Farm Horizons, August 2019

SFA Field Day addressed soil health

By Amy Johnson
Correspondent

Dairy and livestock producers, veterans in farming, and others interested in soil health attended the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota (SFA) pasture walk and field day at the Veterans Farming Initiative Farm June 27. The event was hosted by Tom and Charreise Norris at their farm in Montrose.

This event included a farm tour and presentations from Matt Keesling, veteran program coordinator for Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA); and Kent Solberg, SFA Livestock and Grazing Specialist. The meeting included discussion on DGA veteran programs, information on the Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI), and a presentation on how soil health, livestock, and cover crops can boost your farm business.

The event focused on learning about the veterans initiative through the apprenticeship program. Veterans Farming Initiative’s mission is “to develop and promote 100 percent organic farming as a commercial sector that creates green-collar jobs for veterans, and to engage the communities in building a healthier and more locally-based food system. By enabling organic farming through farm creation, farmer training, public education, and policy change, VFI brings veterans in the local area closer to food production.”

The SFA advances environmental stewardship, economic resilience, and strong, diverse communities through farmer-to-farmer networking, education, demonstration, and research.

SFA is a membership-based organization dedicated to advocacy and advancing the principle of sustainable farming.

SFA Executive Director Theresa Keaveny described how SFA is a membership-based organization dedicated to advocacy and advancing the principle of sustainable farming.

The three pillars are:

• Protecting our natural resources; land, air and water.

• Ensuring economic resilience, so farmers get a fair price that ensures access to healthcare and retirement income.

• Growing a diverse community by developing more farmers in rural areas.

FA currently has nine chapters and 17 masters and apprentices in the state of Minnesota. In partnership with the DGA and the MDI, it is working to identify more.

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