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Betsy Wieland
Extension Educator, Hennepin County &
USDA SARE Minnesota Co-Coordinator

A full brochure for this program can be viewed at: http://z.umn.edu/2013urbanagexpo.

The 2013 Urban Agriculture Expo will be held on April 20th, 2013 at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, MN. The Expo will be from 9:00am - 1:30pm, with educational seminars beginning at 9:30am. This event is for those who currently have an urban farming enterprise, are considering starting one, are supporters of urban farming, or are just curious to learn more. No preregistration is required for the event. There is suggested donation of $5 to attend.

The 2013 Expo will include three different topic categories; growing topics, business topics, and people topics. The growing topics will include water management, unique growing systems, and soils management. The business topics will include record keeping skills and tips, understanding your cost of production, and assessing which market option is right for you. Lastly, people topics will include updates in local food policies, the Urban Agriculture Alliance, and engaging communities around you.

For an informational brochure about the Expo with a schedule please visit http://z.umn.edu/2013urbanagexpo
There will be vendors to visit with as well. Vendors will include governmental agencies, businesses and non-profit organizations that support urban agriculture in a variety of ways. Those interested in reserving a vendor booth may do so online for $40 at http://www.regonline.com/UrbanAg. Credit card or check accepted.

Sabathani Community Center is located at 310 East 38th St, Minneapolis, MN 55409. Directions are located on their website at www.sabathani.org/contact_us.aspx.

The 2013 Urban Agriculture Expo is possible thanks to generous sponsorship by NCR Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and the University of Minnesota Extension in Hennepin County.

Questions or comments may be directed to Betsy Wieland, Agriculture Extension Educator, at 612-596-1175 or eliza003@umn.edu.

Mike Donnelly, Extension Educator, Rice & Steele Counties

A full brochure for this program can be viewed at: http://z.umn.edu/2013smallfarmspoultry.

The University of Minnesota Extension's Small Farms Team is inviting those interested backyard and small-scale poultry to attend their new educational program packed with production and marketing information. The 3-hour workshop will be held on March 7 in Slayton, March 11 in Hutchinson and March 26 in Northfield. The program will start at 6:00 p.m. and end at 9:00 p.m. at each location. The cost is $20.00 for adults (spouses and business partners $10.00) and $10.00 for students. A light meal will be provided and attendees will receive a copy of the workshop's proceedings.

The program's agenda is filled with multiple topics geared towards the needs of the beginning farmer, hobbyist or backyard producer and those who would like to raise birds on a small commercial enterprise. Presenters will discuss specifics related to local laws and ordinances, breed and species selection and management techniques. Additionally, marketing direct to consumers or supplying local coops, grocery stores, and restaurants will be covered. Whether for fun, profit or both, this workshop is for you! A complete agenda is outlined here:

• Best Breeds to Fit Your Needs, and Where to Purchase
• Proper Housing, Nutrition, and Predator Control
• Processing Regulations/Food Safety and Handling
• Economics and Marketing
• Zoning ordinances for Urban and Rural Settings

The small-scale and backyard poultry is emerging throughout all parts of Minnesota. To accommodate this growing sector of agriculture, the University of Minnesota Extension is offering this workshop at three locations throughout Southern Minnesota. Location specifics include the following:

Slayton - Thursday, March 7 - 6:00 p.m.
Courts Building Meeting Room
2848 Broadway Ave
Slayton, MN 56172
Contact: Mike Boersma, Extension Educator - boers010@umn.edu or 507-825-6715

Hutchinson - Monday, March 11 - 6:00 p.m.
Commercial Building Meeting Room
McLeod County Fairgrounds
840 Century Ave SW
Hutchinson, MN 55350
Contact: Nathan Winter, Extension Educator - wint0146@umn.edu or 320-484-4334

Northfield - Tuesday, March 26 - 6:00 p.m.
Community Resource Center
1651 Jefferson Parkway
Northfield, MN 55057
Contact: Mike Donnelly, Extension Educator - donne099@umn.edu or 507-332-6165

Those who are interested in attending are encouraged to pre-register to assist with meal count and handouts; however walk-ins will be welcomed. To pre-register, please contact the Rice County Extension office at 507-332-6109 or email Mike Donnelly at donne099@umn.edu. For more information and to view the full view the full brochure, please visit http://z.umn.edu/2013smallfarmspoultry.

By: Julie Sievert, Extension Educator, Sibley County
Christian Lilienthal, Extension Educator, Nicollet County
Mike Donnelly, Extension Educator, Rice & Steele Counties

Do you have the dream of owning acreage in the country? Do you have an existing acreage that is in need of a plan and strategies for the best possible results? The Living on the Land Workshop Series, offered by University of Minnesota Extension, will equip you with the education and resources to be successful.

The eight-week course is designed to arm landowners with agricultural information to enable them to be good stewards of their land. The course will begin with goal-setting and individual property inventory, then address soil, plant, water and animal basics.

The Living on the Land curriculum addresses a growing need for information regarding small acreages. The series incorporates knowledge and experience from a team of instructors to address topics including: what do you have and what do you want, what you can do with your land, protecting water quality, what to do about weeds, lawn and pasture maintenance, getting down and dirty with soils, and caring for and managing your animals. The series also includes a farm tour.

The series will be taught by Extension educators and natural resource professionals at two locations. One of the locations is in Gaylord at the Sibley County Service Center. In Gaylord, the series will be held on Monday evenings from February 4th to March 25th. The second location is in Northfield at the Northfield Community Resource Center. In Northfield, the series will be held on Thursday evenings from March 7th to April 25th. Both workshops will run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with light meals provided at each session.

Early registration is $175 until Monday, January 28 for the Gaylord location and Thursday, February 28 for the Northfield location. All registrations received after those dates will be $200. Each registration is valid for up to two people representing a single farm who will share materials. For example, a husband and wife team or two siblings may attend together. Benefits include useful educational publications, an educational farm tour, soil tests, a site visit/consultation from a University of Minnesota Extension educator in your area, as well as the tools to help you succeed with your goals and dreams on your country acreage.

For more information about the series in Gaylord, please contact Julie Sievert at 507-237-4100 or schu0944@umn.edu or Christian Lilienthal at 507-934-0360 or lili0004@umn.edu. For questions regarding the Northfield location, please contact Mike Donnelly at 507-332-6109 or donne099@umn.edu.

Register now--space is limited at each location. Additional information and the Living on the Land workshop series brochure can be found at http://z.umn.edu/lotl2013.

By Jerrold Tesmer
Extension Educator, Fillmore & Houston Counties

While preparing for the recent Land Rent Workshops, I stumbled across a list of useful Ag Business Management websites that Regional Extension Educator Gary Hachfeld and I prepared many years ago. I checked out those sites to see if they were still working and added a couple that are useful. Anyone with internet access might find them useful. These sites are in no particular priority.

A great place to start is the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management: www.cffm.umn.edu. At that site you can access FINBIN data. FINBIN is the largest and most accessible source of farm financial and production benchmark information in the world.

Other useful items under the Center for Farm Financial Management site include, The Ag Risk Education Library that organizes thousands of risk management materials which help producers and agricultural professionals quickly locate information, tools, and assistance on specific risk management topics; AgTransitions helps farmers and ranchers develop a plan to transition their business to the next generation; Grain Marketing where Ed Usset attempts to separate the wheat from the chaff in the often confusing world of grain marketing.

Value of Farm Land: Land Economics Web site at www.landeconomics.umn.edu. This is a site is prepared by Steve Taff, University of Minnesota. Over the years, I have shared it with a number of realtors. The site includes Farmland sales, Timberland sales, Land values, soils data, RIM easements, CRP contracts, and Property tax assessments.

I have also found three very useful publications from Iowa State University, "2012 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey", "Estimated Costs of Crop Production in Iowa - 2012", and the "Livestock Enterprise Budgets for Iowa - 2012". They can be accessed at: www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm.

The final source I will mention is the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). USDA, NASS has a wealth of data at www.nass.usda.gov or strictly Minnesota data at www.nass.usda.gov/mn/.

By Betsy Wieland
Extension Educator, Hennepin County

Recording expenses, labor, and sales records is an incredibly important part of good management for any farming enterprise. This can be very challenging in the middle of farming and come market day is often the last thing on the 'To Do' list. A 'Farmers Market Sales Log' was created to help assist farmers get started with sales record keeping at Farmers' Markets. Collecting this information is a great start for understanding your production costs. It can then use this to make many, many decisions regarding your farm business.

A Farmer's Market Sales Log template, with an example, is available online at http://z.umn.edu/7v5. It is one example of the types of records that can be kept. The log can be printed and filled out as often as is helpful, but is designed to be used at each market day. This can be done for any product, whether it's produce, meat, baked goods, etc. Their data can then be compiled, hopefully monthly, but at least at the end of the growing season. Sections that are not useful can be skipped. If the log does not seem useful, at a minimum a person could write down product brought to market, product not sold, and money collected. That will provide some measure of profitability.

For questions or comments, please contact Betsy Wieland, Agriculture Extension Educator, Hennepin County at (612) 596-1175 or eliza003@umn.edu.

By Nathan Winter
Extension Educator, McLeod and Meeker Counties

Small Farms Team member Nathan Winter highlights some of of the business models that drive small-farm growth in Minnesota. The article was posted in a recent University of Minnesota Extension Ag News Wire post: http://z.umn.edu/6h6

Any use of this article must include the byline or following credit line:
Nathan Winter is an agricultural production systems educator with University of Minnesota Extension.