Education
Podcast: Growing Grazing Dairy Farmers
Angie Walter and her husband Nate run an organic dairy in Central Minnesota, and are also masters in the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program. Today’s episode of Dirt Rich features them in conversation with their first apprentice, Ryan Heinen, who now manages a dairy in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His passion for ecology and restoration led him to…
Read MoreDGA Update: Take the lead in protecting water
SFA has partnered with NRCS to promote the MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). This program is supported by the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Resource Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). There are currently 1,085 farms certified in the MAWQCP making up 780,000 acres. The MAWQCP is a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to…
Read MoreTwin Cities Metro Growers Network Tours Holistic Health Farms
The heat didn’t stop Twin Cities Metro Growers Network from enjoying our very first live, in-person event of 2021! About 20 metro growers gathered for a tour at Holistic Health Farms in St. Paul to learn about creative crop cultivation in small spaces. Tim Page and Cherry Flowers showed us the ginger, garlic, turmeric, tomatoes, galangal, herb…
Read MoreDirt Rich: Growing a CSA from 8 to 80
Get to know our SFA Community Organizer and Outreach Coordinator, Dan Zimmerli, in today’s episode of Dirt Rich! Dan farms full time with his wife at Cedar Crate Farm southeast of Mankato, growing produce for their CSA members. They started out with 8 members in their first season in 2015, and six seasons later they’ve…
Read MoreLuhman: New Soil Health for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Resources
Soil Health is an incredible concept but can be difficult to implement because how we create soil health can be different on every single farm. A practice that works in one area may not work in another, and practices that work in one type of production system may not work in another production system. The important…
Read MoreLuhman: A Good time to Share Your Regenerative Story
2020 was an interesting year, presenting countless challenges from not being able to see family and friends to roller-coaster rides of commodity markets. We saw processing plants shut down, leaving store shelves empty and farmyards full of livestock. But one silver lining of all these challenges was that demand went through the roof for local,…
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 MoreLuhman: ‘Field Days’ on Your Own Schedule
If you’re like me, it can be really difficult to find time to get off the farm and get to some of these field days and workshops that are always being hosted all over the place. This is why we have created different options for you to continue to learn and grow. The first option…
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 MoreWatch TC Growers Spotlight with Lakisha Witter
Lakisha Witter of Live Organically, Oak Grove, shared her farm journey in the TC Grower’s most recent “Grower Spotlight.” Witter, who purchased her farm in 2018, detailed the challenges and successes of her first two seasons, as well as her plans for the future including soil health and organic matter building, expanding markets, and a…
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