The Sustainable Farming Association of Central Minnesota (SFA-CM) will be holding its annual meeting on SATURDAY JANUARY 5 2008 at the VFW in Wadena (address 213 1^st St SE) From 10AM to 3:30PM. The event will feature a keynote speaker (TBA), and guest panelists addressing the issue of “What’s Happening in Local Foods”. Panelists include: Del Moen and Chad Minor from Chef & Company, Chris Cohlson, Director of the farmers market in Staples, Robert Whippler from Whole Farm Coop, Trish Johnson from Heartland Food Network, and Linda Ulland of the Central Regional Partnership. Following a lunch featuring local foods, the group will watch “Homegrown” a DVD about local farmers and sustainable agriculture made by Emily Stephenson. Many local SFA farmers are interviewed in this fine documentary. A short business meeting will follow, including election of new board members. A silent auction will conclude the day, and door prizes will be awarded.

For more information: contact Sue Peterson, Coordinator, (azariahsue@yahoo.com) at 320 355-2980.

Coloring Book Update:

Coloring books are being reprinted and will be distributed to schools during the 2007-2008 school year. Thank you to Todd Wadena Electric and Runestone Electric for the grant funding!

100 Orchards Project

SFA-CM is launching a new project called the 100 Orchards Project. Its mission is “ to teach our neighbors how to plant and care for diverse, stable, and resilient orchards that provide productive quantities of high quality food. As part of the project, we had a grafting workshop in April and a pruning workshop in August. Our next workshop is planned for October and will be an “Apple Festival”. It will give ideas on how to preserve the harvest. The time and location are yet to be determined, so please contact Sue Peterson for details (azariahsue@yahoo.com).

A workbook/catalog for the 100 Orchards Project is in the process of being written and should be available in time for the annual meeting on January 5 2008.

Annual Meeting

The 2008 annual meeting will be held at the Wadena VFW on Saturday January 5 2008 from 10-3. The meeting will feature breakout sessions on the health regulations regarding processed produce and on alternative crops.

Grafting Workshop

Monday April 9 2007 10 AM

10-12 Classroom

12-1 Potluck Lunch

1-? Grafting of apple and pear and stone fruit trees

Location: Snowy Pines Reforestation

33334 321st Ave Browerville, MN

For More information or directions, contact:

Greg Nolan (320 594-6317) or Sue Peterson (320 355-2980)

Past Events

2006

February 16-18 State Chapter Annual SFA Meeting

Gustavus-Adolphus, St. Peter, MN www.sfa-mn.org

February 26 Home Grown Economy : Foods from Local Farms as Economic Development

University of Minnesota, Morris

Annual meeting Jan 6 – St. Francis, Little Falls

Fall 2006 Field Days [click for brochure]:

September 16 11AM-1PM with a potluck to follow

Legend Lane Heritage Farm Market 3239 Legend Lane Ft Ripley

Market garden irrigation and mulching methods will be displayed as well as free range chickens.

September 23 10AM-Noon

Azariah Acres Farm 35294 Nature Road Foley

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Demonstration grant on alternative breeds of laying hens on a diverse sustainable farm with yak, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, peacocks and guineas

October 7 2 PM

Snowy Pines Reforestation – 33334 321^st Ave Browerville

Solar home tour of an operating sawmill and off-the-grid home

October 14 9AM to Noon with a potluck lunch to follow SFACM Harvest Festival at Jim Chamberlin’s farm

23111 State Highway 18 Deerwood

Pastured Chickens and Hogs, Companion Plantings/ Sheet Mulch, Walk in the Woods, Sawmill Demonstration, Alley Cropping/ Keyline Water Catchment

April 19 Future of Food, 7 pm showing at Northland Arboretum, Brainerd/Baxter

July 26-29 Windy River Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Fair

Central Chapter Annual Meeting, 2/4/2006, Browerville Community Center, 9-1 pm

State SFA Annual Meeting, Sat Feb 18, 2006, Little Falls, MN, 9-5 pm

2005

Central Chapter Harvest Fest, 9/30, 3-6 pm Azariah Acres

FarmFest

Grazefest

Harvest Fest

July 27-30 Windy River Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Fair

March 4 Local Foods Dinner

March 10 Poultry Workshop

April 8-9 Annual Meeting and Grafting workshop (schedule and poster)

Fall Field Days:

Every fall we have a number of field days at member farms where we meet and discuss the

projects that farmer is doing. It is mostly about community and it is lots of fun!

Watch this space for more information coming soon.

Annual Meeting:

Early each year we have our annual meeting, where we bring in a speaker about a current topic of interest, and we meet to discuss the business of the chapter. In 2007, we met in January and our topic was “Carbon Sequestration”

Become a Member!

The Aims and Purposes of this Association are:

To develop a support system for family farmers in acquiring knowledge and understanding of economical and environmentally sound practices of production farming;
To achieve this through a newsletter and website with the latest information on sustainable farming practices, as well as providing farm tours, seminars, and supervised test plots;
To develop policies which will influence legislation in areas pertaining to environmental problems, i.e. groundwater contamination;
To support farming methods without endorsing commercial products;
To support and encourage Extension and University research programs that promotes sustainable agriculture and
To promote farming as a positive way of life.

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We welcome non-farming persons committed to a safe and sustainable environment. Our membership is open to any person regardless of race, color or creed.

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A number of years ago, we published and distributed a coloring book for first and second graders called Annelid

(about the life cycle of an earthworm). We are working on publishing it again, and possibly updating it.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE COLORING BOOK:
COLORING BOOK
APPROXIMATELY 800K

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Click on "Get Acrobat Reader" to download the free software.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the book.

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