Sustainable Food Production Program at M State

12/04/2013

Check out this short course in January: “Deep Winter Production of Greens and Livestock Fodder Utilizing Passive Solar Energy,” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 2014, in Ashby, Minn.

Short Course on Winter Greens Production Jan. 25, 2014 • Paradox Farm • Ashby, Minn. A new class from the SFA Sustainable Food Production Program, “Deep Winter Production of Greens and Livestock Fodder Utilizing Passive Solar Energy,” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 2014, in Ashby...

08/17/2013

On behalf of the Sustainable Food Production students and faculty, a moment of silence in honor of Chuck Waibel, who moved on from this life to a new great adventure yesterday. His enthusiasm, creativity and unwavering support for the SFP program were greatly valued. Our deep sympathies to Chuck's family.

08/06/2013

It's Farmer's Market Week in Minnesota! Governor Mark Dayton recognized how important these are for connecting consumers and the folks who grow their food! Go pick up so tasty, fresh, local veggies and meet your farmer!

The popularity of farmers markets has increased, in part, because of the interest in healthier foods and lifestyles and an increased understanding of the importance of maintaining small, sustainable farms. Local farmers are able to offer consumers a variety of products including heirloom vegetables,...

07/31/2013

SFP graduate Noelle Harden is profiled on the Stand for Food website. Check it out! http://standforfood.com/
and check out their page! https://www.facebook.com/StandForFood

How should we educate Minnesota's sustainable food producers?

07/23/2013

If you live in or near Steele County, the Sustainable Farming Association's South Central Chapter is having its annual conference in Hope, a small hamlet just south of Owatonna. On Saturday, June 27, they'll be meeting and touring the Hope Creamery, among other things. It's not far from the cities. Check it out if you get the chance!

HOPE — For the last five years, members of the South Central Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association have met during the summer to discuss issues and provide education.

07/22/2013

Dr. Sue Wika, the director of the SFP program, and Gretchen Boyum of Boyum Farms are teaming up to teach some classes at the Battle Lake Farmers' Market this summer! What a cool way to help build a community with great knowledge and skills to use their food well!

Wondering what to do with all that produce from the farmers market? This summer the Battle Lake Farmers Market is offering food related classes to give you some new ideas.

06/17/2013

Everyone's buzzing about "local food," but the Sustainable Food Production Program at MSCTC-Fergus Falls did something about it: training the next wave of producers with answers for consumers seeki...

03/04/2013

Thanks to Purple Cow Organics from the Sustainable Food Production program at M State in Fergus Falls, MN for the happy tomatoes you sent home with us after the MOSES conference! We repotted them yesterday in the deep winter greenhouse our class built last fall!

Purple Cow Organics, LLC is a producer of high-quality organic composts, growing medias and broad-spectrum liquid fertilizers —crafted to build soil health from the ground up.

12/07/2012

For farmers, educators, and advocates -- and presumably all "local food and farm system" practitioners --

Building the Base of Your CSA: Legal Best Practices, Including Member, Volunteer, and Intern Agreements Webinar
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
6:00-7:30pm, Central time
Location: Online
Sponsored by Farm Commons
http://farmcommons.org/

Farm Commons is a new organization started by Rachel Armstrong, a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where she researches legal issues specific to Community Supported Agriculture farms.

Webinar Dec 18: Building the Base of Your CSABest Practices, Including Member, Volunteer, and Intern Agreements. Register HereNew Model CSA Agreements We've uploaded new model CSA Agreements. Download them here.Farm Commons provides the proactive legal services sustainable farmers need to become the...

11/19/2012

After many requests, I posted an online petition to keep the program running. Here's the link. Please keep sending letters to the administration (at this point, Chancellor Rosenstone); direct letters will carry a great deal more weight from each person than the petition. Thanks for support of the program to everyone!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/361/625/145/m-state-fergus-falls-reinstate-the-sustainable-food-production-program/

This program give students the knowledge and skill necessary to meet the many agricultural and...

11/18/2012

In the Fargo Forum this Sunday:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/380793/

Lack of interested students cited FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – Twenty-six-year-old Noelle Harden has three degrees: one from the University of Wisconsin, one from the University of Minnesota, and one from a much smaller community college here that she says gave her the biggest boost of all.

11/15/2012

on a brighter note, Dan Fabian, one of this year students has been keeping a blog of our experiences (and a few of his own). Here's a link for those who would like to check it out!
http://www.fabe-sabbatical.blogspot.com/

Following the quizzes in Farm Skills we jumped into Crops and Forage Class with a discussion of Forages which are a primary component of most ruminant livestock rations. We began with Legumes and how they play an integral part of sustainable ag. practices in the Midwest. They serve as: livestock f...