Dirt Rich

Charlotte Smith

Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA Farmer Education 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.

Dan Kittredge grew up on a homestead with a family deeply engaged in the organic movement. Over the years, he worked on farms across the globe and learned from permaculture, biodynamic, agroecology, indigenous, conventional, and microbiological perspectives.

With a foundation in both the practical and the philosophical, he created the Bionutrient Food Association (BFA) in 2010, who makes it their mission to "increase quality in the food supply." If you've heard of the concept of "nutrient-dense foods," you might already be familiar with some of BFA's work.

The Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) is excited to be partnering with BFA to host Kittredge for a two-day "Principles of Biological Systems" workshop on January 26 & 27, 2024 in Elk River, Minnesota. Don't worry about sitting in front of a slide presentation for the whole weekend -- the workshop will be highly interactive and suitable for anyone who grows anything. Bring your questions and expect to leave with a better understanding of living systems and practical tools to make a positive impact on your plant and soil health. Learn more and register here.

Dan Kittredge, Bionutrient Food Association Executive Director

Resources:

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.

Derek Schmitz has never dreamt of being anything other than a farmer. He also really doesn't like doing field work. An adaptively managed, perennial grazing dairy just makes sense. 

In this conversation Schmitz shares how fellow dairy farmers helped him get started, and how genetics, observation and building his own farm team through the Minnesota Dairy Initiative have been key to his success -- and has even reduced his labor by about half.

Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA Farmer Education Director

Derek Schmitz, SFA Minnesota Dairy Initiative Coordinator

Resources:

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.

Jeff Duchene is a Grazing Specialist for the Minnesota NRCS, which offers both financial and technical assistance to producers to help them meet their land management goals and address their natural resource concerns.

In conversation with host Jonathan Kilpatrick, Duchene shares how his formal education combined with years of learning directly from producers has been foundational in his career: "I think every producer I've worked with over the years I've learned something from."

The pair also discuss the process of applying for NRCS programs like EQIP, and pointers and resources available to help navigate the current drought.

Jonathan Kilpatrick, SFA Soil Health Lead

Jeff Duchene, NRCS Grazing Specialist, Minnesota

Resources: 

NRCS website

Cropland Grazing Exchange 

Midwest Grazing Exchange

MN NRCS YouTube channel

September 2023 Grazing School

Send us an email at [email protected].

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.

Five SFA farm consultants from across Minnesota discuss how they are approaching and planning ahead for drought conditions on their varying grazing operations. While conditions have changed since this conversation was recorded in early June 2023, their goals and decision-making strategies are evergreen.

Listeners are welcome to reach out with questions. Drop us a line! SFA also offers our members on-farm coaching and consulting. Get started here.

Drought can be a real source of stress for farmers. Minnesota has resources to help you cope. Reach the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline at 833-600-2670, or text FARMSTRESS to 898211, or email [email protected]. More information and additional resources are available here.

Jonathan Kilpatrick, Soil Health Lead

Derek Schmitz, MN Dairy Initiative (MDI) Coordinator

Angie Walter, Central Minnesota Education Coordinator, DGA; Agricultural Water Quality Certification Project Outreach Coordinator

Doug Voss, Grazing Lead

Tyler Carlson, Silvopasture & Agroforestry Project Lead

Resources:

Contact your county’s FSA office for more information on opportunities and deadlines described in this episode.

Cropland Grazing Exchange

Midwest Grazing Exchange

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Drought Resources

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.

Jonathan Kilpatrick and Jared Luhman return to the mic to explore farm financial health.

Doing a thorough business analysis can help you clearly identify specifically where your profits and losses lie across your enterprises, and in turn help you make confident decisions for your farm’s future. In their experience, the time you take to get a handle on your numbers usually pays itself back quickly in labor and input costs.

The pair walk through some definitions, the components to consider in a financial analysis, on-farm examples, and provide a foundation for listeners to gain a clearer picture of their farm business.

Find information about SFA's on-farm consults here, and Ranching for Profit School here. And, join us at an event to learn and connect with fellow farmers and food supporters!

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 of Minnesota.

If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.

We’re switching it up today! Jonathan Kilpatrick moves into the host seat and interviews Jared Luhman about the history of farming in his family and about his time working for Sustainable Farming Association.

A pivotal moment for the trajectory of the family farm came when a visiting student told them they were working too hard. The listening and learning (and traveling!) that followed laid the groundwork for how Jared and his father farm today.

Jared also discusses the common perception of regenerative agriculture practices being in opposition to profitability, and how he likes to work through those tough conversations.

Check out SFA’s Soil Health Case Studies here.

And, join us at an event to learn and connect with fellow farmers and food supporters!

*This episode was recorded prior to the passing of soil health leader and Ohio farmer Dave Brandt. There are many recent tributes to his legacy, including these pieces from No-Till Farmer and NPR.

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 of Minnesota.

If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.

In 2022, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) opened the state's first Emerging Farmers Office. Lillian Otieno and Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey of the MDA Commissioner’s Office share how it came to be, the value it brings to our agricultural landscape, and the impacts they are seeing.

SFA’s Executive Director Lucinda Winter hosts this discussion, exploring the connections with SFA’s work and how individuals can plug in.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Emerging Farmers Office or what “emerging farmer” means, this is a great conversation to listen to to get a sense of the Office's approach to helping Minnesota’s farmers find success.

Links mentioned in the show:

Emerging Farmers Office

Emerging Farmers Working Group

Ag Census

Patrice Bailey, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Lillian Otieno, Commissioner’s Office, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Lucinda Winter, Executive 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 of Minnesota.

If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.

Organic dairy grazier Angie Walter shares her experience using PaddockTrac, a grazing tool being developed by the University of Missouri. Angie's family runs a 100-cow organic dairy in Villard, Minn., grazing 80-100 acres at any given time. Theirs and 12 other Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship farms are piloting the PaddockTrac through an NRCS cooperative agreement.

The PaddockTrac device, which is in the prototype phase, mounts to the front of a UTV or 4-wheeler and uses sonar waves to measure forage height in pastures. Once the data is saved and uploaded, its app generates a grazing wedge.

The Walters drive their pastures weekly, using their eyes and the data from the grazing wedge to get a fuller picture to base their grazing management decisions from. As organic producers, it also aids in necessary record keeping for quantifying what the cows are eating.

PaddockTrac could hit the market in early 2024. Read more about the DGA/PaddockTrac project here.

Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead

Angie Walter, Central Minnesota Education Coordinator, Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship

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.

We're back! Dirt Rich kicks off its fourth season with the second part of Jared Luhman's interview with Dan Zimmerli (check out part one here). The two get into the business management side of the farm -- employees, task tracking, data management and record keeping -- and how the Zimmerlis have leveraged it all to improve efficiency, profitability, and quality of life for them and their staff.

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.

Resources mentioned: Lean Farm, Harvie, Microsoft To Do, Cornell Small Farms online courses

Schedule update: Dirt Rich is moving to a monthly release schedule. We will continue to release on Wednesdays.

Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead

Dan Zimmerli, SFA Community Organizer and Outreach Coordinator, Cedar Crate Farm. Contact at [email protected] or [email protected] 

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.