SFA’s innovative Midwest Soil Health Summit, set for Feb. 15-16, 2017, at Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls, Minn., features soil health experts and farm leaders for two days of advanced soil health training and farmer networking.
Attendees will join some of the most prominent experts in the field as they discuss cutting-edge research and advanced topics in soil conservation: renowned grazing experts Dr. Allen Williams and Kent Solberg, beef cattle specialist Doug Landblom, U of M agronomist and plant geneticist Dr. Scott Wells, Minnesota farmer and conservation trailblazer Grant Breitkreutz, and many more, including:
- Ryan Stockwell, Senior Agriculture Program Manager for the National Wildlife Federation
- Dr. Julie Grossman, faculty at the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science specializing in soil fertility of organic cropping systems
- Scott Haase, a sixth-generation farmer from the Blue Earth River region of southern Minnesota
- Nick David, who has led R.D. Offut’s efforts to expand and change their crop rotation, add cover crops, and integrate livestock into their potato operations
- Dr. Carl Rosen, head of the Department of Soil, Water, & Climate at the University of Minnesota
- Glen Borgerding, owner of Ag Resource Consulting, Inc., an agricultural consulting firm and soil testing laboratory
- Dr. Randy Anderson, an expert on no-till systems without herbicides that include a diverse crop rotation
Each year at the Midwest Soil Health Summit, attendees have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the experts – small-scale discussion tables offer a unique networking opportunity. Additionally, an evening cocktail reception and Q&A, this year with presenters Allen Williams and Grant Breitkreutz, provides a valuable space for discussion and knowledge sharing.
Registration is $150 for SFA members and $200 for nonmembers. Come see why people say the MSHS is the “best conference I’ve ever been to” – click here to register today.
SFA Communications Intern Kassie Brown is writing profiles of some of the speakers for our upcoming Midwest Soil Health Summit, set for Feb. 15-16 in Fergus Falls. Her profile of Grant Breitkreutz appears in the CornerPost magazine and is also available online.
New is this feature on Scott Haase (right) of Blue Dirt Farm in Blue Earth. Look for more of Kassie’s features coming soon!
The SFA Annual Conference schedule is coming together and it’s time to register – SFA members may register for just $45 and nonmembers just $55 through Jan. 15.
Sessions already scheduled for the 2017 SFA Annual Conference, set for Feb. 11 at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, include:
- Introduction to Soil Health & Restoration
- Grazing: Fencing Innovations & Managing Rest Periods
- Time to Call the Butcher: What to Expect, Terminology, and Helping Customers with the Process
- Wintering Livestock
- Farm Transitions on Farmland: What Matters Most?
- Keeping the Family Farm Going: On- and Off-Farm Heirs
- Soil Health for Small Farms
- Deep Winter Greenhouse Design: Location, Selection & Managing the Three Seasons
- Garlic Mythbusters
- Organic Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila: Going Beyond Sprays in Berry Crops
Register TODAY to get the best pricing. Also:
Volunteer registration is open. 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.
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.
By Jerry Ford
In the last two issues of SFA Connect, I wrote about my perception that SFA is at a crossroads, and how the decisions that we make now will have a great impact on whether we will continue to be effective and relevant as we move into the future. Today, in the final installment, I write about where we go from here. The complete article is available in the CornerPost magazine.
As we move forward into this new sustainability landscape, what are our resources and risks?
The first risk is that we’ll run out of money. The majority of our funding comes from grants, and we have no new grants in the pipeline. As I pointed out above, the entire milieu is changing, and if we are to continue as an organization we must also change.
So, if we’re still relevant – and I believe we are and will be for a long time to come – how do we continue to be financially sustainable? We must stay true to our core values while changing our practices and strategies to adapt to this changing world. Stated simply, we should develop “earned income” – money that we make from our own enterprises – and rely less on grant funding.
And this brings up a second risk: inaction. We must start right away: If we don’t develop more income streams, we’re could run out of cash in 12-14 months. Yes, we will continue to seek grant funding, but we should be very focused and particular about it. And, at the same time, we need to get creative about other sources of revenue.
SFA has a bevy of assets and resources available to us:
- A great board of directors
- Chapters and Networking Groups
- Dedicated members
- Successful events
- Programs that could be modified to be “profitable”
- Solid infrastructure
Plus, we are a nimble, adaptable organization: When we see an opportunity, we can quickly act on it.
If SFA’s earned income paid for at least our basic operating costs – if such income streams became more than half of our revenue – then any grant funding would be extra. I know this is possible because at least one of our sister organizations is doing it.
At the October board meeting, I gave a homework assignment to the board members: come up with an idea for SFA to generate earned income. I’m now also asking for such ideas from you, our members. Personally, I believe that we can make our events more profitable. I also think that we can redouble our efforts with individual fundraising. What is it worth to each of us to help ensure that SFA continues and thrives? Are there philanthropists who would support our cause?
Finally, I believe it’s time to reinstate the practice that Chapters (and, now, Networking Groups) share in the cost of services provided to them by the association: database, insurance, staff time, website, promotion, and so on. At the October board meeting, I submitted the core of a proposal for a cost-sharing plan, and you’ll be hearing more about this in the next few months from your Chapter Delegates and other board members.
I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas and reactions to all this. And I’m looking forward to working with our new Executive Director in the exciting and challenging times ahead.
Crow River Annual Meeting is Jan. 21 – Crow River Chapter is hosting its annual meeting from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sat., Jan. 21, at Delano Senior Center, 234 2nd St N, Delano. Cost is $10 for current members and $20 for nonmembers.
The meeting includes guest speakers Anne Borgendale, an artisanal cheesemaker; Lucie Amundsen, Locally Laid Eggs; and Greg Reynolds, Riverbend Farm. A potluck lunch is planned as well as a chapter update and panel discussion with the three speakers.
To learn more and register, click here.
Greater Mille Lacs Annual Meeting is Jan. 29 – Greater Mille Lacs Chapter is hosting its annual meeting at 5 p.m. Sun., Jan. 29, at Hazelton Town Hall, 24248 U.S. Highway 169 (about 12 miles south of Aitkin). This event is free and open to all.
The meeting will kick off with a potluck and member renewal time, seed swap and “year in review” presentation. Then, at 6, a guest speaker presentation will be followed by discussion about a possible signature event to raise funds and enhance the local farm economy. Board elections and a board meeting will follow. No RSVP is required.
Potential candidates for the chapter board should email their interest to greatermillelacs@sfa-mn.org by Jan. 15. Info: greatermillelacs@sfa-mn.org.
Did you know that you can donate to SFA through your Amazon purchases?
The AmazonSmile program donates a percentage of your purchase to the organization you choose. Simply bookmark SFA’s AmazonSmile homepage, and part of the dollars you spend on Amazon will go to support SFA. The percentage is small but not insignificant, especially if all SFA’ers use our AmazonSmile link when shopping.
SFA is a locally focused organization that advocates using your dollars in the community as much as possible. However, using Amazon now and again has become a near necessity, and this is a good way to feel a little better about it.
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.
SFA’s CornerPost, our annual report, is now being printed and will show up in SFA members’ mailboxes in the next few weeks. This year’s edition includes many interesting articles: a profile of SFA’s Kent Solberg by Multimedia Intern Katie Feterl; a profile of MSHS speaker Grant Breitkreutz by Communications Intern Kassie Brown; how Farm Skills 101 helped SFA board member Tiffany Tripp’s farm; staff reports; and much more.
Only current SFA members receive the print version of CornerPost; this year’s edition is also available to the public now on our website.
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.
GAP Workshop: University of Minnesota Extension is hosting a Good Agricultural Practices workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 2, in Long Prairie. Learn how GAPs can minimize food safety risks with fresh produce, are good for business and getting new customers, and more. This workshop is intended for fruit and vegetable farmers. Cost is $15. Register at http://z.umn.edu/2017gaps. Info: Beth Berlin, adam0062@umn.edu.
GrassWorks Grazing Conference: GrassWorks is hosting its 25th annual Grazing Conference, “Resilience Through Generations,” on Feb. 2-4, 2017, at Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. The event includes speakers Tom Frantzen, Joyce Turk, Jim Gerrish, and many more as well as live entertainment, full trade show, and demonstrations. To learn more and register, please visit www.grassworks.org.
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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