Conservation & Restoration
Beyond Your Backyard: Meet the camouflaged looper
I recently read a blog post by Chris Helzer about the camouflaged looper caterpillar (Synchlora aerata) and I am obsessed! I cannot believe that nature just got even cooler! Camouflaged loopers are caterpillars that decorate themselves with bits of flowers and pieces of plants to disguise themselves while they’re foraging on flowers in the prairie!…
Read MoreGoats at Work in Theodore Wirth Park
Enjoy this clip of the herd resting after what must have been an *exhausting* morning of eating. Diversity Landworks and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board are working together to restore ecological health to neglected, graze-obligate lands with livestock. The Ecological Service Livestock Network (ESLN) paid a visit to Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis for a tour…
Read MoreDirt Rich: Endorsed for Water Quality
“I went in thinking I wouldn’t have to do a darn thing.” Farmer Dale Buendorf was well on his way to becoming certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program at the outset, having implemented no-till and strip-till on his acres of corn and soybeans. While working with his certifier, Herman Bartsch, they discovered…
Read MoreMatch Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops
Green Lands Blue Waters recently released a new infographic depicting the integration of livestock and crops at a glance. This image was developed by and for farmers and service providers, in collaboration with the design firm Background Stories as part of the SARE grant project “Match Made In Heaven: Livestock + Crops.” SFA’s Jared Luhman was one…
Read MoreStudy Confirms Higher Profits for Ag Water Quality Certified Farms
For the third year in a row, a study done by the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence has shown that farms certified in the MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) have higher profits than farms that are not certified. As a farmer myself, this makes me glad that our farm is certified and makes…
Read MoreRestoring Oak Savanna
As we approach our big field day at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge that will demonstrate targeted grazing to restore oak savanna, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode with Tyler Carlson and Stephen Thomforde we released last February. Tyler and Stephen pick up their conversation on oak savanna from Episode…
Read MoreBeyond Your Backyard: the Barred Owl
Last night I was woken up by an owl hooting outside my window. Ok, let’s be real, I was actually woken up by my cat wiping her fluffy tail across my face (gross, I know). But after I awoke, I heard the hooting so it’s six in one, half dozen in another. I have to…
Read MoreMoving Silvopasture Forward, Locally
This year SFA will be offering a number of field days, workshops and podcasts for anyone interested in learning more about silvopasture. My aim over the next couple of years is for this work to bring together farmers and landowners, foresters, ecologists, and technical resource personnel across the state to identify the issues and barriers…
Read MoreThree Conversations on Farm Succession
Today we released the final part of Dirt Rich’s Farm Succession Miniseries. Over the last three weeks, the podcast series has featured guests with varying experiences in farm transitions, succession, and estate planning: Megan Roberts, farmer and Executive Director of the Southern Agricultural Center of Excellence; Jerry Ford, SFA and Living Song Farm; and today’s…
Read MoreDirt Rich: Transferring a Land Ethic Legacy Farm
Jerry Ford and Mariénne Kreitlow are the fourth generation on a farm with a legacy in conservation. Living Song Farm sits on highly erodible land near Minnesota’s Crow River, but the practices introduced in the 1940’s by Mariénne’s father, Willard Kreitlow, have generated topsoil for decades. Jerry and Mariénne share Willard’s land ethic, and have…
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