Posts Tagged ‘dairy’
SFA’s Midwest Soil Health Summit Evolves
By Jonathan Kilpatrick • Farmer Education Director 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. According to our resident historians, the Summit emerged as a platform for sharing agricultural innovations and assisting farmers…
Read MoreCover Crop Options after Small Grain Harvest
By Jonathan Kilpatrick • Farmer Education Director While persistent rainfall across the state is delaying the start of small grain harvest for many farmers, this downtime can be used to plan for post-harvest cover crops. Planting cover crops immediately after harvesting small grains like wheat, barley, or oats can be highly beneficial and is a…
Read MoreSix Apps in the Toolbox
By Jonathan Kilpatrick, Farmer Education Director Last month, during a consultation with a self-proclaimed octogenarian farmer, I was struck by just how much change this gentleman has seen over the years. One of the things that I love about talking to folks who have been farming their entire lifetime is the breadth of perspective that…
Read MoreGrowing sales while building up a farm and a family
Market more effectively with Charlotte Smith on April 18 By Jonathan Kilpatrick • Farmer Education Director Before working for SFA, I managed a ranch that sold grass fed meats direct-to-consumer. It was around the time I started that position that I came across some of Charlotte Smith’s marketing resources and podcast, “The Profitable Mindset Podcast.”…
Read MoreLunch & Learn in Alexandria to kick off 2024
Join the Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI) and Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) on January 18th in Alexandria for a discussion on improving farm resiliency through alternative forages and forage management. Four area dairy farmers will be sharing strategies around forage selection and grazing management that they have seen increase the ability of their farm to weather the recent…
Read MoreAnnual Conference registration open
Come one, come all! Registration for the 2024 Annual Conference is open. We can’t wait to reconvene with hundreds of you farmers, ag professionals, aspiring growers, homesteaders, and local foods supporters. Join us at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph on Saturday, February 10, 2024. Members can take advantage of a $25 Early Bird discount. Register…
Read MoreEnchanted Meadows Pasture Walk
Our last pasture walk of the season with Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship will be held Thursday, October 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in La Crescent, Minn. Click here to register. Meet Angie Walter at Enchanted Meadows, an organic, pasture-based dairy in La Crescent. Chad & Melissa Crowley and Art & Jean Thicke milk Ayrshires here on the Mississippi…
Read MoreGranite Falls Café Chat
SFA is bringing a café chat to Granite Falls! Join us at Falls Cafe & Canoe on Tuesday, October 24 from 12:00-1:30 PM for lunch and a casual conversation featuring the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program as well as SFA’s popular On-Farm Consulting services. Come to this informal gathering for lunch during the busy harvest season and a chance to have a…
Read MoreDGA PaddockTrac Demo at Walter Farm is Sept. 7 in Villard
SFA’s Angie Walter is hosting a DGA Fall Pasture Walk and demonstration of the PaddockTrac system from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 7, at her Walter Organic Family Farm, 11034 110th St, Villard. The PaddockTrac device, which is in the prototype phase, mounts to the front of a UTV or 4-wheeler and uses…
Read MoreSFA Welcomes Derek Schmitz
We are excited to have dairy grazier Derek Schmitz join us as our Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI) coordinator! Derek farms near Cold Spring with his wife Taylor and two (soon to be three) children. They milk 70 grass-based dairy cows, raise hair sheep, custom graze, and direct market beef. You may have been to their…
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