Posts (archive)

A look at the future of sustainable agriculture. What effect will climate change have on what you eat? What impact will it have on small farms and large?

Producers, landowners, NGO’s, and researchers who are seeking resources to help them reach their sustainable agriculture goals need look no further than the recently updated Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches, and Communities Guide.

Wisconsin DATCP together with 19 other organizations, including the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, are announcing the Local Food Business Seminar Series.

In my first year here at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute I’ve learned and experienced more than I could have imagined

If you have never seen 20 to 30 people stuffing cow manure into cow horns, you haven’t lived.

Learn what the 2014 Interns had to say about their time at MFAI, Sunn Hemp as a cover crop research, the problems with herbicide-resistant crops, MFAI’s three original Founders and upcoming educational Workshops. Happy Fall to all!

Join us Saturday, September 20th 2014, 6:30-8 pm with feature Artist Marishka Bub, Moonstar Farm, at the opening reception of Our Sacred Earth “Autumn” art exhibit at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. A mixed-media exhibition of wool, wood, painting and photography will be on display. Admission is FREE! For more information call 262-684-5193.

All are invited to attend Michael Fields Agricultural Institute’s 30th year anniversary Tuesday, 9/30/14, at 3pm. This is a free informative and celebratory gathering with featured speaker Fred Kirschenmann & MFAI Founder Christopher Mann.

Those who love to farm know that cover crops are becoming an important part of their farm management plan. Many farmers would love to reap the benefits of cover crops, but the overwhelming wealth of information and the lack of guidance makes it hard to decide which way to turn for help. This field day will be a dynamic, interactive session led by four experienced teachers ready to answer questions.

This summer, the Institute initiated an evaluation of Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) as a potential cover crop for Wisconsin. A tropical, rapid-growing legume, it has demonstrated its ability to produce large biomass and nitrogen yields in the Southern U.S. and as far North as Illinois. It also has potential to suppress weeds because of […]

Wisconsin DATCP together with 19 other organizations, including Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, are announcing the Local Food Business Seminar Series. These are low cost, affordable seminars, taught by experts in the industry.The series will feature seven different topics from October 2014 to March 2015.

NRCS WI recently announced 2014 sign-ups for the Conservation Stewardship Program. 473 new contracts were enrolled bringing the total number of contracts in Wisconsin up to 2700. Almost 1 million total CSP acres were attained in this sign-up period — the total reached was 991,000 Wisconsin acres.

Extra produce. Seconds. Harvest season is picking up, and processing provides an increasingly popular means of adding value to these as well as helping your farm’s bottom line. Yet it may also introduce a host of questions: How to find the organic ingredients needed to fill a recipe? Where to conduct the processing? Is certification […]

Our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition have written a great blog post which breaks down four important policy decisions that will affect farmer, food, and the environment in the upcoming year.

Farm Commons was created to fulfill founder Rachel Armstrong’s strongly held belief that affordable, quality business legal advice should be accessible to all sustainable WI farmers. She has worked hard to fill this role and build a network of attorneys throughout Wisconsin who believe in that same vision.

Celebrate MFAI’s 30th Anniversary in Sustainable Agriculture with featured speaker Fred Kirschenmann & founder Christopher Mann. Cover Crops Field Day held prior to the celebration!

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute rescheduled 2014 Cover Crops Field Day to Tuesday, September 30, 2014, from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Key speakers from NRCS, UW Soil Science & MFAI. Register Today!

The 2014 Farm Bill offers increased opportunities for producers including farm loan program modifications that create flexibility for new and existing producers

Please join us! Michael Fields Agricultural Institute wants to say “Thank You” to our customers and staff with a night of homemade pizzas made with fresh ingredients from our The Gardens.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will begin accepting applications to re-enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on July 11, 2014. This renewal option is specifically for farmers and ranchers who enrolled in CSP initially in 2010.

CSP is a comprehensive working lands conservation program that provides technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to actively manage and maintain existing conservation systems and to implement additional conservation activities on land in production. Through CSP, participants take steps to improve soil, water, air, and habitat quality, and can also address water quantity and energy conservation issues.

Johanna Martina Mann, one of the three original founders of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, passed away on April 1st, 2014 while at the Mann’s winter home in Überlingen, Germany. The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute grew out of a dream Martina had to own land in America and to use that land to bring forth education on the importance of wholesome food based on good soil and sustainable agriculture. She and her husband Christopher co-founded Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and opened Nokomis Bakery.

Let me tell you about hemp. Industrial hemp (marijuana’s non-psychotropic sibling), is used as raw material in buildings, houses, insulation, roofing, car door panels, fiber for clothing and rope, paper and as a food crop for the nutritious seeds in the form of hemp oil, hemp butter, hemp milk, energy bars, protein mixes and countless other culinary uses. This dual-use crop has economic benefits for farmers and is projected to be an $80 billion a year industry, greater than corn and soy combined. Canadian farmers are growing it, making $250 an acre and selling it to the U.S.

We, your friendly farmers, wanted to thank everyone for their support so far this season. We’ve enjoyed meeting some of you as you shop our cooler or volunteer in the fields with us and we’re looking forward to meeting many more of you throughout the year!

Aside from a time-tested curriculum, there are several benefits to choosing Stateline Farm Beginnings: