Practical Environmental Awareness
One of the organizations the Minnesota Dairy Initiative (MDI) partners with is the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA). This non-profit group works to promote environmental stewardship, diverse communities, and a strong economy by creating a network of farmers who can help each other. The SFA helps connect farmers to each other, knowing that the best educational resource for many dairy farmers is another farmer.
MDI coordinators work with the SFA to get insight from their farmer-to-farmer network about the ways dairy farms can increase both profits and the quality of life for farmers. The SFA team itself includes dairy farmers who understand the concerns that dairy farmers have about how to implement sustainable practices. They offer real-world experience, examples, and even tours that can help others to the table.
The SFA also offers a Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship to help recruit new dairy farmers. In this program, an apprentice works with an experienced dairy producer to learn the ins and outs of pasture dairy operations. It’s one of the best demonstrations of the power of farmer-to-farmer support.
Benefits of Partnering With the SFA
The SFA is one of several groups MDI works with to support the success and growth of dairy farmers in Minnesota. At MDI, our coordinators help dairy farmers create informal advisory teams that can provide valuable, experienced guidance to help dairy farmers attain their goals, measure their progress, and grow their business. We know many dairy farmers are interested in more sustainable operations, and the SFA provides the resources and connections to help any farmer move in that direction.MDI is here to help you and your farm succeed. Let us assemble the right on-farm team for you that will help your operation set goals, make improvements, address issues, and plan for the future.
If you would like more information on MDI’s program and the groups we partner with, you can contact us today.
