Minnesota River
Welcome to the Minnesota River Chapter
The Minnesota River Chapter of SFA encompasses sustainable farmers, producers and like-minded consumers in south central Minnesota. Our chapter is focused on strengthening the local food system in our region, improving the water quality of the Minnesota River and building a farmer network to share knowledge that furthers sustainable farming practices.
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- Like the Minnesota River Chapter page on Facebook
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- Email mnriver@sfa-mn.org with any questions, or to connect!
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- Call us at 844.922.5573 Ext. 721

Upcoming Events
Homesteading Series
Meal Planning in Reverse
August 27, 6:00-7:30 PM
Zoom Event
Let’s cook with our abundant harvest and learn to go WEEKS without the Grocery Store!
Featuring the FROM SCRATCH FARMSTEAD YouTube Channel
Please note that this event has moved to August 27!
The cost to feed a family has gone up exponentially over the last several years. People everywhere are trying to really stretch a dollar and watch that grocery budget. What if you knew better how to cook with what you have? Your garden is overflowing with produce, but you still feel the need to go to the grocery store and continue the ‘routine grocery haul.’ I challenge you to learn what you have available and reverse meal plan. Let’s do with what we have!
A few years ago, I took an interest in buying staple ingredients in bulk to have on hand for months at a time. I would pair that with the large produce harvest I stored from my garden to really decrease the grocery spend, waste less and create a secure food supply for my family.
I watched several Vlogs on Youtube to learn to master this ‘meal planning in reverse’ idea – one of which is the From Scratch Farmstead. Jim and Joelle have created quite a following by showing others how to do for themselves and make the grocery budget less stressful and at the same time, pack the nutrient rich foods into daily life.
At this webinar, we'll learn to meal-plan in reverse and cook with what we have, developing the muscle to go weeks or months at a time without the grocery store.
-Mary Fischer, Homesteading Event Coordinator

Registration: It is free to participate. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
Info: Mary Fischer, mary@sfa-mn.org
Presenter Bios:
Jim & Joelle Kurczodyna of From Scratch Farmstead live on a 5 acre homestead in northern Illinois with their 4 kids (and baby #5 due this fall). They grow and raise enough meat, eggs, dairy, and produce to feed their family year round, while relying on the grocery store for a few staples.
In the field, you’ll find them milking cows, raising chickens for meat and eggs, tending gardens with a focus on storage crops, establishing an orchard, and always honing their skills and improving their land. In the kitchen, you’ll find foods fermenting, fresh dairy products like butter, yogurt, and cheese, whole chickens slow cooking, and sweet treats made with wholesome ingredients. And around their home, you’ll find natural products, like the homemade soaps they teach others how to make.
But it didn’t always look this way. Around 2012 they began their real food journey to reverse some health issues, namely infertility. Four children later, they are firm believers in the healing power of real foods. This journey began with first cutting out processed foods, then supporting local farmers, then learning to grow their own food. They transformed their 1/3 acre lot into a suburban homestead with gardens, chickens, bees, fruit trees, and more. In 2020 they left suburbia and purchased their current property, a run-down foreclosure, and it has been a labor of love to bring it back to life.
Joelle combines her background in nutrition and passion for feeding her family from scratch meals to come up with simple and nourishing recipes. Jim uses his construction background and love for working with his hands to create small-scale, regenerative farming systems for their land.
Both are convinced that homesteading is a mindset and lifestyle rather than a land base—this can be achieved in a high-rise kitchen just the same as a country farmhouse. Through their blog and YouTube channel, they aim to inspire and provide practical steps on how this way of life is within reach regardless of your budget or circumstances and to help busy families put nourishing foods on the table.
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities
Here are a couple of opportunities for SFA Members:
Region Nine Conference Scholarships
Region Nine is offering conference scholarships to local sustainable farmers in the region that will reimburse you for the full cost of attending:
- the SFA Annual Conference,
- the Midwest Grazing and Soil Health Summit,
- and 2/3 of the registration for the Marbleseed Conference (formerly MOSES).
If interested, email Sabri Fair requesting a conference scholarship form. Then complete the form and email it with your proof of registration/payment back to Sabri.
Region Nine can cover the cost of other conferences that may be more relevant to your farm, just ask before registering to make sure it is eligible.
Free Grant Support
Over the next 4 years Region Nine will have a staff member devoted to supporting a stronger local food system. An important part of their role is helping farmers and other food system stakeholders like grocers, schools, and meat processors secure additional funding to make access to locally grown and produced foods easier.
If you are interested in utilizing this support, please email Sabri Fair to schedule a conversation about your project goals. If you are looking for grant opportunities take a look at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture page to see what opportunities might interest you: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/
Become a Member
Renew or start your membership below.
Be sure to select "Minnesota River" as your chapter on the membership form.