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Farm Beginnings Profile: Tyler Carlson

A Voice at the Other End of the Line

By Brian DeVore
October 15, 2012

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The call came in the night. On the end of the line was the panicked voice of Tyler Carlson, a 26-year-old beginning farmer who was starting a grazing operation in west-central Minnesota. It seems that while making a long-distance move of the cowherd he had just purchased a few days before, a baby calf had gotten separated from its mother. It was dark, coyotes were on the prowl and Carlson had just spent a few fruitless hours trying to chase the confused calf down. What to do?

The advice offered by the receivers of the call, beef producers Don and Helen Berheim, was to leave the animals alone—the cow and calf would find each other during the night.

“Sure enough, come morning they were together,” says Carlson. “It’s great to be able to make that call, and sometimes what you learn is there are certain things you have to let go. There are so many things they don’t teach in the books.”

Tyler Carlson

Farmer Network
Indeed, there are many things they don’t teach in books. And that’s a primary reason why the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings Program has created the Farmer Network. The Network is a group of over 130 producers who represent a broad spectrum of farming enterprises. Members of the Farmer Network share their experiences and provide informal mentoring to those in the beginning to intermediate stages of production agriculture. Many of these farmers are also presenters at field days, tours and winter workshops through LSP and other farmer training organizations.

Carlson’s relationship with the Berheims is an example of how a connection forged as a result of the Farmer Network can evolve from a simple exchange of goods and information to a mutually rewarding relationship.

“That’s been probably the most phenomenal connection I’ve made,” says Carlson of the relationship he’s developed with the Berheims during the past several months.

Don Berheim says the feeling is mutual. “It has become immensely satisfying and enjoyable to be around all that energy and passion,” he says.

Connecting Ag & the Ecosystem
A major reason Carlson and the Berheims have developed such a deep mentor-mentee bond is they have a similar philosophy when it comes to farming, land stewardship and livestock’s role in making it possible.

For Carlson, it started when he was studying sustainable agriculture and restoration ecology at the University of Minnesota. While in college, he took a plant physiology course with the late Bud Markhart, a horticulture professor who focused on organic farming systems.

“Bud Markhart blew my mind every day,” Carlson says. Specifically, he became fascinated by the role perennial systems like grasslands and forests could play in restoring the ecological balance on a farm. “I was interested in where landscape ecology meets agriculture.”

After graduating in 2010, Carlson interned at Moonstone Farm, a western Minnesota operation that over the years has transitioned from raising row crops to a system based on perennial plants. There Carlson learned how rotationally grazing livestock such as cattle can be used to not only add value to perennial plants such as grass, but actually improve the environmental health of the land. Moonstone’s owners, Audrey Arner and Richard Handeen, encouraged Carlson to take LSP’s Farm Dreams course, a one-day workshop that helps participants determine if farming is for them and if so, the best way to step onto that career path.

Farm Dreams helped Carlson figure out that LSP’s Farm Beginnings was the natural next step if he was to set up a farming operation. Carlson enrolled in the 2011-2012 class and last fall and winter traveled twice-a-month to Hutchinson, Minn., for workshops led by established farmers and other ag professionals in the area. Through the class, he learned about business planning, marketing and goal setting. Carlson says the class showed him how it was possible to combine agroecological restoration with profitable farming.

“I got really excited about grass-fed beef and carbon sequestration and all of that,” he says.

And he has access to some land to try out his ideas—Carlson’s family owns 200 acres near Sauk Centre. About 80 acres is farmable, and it has been growing row crops and alfalfa for the past several years. Carlson’s goal is to convert some of that 80 acres to a “silvo-pasture” system where cattle are able to graze in-between double rows of trees. The system, which has been used with success in states like Missouri and Georgia, provides shelter for the cattle, protects the soil, preserves water, provides wildlife habitat, shades cool season grasses and sequesters large amounts of carbon. The elongated grazing “paddocks” are 300 to 400 feet long, with 20-foot alleys between the double rows of trees spaced seven feet apart.

“Each alley provided about a day’s worth of grazing for the seven steers we had this year,” says Carlson.

This spring he planted around 6,500 red oak, red pine, Norway pine and white pine with the help of cost share funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The farm is now a U of M demonstration site for silvo-pasturing, which is a relatively new concept in Minnesota.

Such a system relies on cattle, of course, to make use of that forage and make the system economically viable. That’s where the Berheims enter the picture.

Networking
While enrolled in Farm Beginnings, Carlson had learned of the Farmer Network and how important continued connections with established farmers can be to the success of a new operation. That’s why, while looking for cattle last winter that would do well in a pasture system, he contacted Parker Forsell, who coordinates the Farmer Network. He told Forsell he was looking for a few head of brood cows to start a grass-based beef herd. Parker put the word out through the Network’s e-mail list. As it happened, the Berheims had already provided brood cattle to around half-a-dozen beginning farmers in recent years.

Since they started raising grass-based beef on their 200-acre farm near Benson, Minn., in 2004, the Berheims’ herd has been steadily growing. About the time Carlson put the word out about his need for cattle, they were looking to trim their herd.

“It really is satisfying when you have a good product and you can help someone out,” says Don.

Carlson contacted the Berheims and eventually made the hour drive to visit their farm. What he found was an operation that’s doing exactly what he’d like to do eventually on his land: using cattle to improve the ecosystem in a financially viable manner.

The Berheims feel their land’s health and productivity is better than it’s ever been. The pastures were previously overgrazed, and where it was tilled, there is “basically no topsoil,” says Don.

“It’s really satisfying to me to see the land being restored,” says Don. “The cattle are in the best flesh they’ve ever been in, and I think it’s because the land is getting healthier.”

The Berheims grew up in the western Minnesota-eastern South Dakota region, and returned to the Benson area in 2002 after doing various things, including farming and, in the case of Don, working as a Lutheran pastor. They had been introduced to rotational grazing in South Dakota and began rasing cattle on grass soon after moving to their farm near Benson. The cattle are Lowline Angus, which are shorter than other breeds and do well on pasture, meaning they can make good use of the grass growing on the rolling hills of the Berheim farm.

Carlson initially came to see the cattle that were for sale, but it soon became clear that this was no simple seller-buyer arrangement. The Berheims take good care of their cattle and won’t just sell them to anyone—they want them to go to grass-based operations where good husbandry is used.

“We have had a lot of conversations sitting around the table,” says Helen of those first meetings with Carlson. “We had similar dispositions in working with cattle and everything seemed to mesh. But we also end up talking about many things, not just about farming.”

Carlson also helped out on the farm to learn the ropes of handling cattle and grazing systems. The Berheims got to observe how he was with the animals, and they liked what they saw.

The relationship has re-energized the Berheims at a time when many farmers are looking to retire—Don is 73 and Helen will be 70 in December. They have two sons, but both have careers off the farm.

A Season of Learning
In April Carlson ended up buying 15 pregnant cows and heifers, seven yearling steers and two bulls. As part of the deal, the Berheims provided an extra heifer for free with the condition that Carlson would eventually pass on any calf it produces to another beginning farmer—akin to the Heifer International “revolving livestock loan” model.

“Tyler was really pumped about that,” says Don. “Not just getting the heifer but being able to pass it on.”

But the real deal sweetener was Don’s parting message to Tyler as he took the cattle home.

“I told him, ‘If you have any questions, just give me a call,’ ” says Don. Carlson has taken him up on his offer numerous times.

On a recent summer day Carlson points out the crisscross of trenches Don recently dug with his backhoe on the farm for water and electrical lines. He also dug a large hole that will eventually be a root cellar. The young farmer then walks out to his pastures to check on the cow-calf herd, which is grazing old alfalfa ground. He shows how he uses a device called a “tumble wheel” to move the portable fencing quickly and efficiently. He then checks on the part of the farm where trees have been planted as part of the silvo-pasture system. Carlson is blunt: it’s been a tough year, what with the extremely dry conditions—as of September he hadn’t had a significant rain since July 4. But even when it came to weather, the Berheims had good advice: don’t worry about what you can’t control, but take steps to prepare for it.

“That seems so long ago,” Carlson says of that night last spring when he made the desperate call to the Berheims. While saying this he’s rubbing his eyes and sitting in front of the yurt he erected on the farm for living quarters. “So much has happened in the last few months. It’s been quite a year of learning on the farm here, and it’s been a fairly successful year of learning, largely because I have people in my network now like Don and Helen.”

Helen and Don Berheim
Category: Farm Beginnings Profiles
Tags: beginning farmers • Farm Beginnings • grass-based livestock • managed rotational grazing • silvopasturing

Give it a Listen

Tyler Carlson and the Berheims talk about the relationship they’ve built on episode 122 of LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast.

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October 2025

Thursday October 9

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Thursday October 9
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Dawson, MN 56232, USA

Participants will walk around a “homestead” farm site, exploring areas and goals the landowner hopes to improve in the future, including pollinator habitat, perennial plantings, windbreaks, privacy/noise screens, water quality improvements, well sealing, and compost placements. Participants will hear feedback and recommendations from a conservation professional on potential programs that could assist the landowner in achieving those goals. This will be an active event.

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Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
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Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities. 

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

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9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
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Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Saturday October 11

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LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA

Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food! 
 
This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone: 
 
🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm. 
 
🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!) 
 
🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm! 
 
🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition. 
 
🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods. 
 
🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network. 

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees. 

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¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

Tuesday October 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Tuesday October 14
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

View Full Calendar

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