Southwest Minnesota is known for its rich soils and high-yielding corn and soybean crops. But farming on the northern edge of the Corn Belt comes with its own set of challenges. Years of intensive row crop production have led to erosion, rising input costs, and questions about the long-term health of both our soils and our food.

That’s where Triple Silo Meats near Lamberton, MN comes in. Brandon Mattison and his family have been farming the same ground since great-great-grandpa Nels homesteaded there in 1898. After digging into soil health and biology back in the 1980s, the family made the transition to certified organic production in 2000. Today, Triple Silo is raising grass-fed beef and veal, pastured pork, poultry, and eggs while building a direct-to-consumer business right in the middle of corn and soybean country.

Join SFA Grazing Education Lead Patrick Toomey and the Mattison family for the fourth pasture walk of the year as we talk through what’s working, what hasn’t, and what they’ve learned along the way.

Topics will include:

• Managing pasture for direct-to-consumer livestock production
• Raising pastured pork, poultry, and eggs
• Grass-fed beef and veal production
• Marketing direct-to-consumer in a commodity ag area
• Understanding your “why” and building a farm around it

This pasture walk will be a chance to see a different approach to farming in one of the most heavily row-cropped areas in the country and have honest conversations about profitability, soil health, and building a resilient operation.

Registration: It is free to attend. Registration requested, walkups welcome.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2004.25.085287 “Expanding Regenerative Grazing in the Upper Mississippi Watershed.