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.” I started listening faithfully and gleaning from her content online.  When I took over the management position, the ranch had experienced a meager 20,000 dollars in total sales the prior year. Armed with my experience growing up on a direc ..read more

The Let’s Farm Well Retreat at the Abbey of the Hills Retreat Center in Marvin, South Dakota, has been postponed. Watch for a new date later this year so you can join us for some relaxation, reflection, and connection! You can also sign up for our Connect e-newsletter to get updates on this event and more. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and find the sign-up form in the right hand corner. The post Let’s Farm Well Retreat Postponed appeared first on Sustainable Farming Association ..read more

By Liz Morris-Otto, SFA Board President SFA has been hard at work for months now, crafting a strategic plan to guide our work for the next few years. To guide that effort, we’d like to know who you are, where you come from, where you are headed – and how we can help you get there. So, we’ve created this first-ever SFA survey. We want to hear from all of you: farmers, homesteaders, landowners, donors and supporters, partners and allies, event sponsors and exhibitors — everyone in SFA’s extended network. Click here to take the survey, which will be open through March 26. If you are a farme ..read more

Ford: They pay me, but I’d go anyway. By Jerry Ford • Chapter & Events Coordinator Why have I gone to 9 of the 10 Midwest Soil Health Summits so far? Well, yes, as many of you know, they pay me to. After all, I’m the EVENTS & Chapter Coordinator for SFA, and I manage the logistics for the Summit. But the truth is that I’d go regardless. Back in the early 20-teens, John Mesko, our Executive Director at the time, and Kent Solberg, whose title with SFA then is lost in the mists of my mind (something like “Grazing Guru”), came to me saying, “Help us put together a big conference ..read more

By Jared Luhman • Soil Health & Grazing Lead Over the past year I have taken a significant step back from my responsibilities with SFA to focus on farming with my family! However, I have stayed involved to assist Jonathan and the team in the planning of our Midwest Soil Health Summit! This is one of my favorite SFA events where we bring in some of the country’s leading soil health, crop, and livestock experts and give attendees the opportunity to network with farmers, ranchers, and ag professionals from around the state. In 2024, our focus is on “Managing for Profit with th ..read more

By Jerry Ford • Chapter & Events Coordinator The SFA Annual Conference is Saturday, February 10, 2024 in St. Joseph, and we’re looking for some volunteers. Most needed are people to help with our Conference Kids program.  This is the only volunteer position that comes with free registration for the conference, so sign up early.  Shifts are 90 minutes in length, with two shifts in the morning and two more in the afternoon.  Pick one, and you’ll have the rest of the day free. Other volunteer positions: Session Monitor:  Keep sessions on time, manage the r ..read more

Experts from near and far will convene in Mankato for the 11th annual Midwest Soil Health Summit on March 13 & 14, 2024 to dig into “Managing for Profit: Soil Health Principles as a Profit Strategy.” Meet Burke Teichert Burke Teichert is one such expert who attendees will hear from during a keynote presentation, breakout session, and at our popular discussion tables. Burke was raised on a family ranch in western Wyoming. His father and grandfather were ahead of their time in understanding the importance of low-input, low cost agriculture. He studied Agricultural Econom ..read more

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 drought years. Forages & Grazing for Improving Farm Resiliency January 18, 2024 | 11am-2pm Pizza Ranch, 1522 Broadway St. Alexandria, MN 56308 This is a “lunch and learn” opportunity for ce ..read more

This Thursday, November 16 marks Minnesota’s ‘biggest giving holiday.’ Early givers have already rounded up a total of $10,500 for our Give to the Max campaign! TWO Generous donors — one a Minnesota-based family foundation and the other a corporate community fund —  are putting up a $20,000 match. Our lofty goal is to fully match these funds, and raise a total of $40,000 for our 2024 programming. We’re 25% of the way there. Will you help us meet our goal? Double my gift SFA is known for being nimble in responding to the changing needs of farmers. In 2024, we plan to expand our ..read more

We have exciting news! TWO Generous donors — one a Minnesota-based family foundation and the other a corporate community fund —  are putting up a $20,000 match for our Give to the Max campaign. Our lofty goal is to fully match these funds, and raise a total of $40,000 for our 2024 programming. Early giving has begun, and we are already over $5,000 in. Double my gift SFA is known for being nimble in responding to the changing needs of farmers. In 2024, we plan to expand our programming to better serve seasoned farmers by offering multi-day, field intensives and schools ..read more