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Nov 15, 2016 

Support SFA's Commitment to Regenerative Agriculture and Make a Statement for Environmental Sustainability

By Jason Walker • SFA Communications Director

As national news outlets have reported, the United States faces a potential environmental crisis during a Trump administration.

Now, more than ever, SFA’s work is crucial: We promote regenerative soil health solutions that make row-crop farming more profitable and sustainable. We give new farmers the skills-based knowledge they need to launch their farm businesses. And, core to our mission, we promote farmer networking and education as a grassroots solution to improve our food and ecological systems.

If you believe that SFA’s work is important in the months and years ahead, take action and become a sustaining member. A recurring donation is convenient, tax-deductible and collectively has the most impact – these donations allow us to focus on our mission rather than fundraising.

Give to the Max Day is also coming up this Thursday. Schedule a donation to SFA anytime or give Thursday on our Give to the Max homepage. Or, donate by mail to SFA, 4924 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410.

Also, share your support of SFA. If your friends value issues like clean water, sustainable food production, humane treatment of animals, carbon sequestration, and boosting rural economies, share with them why SFA’s mission is worth their financial support.

And, if your employer offers matching contributions, be sure to register your donations to SFA in the program. In many cases, this can effectively double your donation.

From all of us at SFA, thank you for your generosity. We will continue to work toward our mission, and hope to see you all at our upcoming conferences. 

Interim Executive Director's Note: Changes, Part 1 

By Jerry Ford

“Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability.”

— Percy Bysshe Shelley

The great poets tell us that one thing we can always count on is change, and this is certainly true for the Sustainable Farming Association. Not only are we going through internal changes – leadership, technology, financial, structural – but the whole milieu of sustainable agriculture is changing as well. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I firmly believe that it will all turn for the better. But change is rarely easy.

In this and the next two issues of SFA Connect, I'll be writing about these changes.

SFA is at a crossroads: Decisions that we make now will have a great impact on whether we will continue to be effective in the coming years. However, if we hold to our core mission and values while changing our tactics, practices and strategies, I’m confident we will continue to be relevant and thrive.

The Past

Six years ago, SFA was at a crossroads when we hired John Mesko as our second Executive Director. Under the direction of our first E.D., Mary Jo Forbord, we put some great programs in place, our structure improved, and we were an effective influence in the state’s sustainable ag movement. But the grant money that helped to implement these changes was ending, with no new sources in site, and Mary Jo was moving on to a new position.

So, one of the primary directives to the incoming E.D. was to find new funding, and John did this in spades. He lined up a series of foundation and government grants – Adjust 2015, Pasture Project, Beginning Farmer Rancher Programs, S.A.R.E grants, McKnight Foundation – that funded some very relevant projects and increased our ability to serve our chapters and members through technology, services and staff. 

In short order, the Board of Directors worked with John to develop a new Strategic Plan. One of the core ideas of this plan was find our “sweet spot”:  where do we fit in the world of sustainable agriculture? What is it that sets us apart from all the other nonprofits, agencies and players in this area? And what are the strengths and resources that we can use most effectively without duplicating what others are already doing? Out of this came a refined identity as we trademarked the phrase Farmer-to-Farmer Network©, which encapsulated our core values as a grassroots, bottom-up organization that focuses on the “wisdom of the community” and works primarily at the local level.

This has served us well, and these core principles are still as relevant today.

John and the board also approved policies that enhanced our chapters – a critical component of our grassroots structure and the farmer network – one of which was that all income generated by a chapter would stay in that chapter, including all membership dues designated to a chapter. The Association also invested in significant infrastructure improvements such as a powerful combined database, unified accounting and finances, website upgrades, and new branding and logo – all of which strengthened our chapter structure at a time when it needed help. 

We also created Networking Groups as a way for people of particular interests to network together regardless of what region they live in. At that time, in keeping with the policy that all chapter funds stay in the chapter accounts, it was decided that there would be no cost-share for the networking groups that were forming.

The idea was that we would get a lot more names on our mailing list (we did), and those people would be more likely to join, donate or attend an event. But the thing that really made this possible was that the grants we were working under had funds allocated to “operational costs.” And that’s another one of the changes we’re seeing: those kinds of grants are all but gone.

In the next issue of Connect, two weeks from now, we'll look at the present status of SFA and how external and internal changes are affecting us. 

SFA Conference: Volunteers, Scholarships, & More

Volunteers are what make the SFA Conference so vibrant; sign up today to help us make the 2017 SFA Annual Conference our best yet.

Choose your job: parking, registration, session monitor, and more. All volunteers receive an SFA t-shirt and are practially guaranteed to have fun. Fill out this form with your preferences and Volunteer Coordinator Gretchen Boyum will contact you with the details. It’s that easy. Also:

Current students can receive a scholarship for half-price admission. All scholarship recipients must sign up for a volunteer shift. Fill out this form then email jerry@sfa-mn.org if you are interested in a scholarship. 

Sponsor/Exhibitor registration is open as well. The SFA Conference has a limited number of exhibitor space, so register today to ensure your spot. Click here to download a fillable signup form and return to jerry@sfa-mn.org

Thanks to all who voted for 2017 SFA Annual Conference topics. The top choices have been made and we’ll build them into the schedule, which will be available soon on our Annual Conference homepage.

Central Chapter Meeting is Nov. 18 in Brainerd

SFA Central Chapter is hosting a meeting and potluck from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Sunup Ranch, 12316 County 18 SW, Brainerd. 

Hosted by Central Chapter board member Vickie Kettlewell, this event includes a potluck, farm tour and member meeting. Bring your ideas for upcoming SFA programming you’d like to see in the Central Chapter. Free for SFA members. Click here to RSVP.

Info: www.sfa-mn.org/Central or contact Lisa at 320.309.0746 or central@sfa-mn.org.

Also in Central News: The U. of Minnesota Extension hosted a High Tunnel and Farm Tour on August 8, 2016, in the Little Falls area at Foothills Orchard and Gardens and The Farm on St. Mathias that was co-sponsored by SFA Central Chapter. Dr. Angela Orshinsky, Plant Pathologist, Dr. Chris Phillips, Entomologist, and Terry Nennich, Extension Educator Emeritus, spoke at the event, and informal farm tours provided viewing of farm operations. A hot topic was the spotted wing drosophila as well as fungus issues on everything from tomatoes to apple trees. 

Check Your Membership & More on SFA Homepage

Ever wonder whether your SFA membership is current? Want to make a sustaining tax-deductible contribution to SFA? Forget what upcoming SFA events for which you registered? Our website has a new login feature that can provide answers to these questions.

Create an account by clicking the login link at the upper right on our homepage. Then, once logged in, you can view your SFA membership, easily register for upcoming events, make a donation, and much more.

Click these links for how-to videos on creating an account and logging into your account. These and other videos are always available on our YouTube page.

Williams, Breitkreutz, Solberg Will Return to MSHS

Featuring an array of nationally renowed soil health experts and farmers, SFA’s two-day Midwest Soil Health Summit is THE place for advanced soil health training.

Registration is now open for the 2017 conference, set for Feb. 15-16 at Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls. The 2017 speaker slate is still in progress but already confirmed to appear are Dr. Allen Williams, Kent Solberg, Grant Breitkreutz, Doug Landblom, Julie Grossman, Dr. Scott Wells, Scott Haase, and more. Click here to register.

Also, scholarships are available for ag professionals, agency employees, and crop consultants to attend the 2017 MSHS. To apply for a scholarship, click here.

More information, including 2017 Sponsor/Exhibitor Registration information, is available on our MSHS homepage and our Soil Health Portal

Solberg to Speak at Starbuck Soil Health Workshop

SFA Livestock & Grazing Specialist Kent Solberg and Dr. Allen Williams will speak during a presentation on building soil health with cover crops and winter grazing from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Starbuck Community Center sponsored by The Pasture Project and Land Stewardship Project.

Also planned is a visit to the Dan and Linda Jenniges farm to view their winter grazing operation, a demonstration of LSP’s Cropping Systems Calculator, and lunch. 

Info/RSVP: Robin Moore at 320-269-2105 or rmoore@landstewardshipproject.org.

Check This Out

  • Here's a link with a great recent article involving 2017 Midwest Soil Health Summit presenter Doug Landblom.

  • Wild Willow Farm & Education Center is hosting an intensive two-week course in regenerative farming with emphasis on growing cool-season crops Jan. 4-20 in San Diego. The class begins with the soil and educates students in the basic mechanics and philosophy of how to grow food ethically and ecologically; this farm is managed by Deep Roots Farm Skills 101 graduate Cathryn Henning. Click here for more info.

Annual Conference Photo Feature

Photographer extraordinaire Crystal Liepa once again documented our 2016 Annual Conference, held Feb. 13, 2016, at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. To learn more about Crystal, visit her website.

 

 

Also Noted

Transitioning to Organic Workshops: Registration is open for the University of Minnesota’s Transitioning to Organic Workshops, to be held Dec. 5-7 in Lamberton, St. Cloud and Rochester. These workshops are for both producers seeking more information about organic transition as well as farmers who are currently going through the transition process. Space is limited. RSVP and view agenda at http://eorganic.info/node/20617. Info: Constance Carlson, carl5114@umn.edu

Scholarship Opportunity: The Sustainable Agriculture & Forestry Scholarship Fund at the Rochester Area Foundation has announced a new scholarship for current practitioners interested in learning about sustainable ag or forestry. This scholarship could be used for registration at the SFA Annual Conference or Midwest Soil Health Summit, or for Deep Roots education. This scholarship is for current farm practitioners from Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona counties. Deadline is Dec. 15. To apply and learn more, visit protectourresources.org.


 

 


 

        

 

  

   
       
       

    

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SFA Connect is your bi-weekly link to the Sustainable Farming Association

The Sustainable Farming Association is a chapter-based, statewide non-profit organization that supports the development and enhancement of sustainable farming systems through innovation, demonstration, education, and farmer-to-farmer networking. If you, your farm or organization has any upcoming events that you would like posted on the SFA Community Calendar, email info@sfa-mn.org.

Sustainable Farming Association (SFA)
4924 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55410
1.844.922.5573 • info@sfa-mn.org




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