Dirt Rich

56: Get to Know Jonathan Kilpatrick

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.

Revisited: Planting Minnesota Garlic

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

Dirt Rich Episode 6: Harvesting Minnesota Garlic

SFA Garlic Videos

55: Soil Lab Tests for Regenerative Ag

There are many tests you can do yourself on your farm to measure soil health, and we've talked about some of them on Dirt Rich before (check out Episode 47: Four DIY Soil Health Tests). Today, Jared interviews Lance Gunderson of Regen Ag Lab on the utility of lab soil testing, particularly for farmers on a regenerative path.

Why do do a lab soil test? Which one? How often? What do you do with the results? In this episode, we learn about a handful of different tests and the scenarios they may be useful in. The farm's unique context is important, and recommendations are informed by a farmer's goals and resource concerns. In particular, Gunderson does a deep dive into the chemistry and biology (his forte) of the Haney Test and why it is so useful for farms working with or transitioning to regenerative practices.

 

Lance Gunderson, President and Co-Owner, Regen Ag Lab, LLC

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.

Revisited: Designing Cover Crops for Late Season Grazing

Originally released July 15, 2020.

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It’s about that time to plant for late season grazing. Kent Solberg and Doug Voss discuss the biological benefits of grazing complex cover crops (nicknamed “biological primers”), and walk you through the process of designing a seed mix that will fit the unique context of your farm.

As we know, things can change rather quickly, and remaining adaptable and having a “plan B” is always helpful. Sharing experiences with other producers in your area can help give you ideas and learn what might work best (or not at all!) on your farm. Other resources mentioned in this episode include:

NRCS Offices 

Green Cover Seed Smart Mix Calculator

Midwest Cover Crop Council

SFA Soil Health Page

 

Doug Voss - Grazing Lead, SFA

Kent Solberg - Senior Technical Advisor, SFA

Katie Feterl - Communications Director, SFA

Reach out to Kent, Doug, Katie, or any other member of the SFA team here.

 

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.

54: REKO Rings

Finnish farmer Thomas Snellman coined the concept of REKO Rings in 2013, and in the last few years they’ve begun to sprout in Wisconsin and Minnesota. This unique model of a local food market is connecting thousands of eaters directly to their local farmers using regional Facebook groups for each ring.

Each week, participating growers post what they have to offer and customers comment to initiate an ordering process. All payment happens in advance of the weekly pick-up day, where everyone meets at the same time and place to receive their orders from the farmers. The efficiency can save all parties time and money, while still allowing for authentic relationship building between farmers and eaters. It’s a straightforward foundation and each ring may operate a little differently, responsive to the needs of their community.

To explain how REKO works and how to go about starting one in your own community, three farmer guests and founding members of their own REKO Rings join the podcast:

 

Mehgan Blair, Canosia Grove, Twin Ports REKO Ring

Vanessa Wallock, The Victory Garden Farm, Ozaukee Area REKO Ring

Thelma Heidel-Baker, Bossie Cow Farm, West Bend REKO Ring

Host Katie Feterl, Communications Director, 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.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a review, or drop us a line on our Virtual Comment Box.

53: Endorsed for Water Quality

“I went in thinking I wouldn’t have to do a darn thing.” Farmer Dale Buendorf was well on his way to becoming certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program at the outset, having implemented no-till and strip-till on his acres of corn and soybeans. While working with his certifier, Herman Bartsch, they discovered that there were just a few tweaks to make, including adjusting his nutrient management plan. Now, Dale says they are more responsible with where they apply nutrients and when, keeping it out of the groundwater. And, fewer passes on the fields has turned into a lot of savings in fuel costs. Dale was certified within six months, and also received endorsements in Soil Health and Integrated Pest Management!

“As the boots on the ground on these lands that we’re part of, I think it’s important that we do these things and be responsible and protect these resources that we’ve got.” Dale’s attitude is shared by many of the 1,200+ farmers who are certified. It is important to them to be good land stewards, and the recognition and resources they receive through certification is appreciated.

Caroline D’Huyvetter (Minnesota Department of Agriculture), Herman, and Dale share their experience with the certification program in this conversation, how it can work with landlords, and the five different endorsements that farmers can receive in addition to getting certified: Climate Smart Farm, Soil Health, Integrated Pest Management, Wildlife, and Irrigation Water Management. There’s more to those than the additional recognition: bridge payments for those with the Climate Smart endorsement are in the works.

Learn more about the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program here, and find out who to contact to get started here.

 

Dale Buendorf, Farmer in Faribault County, Minnesota

Herman Bartsch, South Central Area Certification Specialist for the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program

Caroline D’Huyvetter, Pesticide and Fertilizer Management, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Katie Feterl, Communications Director, 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.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a review, or drop us a line on our Virtual Comment Box.

52: We’re on YouTube (and in the field)

We're taking a break this week as we prepare for many in-field events coming up this summer. Check out our event calendar at www.sfa-mn.org to find out what's going on near you! With dozens of events going through the fall, there's something for everyone.

Also: we're on YouTube! Episodes 1-5 are available on the Sustainable Farming Association YouTube channel now, and we'll be uploading the full catalog over the coming weeks. If that's your preferred way to listen or share podcasts, you're in luck.

We'll have a new episode coming up later this month! Thanks for listening.

 

Katie Feterl, Communications Director, Sustainable Farming Association

 

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.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a review, or drop us a line on our Virtual Comment Box.

Revisited: Restoring Oak Savanna

As we approach our big field day at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge that will demonstrate targeted grazing to restore oak savanna, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode with Tyler Carlson and Stephen Thomforde. This episode was originally released February 17, 2021, and its preceding episode is 23: Oak Savanna Origins.

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Tyler and Stephen pick up their conversation on oak savanna from our last episode: How do we restore oak savanna? What does it take? Where have we been and what’s been missed in prior restoration attempts?

According to Stephen, “restoration is restoring the processes that maintain the desirable vegetation.” He dives into a variety of techniques used to do so including spraying, mowing, burning, baling, and grazing. Knowing what to take and what to leave is key in changing the trajectory of an ecosystem.

Stephen and Tyler also get into a popular question: do we really need fire? What is necessary to maintain the savanna once you have it where you want it? To parse out an answer to that question, Stephen walks us through historical and ecological perspectives. Considering the relationship between burning and grazing, the pair land on grazing as a primary tool and burning as a secondary tool to maintain savanna grassland; grazing reduces the necessity of burning.

The opportunity of farming and restoring oak savanna simultaneously is exciting, and Stephen looks forward to the growing cooperation between farmers and conservationists to build understanding and successful restoration work. He imagines the potential that could stem from bringing grazers back into the picture on more of the landscape, even in urban areas: a stronger local food economy, more meaningful jobs. The possibilities just might be as diverse as the ecosystem itself.

 

SFA’s Silvopasture & Agroforestry webpage: https://www.sfa-mn.org/silvopasture-agroforestry/

Silvopasture Learning Network: https://silvopasture.umn.edu/home

 

The name we were struggling to remember towards the end of the episode was Tom Barthel of Snake River Farm. Check out his work in Sherburne county with bison and other grazers here.

 

Stephen Thomforde, Stantec, Senior Ecologist

Tyler Carlson, SFA, Silvopasture & Agroforestry Project Lead

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.

 

This episode is supported and funded by a grant from the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). It is part of the “Oak Savanna Restoration through Silvopasture Project” in cooperation with University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension, Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM) at the University of Minnesota, and Great River Greening.

51: Framing Succession Planning

We wrap up our Farm Succession Miniseries with a conversation with Jim Molenaar, a longtime Farm Business Management educator and “farm boy.” Today, he works with 55-60 different farm families around St. Cloud through the Northern Agricultural Center of Excellence, counseling on areas such as day-to-day management, financials, and succession.

Molenaar’s top three essentials in the farm succession planning process are “communication, communication, and more communication.” In his conversation with Jared Luhman, he lays out some scenarios and helpful tools to frame your own approach to succession, retirement, and estate planning. Not that you have to go it alone– accountants and lawyers can be key third parties, and Farm Business Management educators/counselors like Molenaar are also available across the state of Minnesota.

While Molenaar grants that there is always urgent work to be done in a farm business and succession conversations can be difficult, starting the process early on rather than avoiding it can be quite beneficial. In his experience, making a plan is key to boosting the likelihood of success in a farm transition. One practice he recommends is creating a to-do list with specific people assigned to each task with a deadline. Taking minutes during any succession meeting is also a great tool that can help get parties on the same page.

Listen to Episode 49 and 50 to hear the first two parts of the Farm Succession Miniseries.

 

Jim Molenaar, Farm Business Management Educator, Northern Agricultural Center of Excellence, jmolenaar@sctcc.edu

Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, Sustainable Farming Association

 

Resources:

Southern Minnesota Center of Agriculture (Mankato)

Northern Agricultural Center of Excellence (Staples) 

Compete directory in for FBM instructors around the state

 

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.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a review, or drop us a line on our Virtual Comment Box.

50: Transferring a Land Ethic Legacy Farm

Jerry Ford and Mariénne Kreitlow are the fourth generation on a farm with a legacy in conservation. Living Song Farm sits on highly erodible land near Minnesota’s Crow River, but the practices introduced in the 1940’s by Mariénne’s father, Willard Kreitlow, have generated topsoil for decades. Jerry and Mariénne share Willard’s land ethic, and have worked for several years to find a non-family fifth generation that will continue this legacy even before the farm was officially transferred to them in their 60’s.

In this second part of our Farm Succession Miniseries, Jerry Ford describes their goals for succession (including living on the farm even after retirement), financial situation, and his experience with the family and non-family transitions that have occurred in tandem. He also details the legal realities of a tangle of life estates, Transfer on Death Deeds, long-term care insurance, and other policies that have shaped their unique experience: “Don’t try this at home, kids. Have a lawyer.”

 

Our Farm Succession Miniseries will conclude next week, May 4. Stay tuned!

 

Jerry Ford, Living Song Farm, SFA Network Coordinator

Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead

 

Resources mentioned:

Land Stewardship Project

Renewing the Countryside

Sustainable Farming Association

 

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.

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a review, or drop us a line on our Virtual Comment Box.