Farmer Support
On-Farm Consulting
The Sustainable Farming Association was founded on the principle that farmers are each others' best teachers. Staying true to this idea, SFA offers members on-farm coaching and consulting from experienced farmer-practitioners who actively manage their own farms. This hands-on experience allows consultants to provide practical, real-world guidance tailored to each farm's unique needs.
Few things compare to walking your farm with another farmer who can help you see new possibilities. By starting with your farm's unique context, SFA consultants ask thoughtful questions to help you analyze and reimagine your operation. Often, the biggest shift comes from changing how you think about managing your farm.
Consultants often see ourselves as coaches, helping you spot opportunities and challenges that might not be obvious when you're deep in the day-to-day work of farming. With an outside perspective, we can guide you toward more profitable and sustainable decisions. Just like other industries benefit from coaching and consulting, we believe farmers can too.
Here's How it Works
In 2024, SFA launched a pilot cost-share model of On-Farm Consulting for our members. Valued at $2,000, participating farmers pay for $500 (25%) in the form of a year-long SFA membership. The balance is cost-shared by generous donors who believe that real change in agriculture is driven by farmers supporting other farmers
Every farm is different, so consultants tailor their support to match each farm’s unique goals and needs over a year-long term. This includes on-farm visits, phone calls, emails, Zoom meetings, and researching tools and resources to support your success.
As a member of SFA, you will also enjoy several member benefits! These include:
- Registration discounts for our signature events: Annual Conference and Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit
- Registration discounts for intensives and other SFA events
- Receive listing access to the SFA bulletin board
- Receive access and the opportunity to be included in the SFA Member Directory
- Special vendor discounts with companies like Powerflex Rotational Grazing Supply, North Circle Seeds, and Red Wing Shoes.
How to Get Started
1. Submit a request - Complete our consulting request form.
2. Initial call - Our staff will follow up with you to review your application and goals.
3. Confirm participation - If SFA's consulting is a good fit for your operation, complete the $500 cost-share payment (must also be a member of SFA).
4. Get to work - our team will get to work for you!
Questions? Reach out to Jonathan Kilpatrick, jonathan@sfa-mn.org
Our consultants have expertise in these areas:
Regenerative crop and livestock systems, including cover cropping, minimum till and no-till systems, soil health, beef, dairy, small ruminants, poultry, swine, and custom grazing. Specialty crops like vegetables, fruit, orchards, and garlic. Farm business support in direct marketing, planning, labor management, and infrastructure design (e.g., fencing, farm layout). Forestry practices such as silvopasture, agroforestry, and maple syrup production. Environmental strategies like invasive plant control with livestock, resource management, and agroecology.
Examples of SFA Consulting Support:
- Developing farm business plans and economic analysis
- Addressing financial, ecological, and human resource concerns
- Marketing strategies for farm products
- Farm layout, infrastructure, and grazing system design
- Cover crop planning and soil health improvements
- Implementing regenerative cropping and livestock systems
- Designing silvopasture and agroforestry systems
Silvopasture & Agroforestry Technical Assistance
Consulting on silvopasture & agroforestry projects may be covered by a separate grant, while funds last. Your completed request form will inform funding access.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
Questions? Reach out to Jim Chamberlin, jim@sfa-mn.org
Emerging Farmer Support
At SFA, we believe everyone has the potential and the right to become a sustainable farmer. We are committed to ensuring that SFA programs are welcoming and accessible to all by developing and advancing strategies to engage and support new and underserved farmers. We aim to cultivate a more diverse farm community and embrace the knowledge and experience of those most impacted by systemic inequality and injustice in agriculture.
Because we believe that diverse farm communities are fundamental to sustainable agriculture, to a robust farmer-to-farmer network, and to a resilient food system, SFA created the Emerging Farmer Initiative in 2021. A team of SFAers has been meeting consistently since then to explore how our organization can more fully embrace our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Early results of the committee's work include relationship-building with organizations leading in the emerging farmer space, inauguration of the emerging farmers networking lunch at our Annual Conference, and increasing access to our website content by making it available in multiple languages. Farmers who identified as emerging were invited to register free for our 2023 Annual Conference and the conference includes a session highlighting new funding opportunities for emerging farmers. SFA is committed to continuing to explore how we can more meaningfully support Minnesota farmers who have traditionally been underserved.
More resources will be added as we grow this work and webpage. Reach out to efi@sfa-mn.org for information and suggestions for growth.
Partner resources:
Farmer Support
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Farmer Support Resources
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