‘Dirt Rich: Building Soil Health Experts’ With Dr. Allen Williams Returns Aug. 8-11; Register Today!

The Sustainable Farming Association is bringing back our popular “Dirt Rich: Building Soil Health Experts” events with separate two-day sessions featuring Dr. Allen Williams from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8-9 in Faribault and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 10-11 in Blue Earth. Attendees at each will spend time with soil health experts digging deeper into soil health opportunities, challenges, and monitoring.

Dr. Williams, shown at right at our 2016 “Dirt Rich” field days, has thrice been a featured speaker at SFA’s Midwest Soil Health Summit. He is a champion of the grass-fed beef industry as well as a leader in cutting-edge grazing methodology.

In Faribault, both days begin with classroom portion at the Rice County 4-H Building, followed by a field tour at Pork Chop Ridge Farm, 16936 Cannon City Blvd, Faribault (Aug. 8) and Hanappe Ranch, 3891 275th St. NW, Northfield (Aug. 9).

In Blue Earth, both days begin with classroom portion at Faribault County Ag Center, followed by a field tour at Haase Family Farms, 7301 377th Ave., Blue Earth (Aug. 10) and a field portion at a location TBA (Aug. 11). 

The 2017 “Dirt Rich” series consists of separate two-day sessions – the same workshops held in two different regional locations. To register, choose one or the other.

The cost for each two-day session is $80 for SFA members and $100 for nonmembers. Lunch is included.

• Click here to register for Faribault.
• Click here to register for Blue Earth.

Info: Visit our "Dirt Rich" homepage, or contact Wayne Monsen at wayne@sfa-mn.org or 1.844.922.5573 Ext. 712.

This event is sponsored by NCR-SARE, The Pasture Project, Minnesota Dairy Initiative, Faribault County SWCD, University of Minnesota Extension-Rice County, and CommonSense Energy.

• Scholarships available: A limited number of "Dirt Rich" scholarships geared toward ag service professionals are available. To apply, fill out this form.

Deadline Approaching for SFA Winter Sustainability Conference Internship Applications

SFA is offering internship positions for Winter 2017-18 in conjunction with our two February events, the SFA Annual Conference and the Midwest Soil Health Summit.

All internships will involve at-home, non-residency work collaborating with one of the event coordinators, plus onsite work at both conferences. Interns will learn the finer details of nonprofit sustainability event production, attend conference sessions on a wide variety of topics and meet leaders in the sustainable agriculture movement.

Application deadline is July 15, 2017. Download the application HERE. Questions? Jerry Ford, jerry@sfa-mn.org.

Soil Health Webinar June 30 With Kent Solberg; Scotty Wells Webinar Now in Archive

Join SFA for a free upcoming soil health webinar at 1 p.m. June 30 – this Friday – with Livestock & Grazing Specialist Kent Solberg. This webinar is free and open to all and will discuss, "Soil health for wildlife and fisheries managers: Why should we (or I) care?" To register for the June 30 webinar, click here.

Also, a webinar we hosted June 21 with Dr. Scotty Wells, "Filling the Void: Strategies for Improved Sustainability,” is now available at our webinar homepage. 

Info: wayne@sfa-mn.org.

From the Executive Director: Silvopasture Has Vast Untapped Potential in Minnesota 

By Theresa Keaveny

According to University of Minnesota Extension, Silvopasture is a sustainable agroforestry practice where trees and forage crops are grown together on the same piece of land, and grazing animals eat the forages. The livestock provide annual income, and the trees may provide income after a while in the form of wood, nuts or other products. Silvopasture can provide economic and environmental benefits that complement regular forestry and open pasture production, such as shade for livestock and pasture, and habitat for birds and beneficial insects.

The concept of silvopasture may be old hat to some of you, but it's not to most producers and landowners in Minnesota. According to Diomy Zamora of Extension, over 435,000 acres of wooded land is unmanaged and not utilized for forage and added income – and therefore an unused food production resource. Diomy, along with colleague Gary Wyatt, SFA Board Chair Jim Chamberlin and others, presented a workshop in early June near Brainerd where research is comparing silvopasture to non-managed forest grazing.  

I was lucky enough to take part and see on-the-ground differences in forest and pasture. SFA's Central Chapter board member Vickie Kettlewell and her husband, Greg Booth, are cooperating producers who shared their silvopasturing experiences, pro and con, as part of the field day at their Sunup Ranch.

A silvopasturing workshop will also be held Aug. 4-5 in the Driftless region; see details here in Connect on this and other workshops and field days designed to regenerate our food-producing resources on landscapes throughout the region.

Garlic Growers' Free Tours This Weekend in Southeast Minnesota

The Upper Midwest Garlic Growers, an SFA networking group, is presenting tours of two award-winning garlic operations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 1 that starts at Hawk’s Brain Garlic, 32742 200th Avenue, Red Wing and finishes at Coffman Garlic & Apples, 56115 120th Ave, West Concord. 

At 10 a.m., we will meet at Hawk's Brain Garlic near Red Wing, where Susan Johnson (right) has been growing garlic for 20 years. With a wide range of varieties in her repertoire, Hawk's Brain Garlic has repeatedly won awards in the Garlic Growing Contest at Minnesota Garlic Festival. 

After a potluck lunch in Red Wing, we'll drive to Coffman Garlic & Apples near West Concord, where Maria and Tom Coffman (right) grow nine varieties of softneck & hardneck garlic as well as Honeycrisp apples. The Coffmans sell their garlic at Minnesota Garlic Festival, where they won Best in Show in 2017.

This event is free but an RSVP is required here. Please bring a dish for the potluck. Info: garlicgrowers@sfa-mn.org or 763.244.6659.

Greater Mille Lacs Farm Tour, 'Farm2Families'

SFA Greater Mille Lacs Chapter is hosting a farm tour & potluck from 4 to 7 p.m. July 8 at Maple Ridge Farm, 29555 380th Ave, Aitkin. Open to all, this fun event will include discussion and plenty of farmer networking. This event is free and no RSVP is required.

Also, the chapter is hosting a community event, Farm2Families, from 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Heimark Farm, 33683 Dove St, Aitkin. The full program is still being discussed, but should include farm demonstrations, food, entertainment, kids activities and a farm store. Save the date and watch for more information here in SFA Connect. 

Info: greatermillelacs@sfa-mn.org.

2018 SFA Conference Voting Now Open & Other Tidbits

The 2018 SFA Conference will be next Feb. 10 at St. Ben’s and the online survey tool for the 2018 Annual Conference is now live! Enter your session topic ideas and vote on your favorites right on the AC homepage.

• SAVE THE DATE: The Midwest Soil Health Summit will return to Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls on Feb. 14-15, 2018. 

From the Farm Transitions Network: Keeping the Family Farming for Five Generations

By Teresa Opheim • Senior Fellow, Renewing the Countryside

You have the gift of an heir or heirs who want to keep the family farm business going for another generation. What are some strategies for making that more likely to happen? Here’s what Iowa farmers Bob and Linda Lynch did to bring the fifth generation, Jay, back to farm:

• Bob and Linda required Jay to work off the farm before he came back so he had other experiences;
• Bob and Linda first hired him as an employee first to make sure it would work out;
• Bob and Linda have been steadily stepping away from the farm's operations;
• Jay is buying his own equipment to build equity;
• Jay farms land and has purchased some land independent from his operation with Bob and Linda.

The farmland:

• Bob's parents have gifted 90 acres to Bob already (they were hesitant to do this at first);
• Parents own 180 acres that will be divided equally among Bob and two non-farming sisters when they die;
• Parents have already gifted another 100 acres to Bob and his sisters;
• Bob has a buy-sell agreement in place for the land he owns with his sisters (update from article);
• Bob and Linda are beneficiaries on two life insurance policies they purchased on his parents and want to use the proceeds to buy farmland from his sisters after his parents are gone.

For more on the Lynch family transition, click here.

Solberg Speaking at SWROC Organic Field Day

SFA Livestock & Grazing Specialist Kent Solberg will be a presenter at the annual Southwest Research and Outreach Center Organic Field Day, set for 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Wed., July 12, at SWROC, 23669 130th St, Lamberton.

The event will start with a tradeshow and field tour of organic research projects at the SWROC including cover crops, alternative crops, small grain production, and tunnel vegetable production. After lunch, keynote presentations will begin, including Solberg’s session, “Soil Health & Livestock Production/Cropland Grazing Exchange.” In addition, presentations include “Tools for successful farming” with Amy Bacigalupo and Robin Moore from Land Stewardship Project; and “Grazing dairy steers on two different cover cropping systems” with Dr. Brad Heins, University of Minnesota.

Cost is $30 and includes lunch. Click here to register by July 5. Info: swroc.cfans.umn.edu or 507.752.5063.

Lake Superior Chapter Farm Tour Events Planned

SFA Lake Superior Chapter has announced a series of farm tours and events for this summer. All are free and open to the public; no RSVP is required. For more information about Lake Superior Chapter, contact lakesuperior@sfa-mn.org. The events:

• July 16 – Duluth Young Farmers Coalition farm tour, Hermit Creek Farm, 65554 Spring Brook Rd, Highbridge, Wis. Learn about their operation, work together, and enjoy a potluck meal. Info: duluthyoungfarmers@gmail.com.
• July 23 – Elsewhere Farm tour and demonstration of biodynamic composting, 1-4 p.m., 16550 Nicoletti, Herbster, Wis. Info: elsewherefarmherbster@gmail.com.
• July 29-30 – Permaculture Open Space Weekend, Elsewhere Farm, 1-4 p.m., 16550 Nicoletti, Herbster, Wis. Info: elsewherefarmherbster@gmail.com.

Garlic Festival Tickets Now Available Online

For the first time in its history, SFA’s Minnesota Garlic Festival is offering online ticket sales. Buy now and get waved through the gate like a VIP at the festival, which is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 12 at the McLeod County Fairgrounds, 840 Century Ave SW, Hutchinson. The infamous Garlic Festival 2-for-1 is still available online, too. 

Click here to buy your Garlic Festival tickets today!

Regulars to the Garlic Festival know that it has a reputation for being a bit off-the-wall and quirky – like garlic. If you'd like to read how the new online ticket feature was announced in their newsletter, The Stinky News, you can see the latest edition here. If you would like to subscribe to The Stinky News, send an email saying so to Jerry Ford, jerry@sfa-mn.org.

Silvopasture Workshop is Aug. 4-5 in Driftless Region

If you missed the Silvopasture workshop SFA co-sponsored in early June near Brainerd, fear not: Another event showcasing this regenerative, innovative farming method is set for Aug. 4-5 in Soldier Grove, Wis., and La Crescent, Minn. 

Hosted by U. of Minnesota and U. of Wisconsin Extension, the workshop will begin with an optional tour Aug. 4 of a silvopasture trial, followed by dinner and a networking session. On Aug. 5, the program includes presentations on silvopasture establishment and management, a tour of Hoch Orchard and its hog silvopasture, and visits to two additional farms using the practice. 

Cost is $45 for both days, $30 for just Saturday or $20 for just Friday. Info/registration: https://www.regonline.com/SilvopastureWS.

Forage Council Hosting Aug. 25 Tour in Staples

The Crow Wing River Basin Forage Council, a networking group of the Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a free tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25 at Central Lakes College, 26505 Country Road 2, Staples. Attend an open house at the CLC agricultural center and tour of its Byron Township site – the Forage Council-sponsored portion is a part of the larger SFA Soil Health Network event detailed below. Attend all or part of the day’s events. Info: Jim Chamberlin at jchamberlin@hugllc.com.

Soil Health Network Event: Field Day, Aug. 25, Staples

Central Lakes College Ag and Energy Center is hosting a Field Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at 26505 County Road 2, Staples. This event includes the Forage Council-sponsored tour noted above as well as additional programming.

Join CLC researchers as they highlight the many different aspects of research and community/industry partners connected with the center. Planned are demonstrations on water quality and agronomic research, irrigation, local foods integration, children’s programming, drone demonstration, tractor rides, forage and pasture tours, and more. Lunch is included.

This SFA Soil Health Network event is free, but an RSVP is requested here.
Info: hbarrett@clcmn.edu. Click here to download an event flyer.

Annual Conference Photo Feature

Photographer extraordinaire Crystal Liepa once again documented our 2017 Annual Conference, held Feb. 11, 2017, at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. To learn more about Crystal, visit her website.

Also Noted

Barley Seminar: The University of Minnesota has an active center for barley research and is hosting an event from 2 to 5 p.m. July 13 to visit with UM researchers, learn about barley research, and see field experiments on campus. RSVP by July 10 for this free event here. 

Funding Opportunity: Iroquois Valley Farms, an organization working to get farmland to the next generation, has already provided refinancing and/or mortgage funding for several Minnesota farmers as well as the Main Street Project in Northfield. Iroquois Valley Farms starts with the farmer, who brings the company opportunities to purchase or provide financing for land. The company is focused primarily on land that is certified organic or will be transitioned to organic production. Info: iroquoisvalleyfarms.com or Arnie Lau at alau@iroquoisvalleyfarms.com or 847-859-6645.

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