Dairy
DGA Update: Thousands in apprentice stipends available
I want to let you know about some programs that DGA has to offer for their Master Graziers and apprentice candidates. Did you know that if you are an Organic Valley farmer, you can qualify for a stipend to get an apprentice on your dairy farm? Organic Valley has partnered with DGA to offer their…
Read MorePodcast: “It’s like Tinder for cows.”
“I think the future of farming looks more collaborative. It looks like working together, and it’s about stacking enterprises.” Meghan Filbert of Practical Farmers of Iowa (and a beginning farmer to boot) joins Dirt Rich to talk about an online tool facilitating just that. Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is a nonprofit in Ames, Iowa…
Read MoreLuhman: Time to reflect and plan
For many farmers, winter is a time when we are able to slow down. Here at Dry Creek Farms harvest is over, and we are still several months from planting. Last year’s calves are weaned, many are gone, and calving is months away. It’s really just been a great time for me to reflect on…
Read MoreMDI Partnership a Seamless Fit
By Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead SFA has long been an active participant in the Minnesota Dairy Initiative, which has a 20-plus-year history of working with dairy farms throughout Minnesota to improve their farms. Using a team approach with expert farmers and professionals, MDI addresses issues that come with dairy farming. The MDI Coordinator’s role…
Read MoreDGA Update: Congratulations, Graduate!
The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship has a new graduate in MN! Jack Schouweiler has completed the program. It’s so exciting to help someone through the apprenticeship and see them graduate. I am excited to see what the future holds for Jack. Watching someone else’s dream come true is the most amazing gift I have received…
Read MorePodcast: Family Dairies & Apprenticeships
“My hope for dairy in the future…is trying to keep these small family farms alive.” Angie Walter runs an organic, grazing dairy farm with her family in central Minnesota. The family of four raise 100 Norwegian Red, Red Holstein, and Guernsey crosses on 370 acres. Angie is also the Central Minnesota Education Coordinator for the…
Read MorePodcast: Wintering Livestock Roundtable
Winter can be the most expensive time to own a cow in the Midwest. As the season changes, five of our staff who also raise beef and dairy cows gathered to share the ways that they’ve found to reduce the cost (and labor) of wintering cattle on their unique operations. All five live in different…
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 MoreDirt Rich: The Value of Pasture Plant Diversity
“We want a vast array of solar collectors out there.” Kent Solberg and Doug Voss are striving to get as much plant diversity in their pastures as possible. The benefits for animal performance, soil microbes, profitability, resiliency, and the function of the ecosystem as a whole are exponential. In fact, “increase diversity” is the third…
Read MorePasture Renovation Ideas from Kent & Doug
When Kent Solberg and his wife first got started where they farm today, the soil biology had been so degraded that there were corn stalks on the ground from six years before, unable to decompose. You might say he has a bit of first-hand experience with land renovation! Kent and Doug Voss give an overview…
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