Episodes
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
62: From Planting to Pack Shed at Cedar Crate Farm
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
This will be the last episode of season 3, and 2022! Thanks for listening, and we'll see you back in 2023 with another episode on vegetable production with Dan, conversations on new grazing technology, and other great interviews!
Jared Luhman and Dan Zimmerli in conversation about vegetable production logistics from planting to harvest on Cedar Crate Farm. They discuss equipment, planning tools, pack shed layout, seed bed prep, food safety considerations, Lean Farm techniques and more. You just might get ideas for the next growing season!
Dan and his wife operate Cedar Crate Farm southeast of Mankato, growing produce for their CSA members. He also works for SFA as a soil health educator for fruit and vegetable producers.
Check out our first episode with Dan Zimmerli, Episode 33: Growing a CSA from 8 to 80, here.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Dan Zimmerli, SFA Community Organizer and Outreach Coordinator, Cedar Crate Farm
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
Friday Dec 02, 2022
61: What’s on your mind?
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Jared Luhman, Doug Voss, Kent Solberg, and Jonathan Kilpatrick discuss what's on their mind in the ag world at this point in the season.
As we approach winter in the Midwest, folks are looking ahead and planning for next year. The team highlights the many opportunities for making changes on the farm in the next season guided by the principles of soil health.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead
Kent Solberg, SFA Senior Technical Advisor
Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA Soil Health Specialist
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
60: Consults & Conferences
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Katie Feterl and Jared Luhman discuss SFA's on-farm consulting offering, how you can support our work, and highlight two big upcoming events: Annual Conference and Midwest Soil Health Summit.
- Contact Jared Luhman about consulting at jared@sfa-mn.org. You can also visit our Staff Page.
- Give to the Max: November 17, 2022 (Giving open through the end of November). You can also support by giving through the SFA website or becoming a member at any time.
- SFA Annual Conference: February 11, 2023 in St. Joseph, MN. Visit the webpage to learn more, register, and see exhibitor and sponsor information.
- Midwest Soil Health Summit: March 8-9, 2023 in Alexandria, MN. Visit the webpage to learn more, register, and see exhibitor and sponsor information.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Katie Feterl, SFA Communications Director
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Revisited: Wintering Cattle Roundtable
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Originally released November 16, 2020.
Winter can be the most expensive time to own a cow in the Midwest. As the season changes, five of our staff who also raise beef and dairy cows gathered to share the ways that they’ve found to reduce the cost (and labor) of wintering cattle on their unique operations. All five live in different parts of Minnesota and run pasture-based farms, some raising organic dairy, some grass-fed or grass-finished beef.
While there’s no one-size fits all management style to wintering livestock, the team discusses a variety of practices that have worked for them, including bale grazing, stockpiling perennial pasture to extend the grazing season, and the timing of calving. They’ve also found benefits extending beyond the cost savings of quality winter feed: Doug Voss finds that by bale grazing, he also saves on labor and improves the health of his herd. And farmers certainly don’t need to outwinter their cattle 100% of the time to start seeing the benefits--just making a few changes can show cost savings, a boost to herd health, and improvements in soil biology.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Angie Walter, Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Central Minnesota Education Coordinator
Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead
Tyler Carlson, SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Lead
Kent Solberg, SFA Senior Technical Advisor
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
59: Enchanted Meadows - In Transition
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Chad Crowley firmly believes that for those who want to get into dairy or farming in general, grazing is the way to go.
That route has certainly gone well for him. He was told many times that he couldn’t find success in farming because he didn’t grow up on one, but today he and his wife Melissa farm in southeast Minnesota as part of Enchanted Meadows Farms.
Enchanted Meadows is an organic, pasture-based dairy in La Crescent. The Crowleys were hired by owners Art and Jean Thicke in the early 2000’s. After prior experience working at a high-production dairy, the grazing dairy model allowed for the lifestyle that Chad and Melissa were looking for. They stayed on for several years, and the Thickes began gifting them calves to “build sweat equity” in the farm business. If they ever left Enchanted Meadows, their growing herd could move on with them.
Twelve years in, the Thickes concretely initiated a farm transition, selling the Crowleys one of the farms and splitting ownership of the herd. “Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it,” says Chad. The four continue farming together, and good communication and planning has helped the partners through inevitable times of disagreements.
Listen in as Chad Crowley offers a candid conversation on getting into farming and non-family farm transitions in this episode with Jared Luhman.
Chad Crowley, Enchanted Meadows Farms
Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, SFA
If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting Dirt Rich and SFA's work by donating or becoming a member at www.sfa-mn.org.
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
58: Old Farm, New Visions
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Scott Haase farms in Blue Earth, Minnesota, raising crops with his brother Brent and raising pasture and woodland pork under Blue Dirt Farm. Their German ancestors “walked here from Wisconsin back in the 1860’s,” and they still farm some of the land where those ancestors homesteaded.
Like most in the area, the Haase family farm is still a fairly conventional corn and soybeans farm. They have made some changes, including going completely no-till on their soybeans and reducing tillage overall, and adding cover crops to their management. The soil in the region feels difficult to manage for most, but Scott thinks “tillage here just begets more tillage” and the transition has been worth it.
In his conversation with host Jared Luhman, Scott discusses the challenges and joys of raising Mangalitsa pigs on pasture, including pasture rotation, marketing, inventory management, processing, and fencing technology. He has long range goals for the land, and is mindful of the risk of burnout. “It’s very hard and you need support from customers and the community at large” he says, reflecting on the value of farmer-to-farmer relationships and knowledge that he’s built through SFA and other networks.
His passion and self-admitted stubbornness keep him moving forward: “I really want to make an impact on more land than just my own farm…I’ve really gotten excited about finding things that work on the land and sharing those with people and providing really high-quality products.”
Scott Haase, Blue Dirt Farm
Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, SFA
If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting Dirt Rich and SFA's work by donating or becoming a member at www.sfa-mn.org.
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Revisited: AMPed for Grazing
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Following Dirt Rich's previous episode, 57: Fundamentals of Adaptive Grazing with Jonathan Kilpatrick, we thought it would be a great time to revisit our conversation on Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing with Jared Luhman and Doug Voss.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
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Over the years of establishing and fine-tuning their management systems, grazing has become absolutely key in both Luhman’s and Voss’ cattle and dairy operations. Beyond rotational grazing, Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing (or AMP) has improved the ecology of their farms--not to mention saved the time, energy, and expense of hauling around feed and other off-farm inputs--by modeling their grazing systems after the natural movement of wildlife across landscapes. “There’s no substitute for what comes out the back of a cow or small ruminant,” Doug jokes.
Doug hasn’t used any off-farm inputs for years, and yet his yields continue to increase. The adaptive part of AMP is quintessential: not only is a successful grazing plan going to be unique and flexible to the context of a piece of land, but to the conditions that may come to pass during the season, be it a change in rainfall or a family wedding you need a couple days to travel to.
The number of variables to consider may be daunting, but as Doug reminds us, creating an adaptive grazing plan is more of a journey than a destination. In the interview, he shares some advice for those looking to start to graze as well as those looking to improve their management, covering fencing, watering systems, rest periods, and examples from Voss Farms.
The payoff is worth it. AMP grazing has brought Doug great peace of mind and more predictable income: “I have far fewer challenges where I’m not going to be productive or profitable on an acre of ground than I’ve ever had before.”
Whether you own a herd or land, there are a lot of good resources to help you get livestock applied appropriately to your land:
- SFA Soil Health resources
- SFA Silvopasture resources
- Technical Assistance Program for Graziers
- Nourishment by Fred Provenza
- SFA also offers technical assistance to farmers, with priority given to SFA members.
Doug Voss, Grazing Lead, Sustainable Farming Association, doug@sfa-mn.org
Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, Sustainable Farming Association, jared@sfa-mn.org
Originally released March 17, 2021
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
57: Fundamentals of Adaptive Grazing
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Today, a presentation that our Soil Health Specialist Jonathan Kilpatrick gave on adaptive grazing at a recent field day. He’ll bring you through the fundamentals, always keeping in mind the importance of context in grazing management. Jonathan believes that grazing is one of the most powerful forces we can have to regenerate our soils. A topic overview:
- Why we adaptively graze
- How adaptive grazing plays a role in building soil health and resilience in our eco-systems
- Stocking density
- Measuring forage stand density and dry matter/acre
- Calculating herd needs
- BRIX
If you have any questions for Jonathan or other SFA team members, you can always reach out to us. Find our contact details on our staff page at www.sfa-mn.org. We’re all happy to help.
Jonathan Kilpatrick, Soil Health Specialist, SFA
If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting Dirt Rich and SFA's work by donating or becoming a member at www.sfa-mn.org.
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
56: Get to Know Jonathan Kilpatrick
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Jared Luhman sits down with SFA's new Soil Health Specialist, Jonathan Kilpatrick.
Jonathan comes to Minnesota after several years in several states, where he built a diverse background in agricultural work. He grew up farming with his family, eventually building up a 250-300 member CSA vegetable operation with his brothers. Time in other parts of the country has been spent as an intern and apprentice at Polyface Farm, a manager of a nonprofit farm in Vermont, a grazier in Oklahoma, and more.
His experience with various farming enterprises makes him a great resource for SFA members. Jonathan will be doing work with soil health, grazing livestock, Kernza, and more. Get in touch with him at jonathan@sfa-mn.org or 1.844.922.5573 Ext. 712. If you haven't connected with the Sustainable Farming Association yet, know you are always welcome to reach out!
Jonathan Kilpatrick, Soil Health Specialist, SFA
Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, SFA
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Revisited: Planting Minnesota Garlic
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
The Minnesota Garlic Festival returns to Hutchinson, Minnesota this Saturday, August 13! And that's got us thinking about seed garlic and planning ahead for the fall planting. Please enjoy this delightful conversation with two seasoned garlic growers, and consider joining us on Saturday for garlic food, fun, and conversations with farmers.
Originally released September 16, 2020.
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“Minnesotans don’t like that garlic. They don’t eat that spicy stuff, dontcha know?” Jerry and Sunny and their sold-out-by-August harvest beg to differ!
Jerry Ford and Sunny Ruthchild are longtime friends in Minnesota garlic and organic farming. Sunny runs Merryweather Gardens near Walnut Grove, raising garlic, poultry, vegetables, and pigs who are happy to be the clean-up crew for her orchard. Jerry raises replacement dairy heifers, grass-fed beef, and garlic with his family at Living Song Farm near Howard Lake.
Before they get back out there to plant next year’s garlic crop, they’re taking some time to compare notes and philosophies as they prepare for the next season and climate unknowns. They get into:
- Site Selection - Jerry’s land is hilly, Sunny’s land is flat. They both make it work.
- Soil Prep - “If you need to add chemicals to the soil, you need a different site.”
- Timing of planting
- Seed garlic and varietal selection - Seed garlic grown in Minnesota does well in Minnesota.
- First-time growers & gardeners - Porcelain varieties are a great place to start
- Dip treatments - Nah.
- Their agriculture philosophies
- Mulching
- Being adaptable to change in markets and climate
Garlic is a high-value, premium crop here in Minnesota. As Sunny says, “the truth is, Minnesota can grow garlic. And the other truth is, people in Minnesota love good garlic, don’t let anybody tell you anything else.”
Jerry Ford - Living Song Farm, SFA Network Coordinator
Sunny Ruthchild - Merryweather Farm
Katie Feterl - SFA Communications Director
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Resources:
Minnesota Premium Garlic Project
Minnesota Garlic Festival & Virtual Directory