RSVP HERE
MADISON, Minn. — Farmers, agricultural professionals and community members are invited to a “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” networking meeting on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Madison. This free Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is an opportunity to learn from regional growers and innovators about the benefits of reintroducing small grains into farming operations and ways to rebuild the markets and infrastructure needed to support them. Lunch will be provided, and pre-registration is requested by Thursday, July 31. To register and to secure a spot, visit https://bit.ly/smallgrainwest. For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at 925-207-3721 or akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.
During this event, participants will hear from two western Minnesota farmers who have found success in growing and marketing small grains: Noreen Thomas of Doubting Thomas Farms and Peter Haugen of Sandhill Mill. Additionally, Gilbert Williams, a longtime grain mill operator and small grains procurement expert, will discuss the processing side of the business. The meeting will begin with a tour of a Sandhill Mill field and then participants will head over to Madison Mercantile for presentations and lunch.
Interest in small grains has seen gaining momentum in Minnesota recently. During a similar event hosted by LSP in Albert Lea in January, over 150 farmers and ag professionals gathered to learn how others are rebuilding markets and vital infrastructure for small grains, which in recent years have all but disappeared from most crop rotations in the Corn Belt. In addition to providing farmers with a cash crop diversification option, incorporating small grains into rotations helps control weeds and reduces feed and fertilizer costs, as well as boosts soil fertility while lowering water nitrate levels.
“We want to build on the momentum of our small grain markets workshop held in Albert Lea earlier this year,” said Kiminski, a soil health organizer in LSP’s Montevideo office. “We know that one of the best ways to move new ideas forward is getting farmers in the same room sharing the opportunities and challenges they face and finding ways to problem-solve together.”
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The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis.