By Brenna Cook • University of Minnesota-Morris
SFA Western Chapter teamed with the Organic Gardening Club at the University of Minnesota-Morris to sponsor a barn dance at the school on March 24. The dance offered an opportunity for people of all ages to bond as they whirled their way through wheels, squares, and lines.
Ruperts Land Band and a live caller led contra and square dancing, while the Western Chapter provided information about SFA; the chapter along with the campus’ MPIRG chapter lent financial support for the dance.
The Organic Gardening Club is a student organization that maintains the campus’ Student Organic Garden to provide fresh produce to club members and the school’s dining services – you may have met a few of these students before, as typically a group from Morris attends the SFA Annual Conference as well.
Breaking news: ONE SPOT has opened up in the May 13 SFA Deep Roots course, Introduction to Small Ruminant Husbandry. To register, click here.
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By Theresa Keaveny
As spring’s work peaks, I’d like to share a few highlights of last weekend’s “Healthy Hives, Healthy Lives, Healthy Land” forum in Minneapolis, where SFA sponsored an informational table.
Top of my mind was the connection between food-producing practices and healthy soil to the well-being of pollinators, plants, insects, birds, animals and people. “Soil Health through Regenerative Practices,” a compelling presentation that featured the Five Principles of Soil Health, made the connection. It can be heard along with other presentations by contacting Beyond Pesticides at 202.543.5450.
“From Soil Microbiota to Gut Microbiota” featured Dr. David Montgomery and his new book “The Hidden Half of Nature” about the connection between healthy soil and healthy digestion. A great presentation, his book promises to be a great read.
If you think you’re helping pollinators by planting “garden variety” seeds, hold on. Plant starts in many garden centers across the country are coated with or are grown from seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides. Visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown listing for local producers who may be contacted about whether their seeds, plants, mulch and products use these neonicotinoid. Visit www.beyondpesticides.org for a comprehensive directory of seed companies, organizations and farms that sell organic seeds and plants to the general public.
Also, bit.ly/pesticidepolicymap shows a map of over 115 communities in 21 states, including Minnesota, that have adopted policies to protect communities from pesticides and daily toxic chemicals and that promote alternate production practices.
Help SFA keep the land healthy, and in turn, our hives and our lives! Contribute to our matching grant campaign that will be used to fund our Pasture Project work that educates folks on how to build soil health by adding livestock to the landscape. We’re nearing the $12,000 mark and need your help today!
The 2018 SFA Conference will be next Feb. 10 at St. Ben’s. Do you have feedback on the date or time? The night-before social hour? Do you know people we should invite? Give us a holler at info@sfa-mn.org, or look for a survey in the coming weeks.
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.
SFA’s Driftless Chapter (formerly Southeast) is co-sponsoring a free two-day event, “Building Soils From the Bottom Up,” featuring Jay Fuhrer (right), a two-time speaker at SFA’s Midwest Soil Health Summit and leader of the Burleigh County (N.D.) soil health movement. Fuhrer is a nationally recognized soil scientist who over the last 20 years has worked to move large-scale farms in North Dakota toward no-till, crop diversification and cover crop adoption.
The workshop starts with a presentation on soil health principles from 6 to 9 p.m. May 19 at The Ark Center for the Arts, 401 E. Jefferson St. Viroqua, Wis. Dinner is included. Next is a cover crop and soil health field day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 20 and beginning at the Mt. Sterling Park Shelter, Hwy 27 and 2nd St., Mt Sterling, Wis. Lunch is included.
This event is presented in collaboration with Valley Stewardship Network, The Pasture Project, and several other groups. Info: sfa-mn.org/driftless.
After working in cooperation with SFA, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has launched the Cropland Grazing Exchange, an interactive website that seeks to connect crop farmers and livestock farmers to improve soil health.
On the site, crop and/or livestock farmers register their location by township and provide basic information about their operation. An interactive map is then generated that shows available grazing sites and livestock herds; registered users may contact each other to initiate a conversation about grazing agreements.
The Cropland Grazing Exchange also includes information about writing a grazing lease, guidelines on herbicide restrictions, and other considerations for custom grazing.
Info: Kelly Anderson at 320.808.4424.
To increase local food utilization in Wright County, University of Minnesota Extension, Crow River Food Council, and SFA Crow River Chapter are hosting an educational event from 1 to 4:30 p.m. May 11 at Wright County Government Center, Room 120, 10 2nd St NW Buffalo.
This event is geared for anyone looking for information on customer requirements and local and state regulations governing local food sales, food safety protocols, and post-harvest handling needed to sell to restaurants, co-ops and schools.
Space is limited. The cost is $20. Info/registration: 763-682-7394 or wright@umn.edu.
SFA Greater Mille Lacs Chapter is hosting two upcoming events in the Aitkin area, starting with 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.
Finally, 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.
Big plans are under way! Minnesota Salsa Festival, the new signature event from SFA Central Chapter, is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 16, 2017, at the Todd County Fairgrounds, 215 1st Ave SE, Long Prairie.
Come celebrate all things related to salsa and enjoy local farm vendors, workshops, music, food, and a salsa contest. Cost is $5/person.
If you are interested in being a vendor at this event, or for more information, contact central@sfa-mn.org.
Want to sell your products to a crowd of 3,000-plus at the state's stinkiest festival? Vendor Applications can be found here. Vendor fee discounts for SFA members!
Minnesota Garlic Festival is Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.
You are invited to join this new listserv, which is designed to help farmers and farmland owners work through the issues involved in transferring farmland and farm businesses to the next generation Through it, SFA members will be able to network with friends from Practical Farmers of Iowa, MOSES and other organizations.
Click here to sign up.
We are starting this email exchange because so many of you have expressed an interest in receiving more information and sharing with others about farm transition issues. We anticipate there will be a few posts a week--on topics such as these:
- paying for long-term care and keeping the farm
- how to provide an inheritance for farming and non-farming heirs
- changes in laws that may affect your estate plans
- upcoming conferences and workshops
- and much more
This listserv is a project of Renewing the Countryside, with support from the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. Info: Teresa Opheim at teresa@rtcinfo.org.
A new guide, “Your Farmland and the Future: Setting Goals, Taking Action” will be available for free at many upcoming SFA events. The guide, full of tips from farmland owners and other experts, is also available to download at this link. Among the tips farmland owners share in the guide:
- Write a Farm Legacy Letter to document where your farm has been and your hopes for its future
- Join with other farmland owners to talk to and learn from each other
- Start early in the legacy planning
- Put together a good team to help you with the transition—the process is too complicated to go it alone
Also featured are experts such as Gary Hachfield, Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota and David Baker of the Beginning Farmer Center in Iowa. The guide was written by Teresa Opheim, Senior Fellow with Renewing the Countryside. It is available free through the generosity of Iowa-based Peoples Company.
The 2017-18 Minnesota Grown Directory, which includes places to buy direct from the producer, family-friendly activities, regional local foods restaurant suggestions and recipes for your family to enjoy, is now available. Whether you are looking for a farmers market, winery, meat producer, berry farm, garden center, CSA farm, Christmas tree farm or a specific Minnesota Grown vegetable or fruit – there is likely a farmer who grows it and who will sell it to you directly.
To request a free directory, click here.
Central Lakes College Ag and Energy Center is hosting a Field Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at 26505 Country Road 2, Staples.
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.
- A recap of SFA Crow River Chapter’s Spring Social featuring the Forever Green Initiative was nicely compiled here by Agri News.
- We agree with the assessment here in Farm and Ranch Guide: “The large majority of soil in the northern areas of North America, including those in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Canada, are glaciated soils and are very eroded. ‘And the reason they are eroded is because of tillage.’”
- An interesting perspective here for our livestock folks from the Grassfed Exchange on genetic selection.
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.
Your Input Sought on Cover Crop Survey: The 2017 Cover Crop Survey, sponsored by USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Agency (SARE), the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), is now live and ready for your input. The results from this survey have been extremely helpful in educating policy leaders on cover crops. Please click here to share and fill out the survey, either if you currently use cover crops or currently do not.
Farmer Motivation Survey: Pahee Xiong and Graham Ambrose are graduate students at the University of Minnesota looking to interview small farmers in Minnesota. With the help of Doctor Greta Friedemann-Sanchez, they aim to understand a farmer's unique motivations to stay small and how these motivations connect to Quality of Life. For more information or to ask questions, please contact Graham Ambrose at ambro034@umn.edu or 414-840-4927.
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