Dirt Rich

15: The Value of Pasture Plant Diversity

“We want a vast array of solar collectors out there.” Kent Solberg and Doug Voss are striving to get as much plant diversity in their pastures as possible. The benefits for animal performance, soil microbes, profitability, resiliency, and the function of the ecosystem as a whole are exponential. 

Prairielands can have upwards of 150 varieties of plants, with a healthy balance of all three plant functional groups: grasses, forbs, and legumes. A dream pasture! This range of plant life helps stimulate soil microbe populations and mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi are tied to only certain species of plants, and play an important role in making minerals and nutrients plant-available.

Different plants offer different benefits at different times. Kent says that if given the opportunity, grazing animals will select from 30-75 different plant species for their meal. They are going after the unique phytochemicals that they need, which are produced by a variety of different plant species. Having a diverse array of plants available gives animals the ability to select exactly what they need at that time, and boosts their performance, nutrition, and health. Additionally, better animal performance means more nutrient-dense food for us as eaters. Kent and Doug also note that many issues in the field disappear and there are much fewer vet visits when farmers build pasture plant diversity--saving time and money.

Grazing management is also a key part of encouraging plant diversity. Adjusting rest periods and stock density can produce the results you’re looking for without dropping a lot of money. Proper grazing management can create the environment to tap into the latent seed bank. Kent also describes in the episode how frost (or stomp) seeding, which can be done in the late fall in addition to the spring, and no-till techniques can help expand the diversity of the pasture. Doug notes that grazing is not only instinctive, it is a learned behavior as well. If animals haven’t grazed before, that will need to be factored into the management plan.

Overall, plant diversity builds health and resiliency. As the soil biology flourishes, the soil aggregate makes the land less vulnerable to heavy rainfall events, improves water quality downstream and for your animals, and reduces the risk of nutrient runoff. Being able to select from a wide variety of plants improves animal health, nutrition, and boosts performance, creating more nutrient-dense food and reducing vet visits. Resilient land and animals boosts financial resiliency. The benefits continue to ripple out from what can be relatively simple changes, and Kent & Doug give advice on where to start.

Kent’s Seed Suggestions for Building Plant Diversity:
Timothy
Clovers, particularly red clover
Alfalfa
Adding a new variety of a species that’s already present

 

Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead, Voss Farms

Kent Solberg, SFA Senior Technical Advisor, Seven Pines Farm & Fence

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.

 

Reach out to Kent, Doug, Katie or any other member of the SFA team here. SFA has a variety of resources on soil health and grazing available on our website.

Suggestions, comments? Drop us a line.

Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.

14: Renovation Ideas for Poorly Performing Pasture

Kent Solberg has yet to see a piece of land that can’t be renovated, even an old gravel pit. With the right tools, vision, and management system, Kent Solberg and Doug Voss believe that we can almost always make a piece of land more productive.

To get started they recommend “looking at the entire context” of the particular pasture, including physical characteristics like soil type, slope, and aspect, as well as the history of the land that shaped it into what you’re seeing today like rainfall events, cattle class, and grazing duration. Once what you want to work on is identified, using the resources you already have and targeting the “low-hanging fruit” is a great place to start. Oftentimes, changing management practices such as stock density and grazing periods is the cheapest way to improve pasture performance, and you can see changes relatively quickly.

It’s important to remember that conditions change, so being adaptable is critical. There isn’t a silver bullet kind of recipe that will work every time. That’s why it’s important to have a long term vision, understand carbon cycling and rest & recovery periods, and to start small. Here are just a few tools that you might use:

-Animal diversity in pasture

-Bale grazing

-Systematic outwintering (keep an eye out for a future episode on this)

-Long rest/recovery periods

-High stock density grazing

 

Doug Voss - SFA Grazing Lead, Voss Farms

Kent Solberg - SFA Senior Technical Advisor, Seven Pines Farm and Fence

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.

 

Reach out to Kent, Doug, Katie or any other member of the SFA team here. SFA has a variety of resources on soil health and grazing available on our website.

Suggestions, comments? Drop us a line.

Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.

13: Planting Minnesota Garlic

“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

12: Bringing Your Food Safety A-Game

Sarah Lindblom and Josh Reinitz join Dirt Rich to talk about how they’ve been growing food for their communities with food safety in mind--through the pandemic, and always.

Sarah runs Solar Fresh Produce, a three acre 40-member CSA farm outside of Buffalo, Minn. and has a small flock of laying hens. An hour south, Josh has farmed with his family for 12 years on East Henderson Farm. They primarily grow vegetables and also have laying hens. They recently moved from the CSA model to wholesale accounts with restaurants, co-ops, and schools, as well as some agrotourism ventures.

Unsurprisingly, food safety is a cornerstone for successful farms. With more of an eye on health this growing season, farmers have been “bringing their food safety A-game” to ensure that they continue to keep their customers safe. For Josh and Sarah, that has meant maintaining safe COVID habits among themselves, staff, and buyers, as well as adding focus to their usual food safety practices during day-to-day tasks. 

And it’s working! As they see sales pick up, they also see the public perception of the health and safety of locally grown foods continuing to trend towards trust in smaller-scale operations. Providing a high-quality and clean-looking product has been valuable in that it catches customers’ attention and opens the door for conversation. Even noting “triple-washed” on salad greens suggests the amount of work that went in before it reached the hands of the eater. 

“I can safely say that there’s not a thing I can grow right now that I can’t sell,” says Josh. Sarah sold out of her CSA shares this season sooner than ever before. There’s momentum in buying local, and the two agree that small-scale farmers continuing to prioritize food safety practices will build trust in the broader local foods movement.

Listen in for how they weave food safety into their daily tasks, how their practices are part of wholesale account relationships, and some training resources:

FSMA Produce Safety Rule - FDA

Does the Rule Apply to Me? - U of MN Extension

Food Safety - U of MN Extension

Produce Safety Alliance

 

Josh Reinitz, East Henderson Farm

Sarah Lindblom, Solar Fresh Produce

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

11: Herbalism for Everybody!

Sarah Lindblom has always grown herbs for her CSA. She started off growing some popular favorites for her shares: basil, parsley, cilantro. A workshop with herbalist Connie Karstens soon sparked an interest in medicinal herbs. She began cultivating holy basil, marshmallow, calendula, and lemon balm--just to name a few.

Now Sarah sells both fresh and dried herbs at the farmers market, as well as herbal tea blends, creating a unique value-added offering in the marketplace and through the winter. She’s also integrated herbs into her soil health practices, using them to attract pollinators, keep a living root in the soil, and build plant diversity. Today she shares how she ensures she grows a quality product, the benefits of cultivating herbs that continue to unfold on her farm, and how simple it is to start growing your own herbs--whether it’s in your windowsill or on your farm.

 

Katie Feterl, SFA Multimedia Coordinator and Development Assistant.

Sarah Lindblom, Solar Fresh Produce

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.

10: Implementing Silvopasture

*Note: Dirt Rich is going biweekly! Catch our next episode on August 19.

Jared Luhman and Tyler Carlson return to further discuss Silvopasture: “the intentional integration of trees, forage, and livestock into one intensively managed system.” Formerly a trope to “keep livestock out of the woods,” now farmers have the tools to properly manage their impact. 

 

By intensively managing trees to optimize the growing environment for the forage below, as well as the timing and location of livestock grazing, farmers can reap numerous benefits. Silvopasture practices can boost soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat and diversity, and carbon sequestration. Silvopasture can also raise timber value, animal performance, and overall economic returns, making this system an attractive option for some farmers.

 

Tyler describes his own operation, from his intensive study of agroforestry as a student at the University of Minnesota, to his 200 acres in Todd County today. He and his wife raise grass-fed beef, pastured lamb, and perennial fruits on their farm. Tyler shares his experience in working with both existing woodlands and establishing silvopasture on cleared land for those looking to get started.

 

Resources:

SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Homepage - Learn more and register for upcoming workshops here.

Silvopasture Handbook

Silvopasture Webinar Series

University of Minnesota Silvopasture Learning Network

NRCS EQIP

 

Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead

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.

9: Silvopasture in Minnesota

Silvopasture: “the intentional integration of trees, forage, and livestock into one intensively managed system.” 

 

New Dirt Rich voices Jared Luhman and Tyler Carlson give an intro to silvopasture practices, covering a little history, how silvopasture looks today, and the economic and biological benefits these systems can provide to Minnesota farmers. Stay tuned for next week’s episode, where Tyler and Jared will give examples of how farmers can implement silvopasture on their farms.

 

Resources:

SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Homepage - Learn more and register for upcoming workshops here.

Silvopasture Handbook

Silvopasture Webinar Series

University of Minnesota Silvopasture Learning Network

 

Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead

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.

8: Energized Fencing Essentials

Kent Solberg brings his expertise in energized fencing to Dirt Rich. Energized fencing is a psychological, rather than a physical barrier for livestock. Because of their portable nature, they are easy to modify, expand, and can be ideal for a rental scenario. They can be less costly than a barbed wire or woven wire fence as well.

 

Kent details the key considerations for energized fencing, the components of an energized fence (braces, line posts, wires, energizers, gates), and how to ensure that the fence will work properly. Those interested in gaining hands-on experience with fencing will want to check out our schedule of upcoming in-person workshops around Minnesota.

 

Kent’s key considerations for energized fencing:

• Energized fence is a psychological barrier rather than a physical barrier.
• The class and diversity of livestock you are managing (cattle & hogs are easiest, poultry, sheep, and goats can be more difficult)
• Terrain and topography
• Season of the year
• Who owns the property? And who owns the fence?
• Where are the property boundaries?
• What are legal considerations (state laws, local ordinances)?

 

Kent Solberg - SFA Senior Technical Advisor

Katie Feterl - SFA Multimedia Coordinator and Development Assistant

Reach out to Kent, 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.

7: Designing Cover Crops for Late Season Grazing

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

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.

6: Harvesting Minnesota Garlic

Garlic harvest is upon us! This specialty crop is growing as a premium product in Minnesota markets and pantries. Today we chat with Jerry Ford, a seasoned garlic grower who fell into it in 2002 and hasn’t stopped since. He walks us through his harvest and post-harvest processes, shares the conservation history of the fourth-generation Living Song Farm, and throws in a few garlic jokes for good measure.

A longtime local champion of garlic, Jerry also directs the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project, a collaboration between SFA and the University of Minnesota Extension RSDP. Throughout the year, you can also find him preparing for the Minnesota Garlic Festival, for which he is also the director.

Garlic growing resources and upcoming events can be found on the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project webpage. Garlic growers are also invited to join the Upper Midwest Garlic Growers networking group, which you can also connect with on Facebook.

While the Minnesota Garlic Festival isn’t happening live in-person this year, you will still be able to buy local, gourmet garlic from Minnesota growers. Stay tuned to the festival webpage for a forthcoming Garlic Grower Directory, and on Minnesota Garlic Fest social media for more fun updates.

Jerry Ford - SFA Network Coordinator

Katie Feterl - SFA Multimedia Coordinator and Development Assistant

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.