MIDWEST GRAZING & SOIL HEALTH SUMMIT
March 3 & 4, 2027
Willmar Conference Center, Willmar MN
Save the date! Registration opens mid-November.
Keynote Speakers
Additional speakers and sessions to be announced.
Nicolette Hahn Niman
A former environmental lawyer, author, and livestock rancher, she is known for advocating for sustainable, pasture-based livestock production and challenging the idea that properly managed grazing animals are inherently harmful to the environment. Once a vegetarian for more than 30 years, she now defends the production and consumption of ethically raised protein as not only essential for human health, but also our climate resilience.
She is best known for her books
Defending
Beef and
Righteous Porkchop, which examine the environmental and animal-welfare impacts of industrial livestock production and make the case for more sustainable farming practices. Hahn Niman lives in Northern California, where she and her husband Bill Niman (founder of Niman Ranch and now BN Ranch) where she advocates for pasture-based, regenerative production models like the ones that you and I operate.
Jerry Doan
Jerry Doan is a fourth-generation rancher who operates Black Leg Ranch with his family, using regenerative grazing, no-till farming, and soil health practices. The Doan family have won many awards and honors for their work, including the Burleigh County Soil Health Award, the inaugural Aldo Leopold Conservation Award, the North Dakota Environmental Stewardship Award, the Region Seven Environmental Stewardship Award, the National Environmental Stewardship Award,
Black Leg Ranch operates multiple complementary stacked enterprises including custom grazing, grass-finished beef and buffalo (produced under the Audubon Conservation Ranching Bird Friendly Program), a brewery, agritourism and events, and a hunting outfitting business. Their goals for the ranch include a multi-generational transition, bringing profitability back to agriculture, and improving quality of life for everyone involved.
2027 sessions, features, and sponsorship opportunities to be announced.
OUR 2026
SPONSORS
BLOOM SPONSORS
The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) is a first-of-its- kind, voluntary opportunity that helps landowners protect and improve water quality across Minnesota.
Green Lands Blue Waters is an initiative focused on shifting the agricultural landscape in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to more acres in continuous living cover (CLC) to improve water quality, soil health, agricultural and community resilience.
Inspired by the oak savannas native to the region, the Savanna Institute conducts research, education and outreach to support the groth of diverse perennial agroecosystems in The Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi watershed.
SAPLING SPONSORS
Enhancing all Minnesotans’ quality of life by equitably ensuring the integrity of our food supply, the health of our environment, and the strength and resilience of our agricultural economy
Noble Research Institute is the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to farm and ranch management education to build soil health and increase profitability on U.S. farms and ranches.
SPROUT SPONSORS
Solar Electric (PV) System Design, Sales & Installation
Compeer Financial offers specialized financial services and expertise for non-traditional agriculture operations, supporting urban farms, value-added products, and local food systems.
The Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association (MNGLCA) is a grassroots Non-Profit organized to promote the health and sustainability of Minnesota's 4.63 million acres of grazing lands.
Ecological restoration company with a mission to Heal the Earth.
SEED SPONSORS
The Evolution of SFA's Midwest Soil Health Summit
For 11 years, the Sustainable Farming Association has proudly hosted the Midwest Soil Health Summit, an educational event developed during a time when soil health was still a budding concept.
As the importance of soil health has become more widely recognized and soil health education more readily available, we are shifting the educational focus of the Summit and rebranding the event as the Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit.
More than just a name change, this evolution acknowledges and celebrates the deep connection between soil and livestock in building thriving ecosystems and communities.
This new emphasis allows us to explore the dynamic harmony between grazing and soil health—together, they create a regenerative path forward for farmers and ranchers.
