was a huge success. Farmers from the chapter got an overview of Bil and Alise’s operation including the tools they use, caterpillar tunnel end wall designs, raised beds overview, and converting conventional corn…
Read MoreZimmerli: The Scoop on Minnesota Farmers Market Nutrition Program
The Farmers Market Nutrition Program allows participants to purchase locally grown produce from authorized farmers markets and participating vendors from June 15 through October 31. Farmers MUST register with the Dept. of Agriculture and receive authorization to accept FMNP checks. To learn more about how to become authorized check out the MDAs website. Participants in…
Read MoreZimmerli: MarketLink can help you accept SNAP payments
Are you a local foods producer or farmers market manager who’d like to participate in the SNAP program administered by the USDA? With the MarketLink grant program farmers and farmers markets can easily apply to take SNAP payments for their farm or market, and the best part is that you can do it from your…
Read MoreFirst Local Foods & Farmer Expo a Huge Success
The newest chapter of SFA has just held its first event: the Local Foods & Farmers Expo over Zoom in late March. It was a huge success despite the challenges of COVID. This event was conceived by the chapter organizing group as a way to raise awareness about local foods and expand markets for local…
Read MoreZimmerli: Grants Help Farms Become More Profitable, Sustainable
SFA is working with several partners to host webinars on how to effectively apply for some of the various grants that are out there. Grants can be an excellent way to inject a little extra cash into an initiative on your farm that can help you to be more profitable, sustainable or both. On my…
Read MoreOne Farm’s Spring Update: Herbs, Laying Hens, and Bed-Building
A few weeks ago I asked for you to share what you’ve been doing on your farms with me and I wanted to share this short story of what Bil and Alise of Under The Sun Herbs have been up to on their farm. Below follows their account of their farm projects this spring. It’s…
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