Posts by jluhman
Conservation Connections: New Program Supports Underserved Farmers
Last week I shared an overview of the new program we are kicking off with Renewing the Countryside and NRCS. Today I want to share a little bit about why this program is so valuable. Here at SFA we continually share about the benefits of implementing soil health management practices on your farm, and if…
Read MoreConservation Connections: New Program Supports Underserved Farmers
With a goal of supporting historically underserved farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, a new project led by Renewing the Countryside and the Sustainable Farming Association builds connections between these farmers and resource support. Conservation Connections: Linking New & Underserved Farmers with Conservation Resources uniquely utilizes a “boots in the field” team of Farmer Connectors to…
Read MoreLuhman: Soil Health Practices Benefit Communities
A recent project by Green Lands Blue Waters and the Midwest Perennial Forage Working Group sought to address the damage done by surface water runoff, and they developed the attached graphic. Surface water runoff can be quite destructive to both private and public infrastructure. Did you know that the cost to repair a culvert can…
Read MoreLuhman: FAMP Helps Minnesota’s Northwoods Adapt
This week I wanted to share an opportunity for SFA farmers to transition the northwoods. Below is an article about the Forest Assisted Migration Project, authored by Joel Bransky, David Abazs, Gabrea Francis, and Leah Karmaker. -Jared The northwoods of Minnesota are steadily disappearing. Researchers predict the forests in northeastern Minnesota will continue to decline as grasslands move…
Read MoreLuhman: New Midwest Grazing Exchange Website Aims to Connect Livestock Farmers with Landowners
Finding ways to integrate livestock back on the landscape has the potential to significantly benefit farmers, the environment and rural communities. From creating opportunities for beginning farmers, to improving the soil, to helping make cover crops profitable, livestock are often a missing piece in Midwestern agricultural systems, where the grazing of vast herds of bison…
Read MoreLuhman: It All Starts with the Soil
We are very excited about the partnership we have formed with Kiss the Ground, an organization based out of California that shares our passion for soil regeneration! Their Farmland scholarship provides soil health training, soil testing and consulting to farmers here in Minnesota. The Sustainable Farming Association is acting as their Minnesota boots-on-the-ground to help…
Read MoreLuhman: Ways to Keep Your Soil Covered
In a past Connect Newsletter, I shared how important it is to keep your soil covered in hot times. Sunshine and heat can kill your soil biology fast, not to mention the erosion that can come when your soil is not protected. Today I will share a few simple ideas for how to keep your…
Read MoreLuhman: If You are Hot, Your Soil Probably Is, Too
The last couple months have been some hot ones, as temperatures have often been in the 90s with heat indexes over 100 degrees. Weather like this is hard on everybody, and I have been grateful for this job and an excuse to spend a more time in the air-conditioned office. Weather like this is also…
Read MoreLuhman: The Benefits of an August Breeding Season
For us at Dry Creek Red Angus, it’s breeding season! To many of our neighbors, and maybe to many of you, it may seem like an odd time to turn out our bulls. Most people in our area have already finished breeding season and perhaps even begun to preg check. Why do we breed so…
Read MoreLuhman: The Inherent Value of Livestock Integration Into a Crop Farm
One of the most undervalued tools in a farmers toolbox is integrating livestock on the land. Cover crops and perennial grasses make it possible to harvest sunlight, cover our soil, feed biology, and sequester carbon for an additional 2-4 months before and after a cash crop. But it is livestock that allows us to harvest…
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