East Central

Welcome to the East Central Chapter

The East Central Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) is committed to advancing SFA's mission. Our emphasis is on building a farmer network to share knowledge that furthers sustainable farming practices and financial sustainability for our farmers. We believe in connecting the community to local farmers and food options through chapter meetings, farm tours, education and networking sessions.

Our chapter is made up of farmers and consumers in the general area of Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Ramsey, Sherburne and Washington counties, the southern portion of Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Pine counties and northeast Hennepin County. Membership is not restricted to these counties; East Central Chapter welcomes all who find our mission compelling.

Contact: eastcentral@sfa-mn.org or 1.844.922.5573 Ext. 718.

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Become a Member

Renew or start your membership below.
Be sure to select "East Central Chapter" on the membership form.

Chapter Events

March Chapter Meeting

Sunday, March 24, 2024  1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

North Branch Library, Public Meeting Room
6355 379th St, North Branch MN 55056

Please bring some food to share as we gather for this Veterinary discussion.

Dr. Megan and Dr. Lily are Vets at Northern Veterinary Services in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, who work exclusively with livestock, specializing in care for dairy and beef cattle, goats, sheep and cervids. They will be joining us for a discussion on the new regulations regarding over the counter antibiotics, and ways to prevent and be prepared for animal illnesses.

If you have specific questions, please send those to eastcentral@sfa-mn.org by March 22, 2024..

Registration requested HERE, walkups welcome.

East Central "Cattle 101" Veterinary at Rust Hill Ranch

Wednesday, March 27, 2024  9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Rust Hill Farm
16445 Panola Drive, Scandia, MN 55073

Please bring some food to share as we gather for this Veterinary discussion.

You're invited to join East Central Chapter farmer Matt Hardy at his farm for "Cattle 101" presented by Osceola Veterinary Service. Large animal veterinarian Dr. Bruce Oscarson will be on-farm to demonstrate an exam, assess holding/handling facilities, discuss disease prevention strategies, talk calving, and answer questions. This is a great opportunity for those who are new to raising cattle, as well as experienced graziers looking to gain knowledge from experts. Enjoy this opportunity to meet one of our local large-animal veterinarians and get practical advice for caring for your herd.

If you have specific questions, please send those to eastcentral@sfa-mn.org by March 22, 2024..

Free admission
Registration requested (coming soon), walkups welcome.

Regenerative Agriculture Conference: "Litter the Land with Livestock"

Wednesday, April 10, 2024  9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Braham Event Center
655 8th Street SW, Braham, MN

The East Central Chapter of SFA is announcing the Regenerative Agriculture Conference, which is is organized and hosted by Chapter members Craig and Vicki Trytten.

They have lined up an impressive program:

Speakers include:
Todd Churchill, founder Thousand Hills
Taylor Henry, owner Acres USA
Thom Peterson, MDA Commissioner
Craig Trytten, Trytten Dairy
Zach Gunnink, Soil and Seed Specialist
Abby Penzenstadler, USDA Farm Service Agency
Jace Stallman, NRCS Rangeland Specialist

Cost: $10.00 in advance or $15.00 at the door.
Walkups welcome.  Lunch is provided.

To register, send an email to
regenerative.ag.meeting@gmail.com
and you will be registered and receive instructions for how to pay in advance.

There is capacity for up to 400 people – register and help fill the room!

Click to see Flyer

April Chapter Meeting

Sunday, April 28, 2024  1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

North Branch Library, Public Meeting Room
6355 379th St, North Branch MN 55056

Please bring some food to share as we gather for this Water and Soil Resouces discussion.

Jennifer Hahn is the Federal Conservation Programs Coordinator for the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources. She works to optimize programs before they get to the local offices, and looks for and goes after new funding opportunities that could be helpful for local offices. She will be covering upcoming opportunities she sees with the funds that are coming (statewide) and is looking for your input on what items to prioritize. So this will be a conversation about what is important to you, what barriers you see, what would be helpful, etc. that will inform her work and what to prioritize. You may know Jennifer from her excellent work as a UMN Extension Educator, she is a wealth of knowledge and is also a farmer.

If you have specific questions, please send those to eastcentral@sfa-mn.org

Registration requested HERE, walkups welcome.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for East Central Chapter members who wish to attend conferences and events to learn sustainable farming practices.

East Central Email Group

Send an email to eastcentral@sfa-mn.org and ask to be added to our email group.  This will allow you to communicate with chapter members.  All email addresses are confidential and not shared. 

Meet Our Farmer Members

Contact any of our farmers to access local farm products

Baker's Acres

Dave & Karen Baker
www.isantibakersacres.com
763-444-4383
Beef, Lamb, Eggs, Chicken, Turkey

Brown Family Farm

Ben & Jodi Brown
Jodi@brownfamilyproduce.com
952-836-5263
CSA Shares: Fresh Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs

Chain Lake Pastures

Rick & Sarah Cedergren
chainlakepastures.com
651-674-7927
Pastured Poultry, Eggs

Clover Bee Farm

Margaret & Andrew Hanson Pierre
cloverbeefarm.com
985-261-3312
Vegetables

Dawn2Dusk Farms

Moses Momanyi
dawn2duskfarm.com
763-691-4409
Organic Certified Produce

Ferris Family Farm

Jon, Jessica, Rob & Carol Ferris
ferrisfamilyfarm.com
612-930-3276
Pastured Chicken, Pork, Farm Fresh Eggs

Gray Duck Farms

Stacie Mix & Shawn Kilpela
651-295-9931
grayduckfarm@gmail.com
Grass-fed/grass-finished beef, pastured heritage breed pork, free ranged pastured chickens and ducks

Honeymilk Homestead

Anthony & Johana Jalbert
www.honeymilkhomestead.com
507-450-0088
A2 Milk, Pastured Chicken, Pork, Beef, Eggs, Honey, Maple Syrup, Skin-care products

Limousine Acres

Nancy Teich
Limousinacres@gmail.com
612-226-4378
Pastured Beef

Minnesota Fresh Farm

Sharon & Bruce Johnson
minnesotafreshfarm.com
612-735-5459
Farm Stand with Vegetables, Fruit, Meats, Eggs, Honey and more

Nelson Grass Farm

Ryan & Desiree Nelson
nelsongrassfarm.com
612-328-8924
Eggs, Chicken, Pork

Past Times Farm

Martin & Lisa Lynn
Pasttimesfarm1@gmail.com
Pasttimesfarm.com
763-370-4053
Sheep and alpaca fiber, fresh eggs

Pettit Pastures LLC

Tim & Jake Pettit
www.pettitpastures.com
612-401-6872
Grass-fed Beef, Pastured Berkshire Pork

Rust Hill Ranch

Matt Hardy
rusthill.com
651-237-2195
Forest-raised pork and pastured chicken

Snake River Farms

Tom Barthel
www.thesnakeriverfarm.com
Grass-fed bison, Grass-fed beef, Pastured pork, Grass-fed lamb, Pastured goats, Ranged Geese, Ducks, and Turkeys

Third Tree Farm

Caroline Aoyama & Ryan Stubby
www.thirdtreefarm.com
415-722-8627
Naturally Grown Vegetables and Flowers

Chapter Leadership

    • Holly Pearson, Co-Chair
    • Ryan Nelson, Co-Chair
    • Beth Miller, Director

 

    • Yvonne Baller, Secretary
    • Matt Hardy, Chapter Delegate
    • Janelle Gudim, Director
    • Darrin Lee, Treasurer