According to their website:
The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota [SFA MN] supports the development and enhancement of sustainable farming systems through innovation, demonstration, education, and farmer-to-farmer networking.
SFA MN is a terrific, sustainable-farming-focused group, and they're hosting their 20th annual conference next weekend, February 18 - 19 at the College of St. Benedict’s in St. Joseph, MN. John Mesko, SFA MN's Executive Director, tells me "I’m really proud of the content we’ve got lined up for this conference. I think we’ve done it, something for everyone." Looking at the agenda, I can't help but agree. There's too much going on at the conference to list it all here, but here are a few highlights to whet your appetite:
The conference starts on Friday afternoon at 2:00 with the Land Stewardship Project's Farm Dreams workshop, which is "designed to help people who are seeking practical, common sense information on whether farming is for them."
After the workshop, Woody Tasch from Slow Money will give a talk (pre-registration is required for this; it's likely to be a full house). "Soil fertility, carrying capacity, sense of place, care of the commons, cultural, ecological and economic health and diversity, nonviolence" are things that are important to Woody; I've seen him before and he's a terrific, compelling speaker.
Friday night wraps up with what sounds like a terrific event the organizers are calling the "Taste of Sustainability." For $10 ($5 for students), you get all sorts of delectable, sustainably raised foods, cooking demos, live music, and the chance to hang out with Minnesota's coolest farmers.
Woody TaschSaturday proves to be just as interesting and fun. Renewing the Countryside is hosting an all-day Agritourism Business Development workshop, helping farmers figure out how to make money by answering important business questions like "Is there a Market [for what I sell]? What are the Regulations? What are the Liability Concerns? Where To Start?"
Also on Saturday, the food and nutrition department at the College of St. Benedict will be teaching short classes on:
home brewing of beer and wine using local and organic ingredients with presenters from Northern Brewer, home cheese making with Jodi Olsen Read of Shepherd’s Way Farms with support from Midwest Supply, old world sausage making, and artisanal bread. Mary Jane Miller, will be on hand to facilitate the classes.
As I mentioned above, there's too much going on at the conference to detail it here. If you're interested, please visit the SFA website for more details. Although the conference is focused on farmers and their needs, there's lots of information, food, and fun for those of us who may never want to run a farm, but are interested and passionate about the subject anyway. At only $85 for non-SFA members (with minimal additional charges for ceratin activites), the conference is also a great value.
SFA MN's 20th Annual Conference
Friday and Saturday, February 18 - 19, 2011
Gorecki Center, College of St. Benedict’s
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, Minnesota 56374
(320) 363-5011
Lee Zukor is the founder of Simple, Good, and Tasty. E-mail him at lee@simplegoodandtasty.com or follow him on Twitter.
