SUSTAINABLE FARMING ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA HISTORY NOW AVAILABLE
9/25/98
Since 1988, the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) of Minnesota has grown
from one chapter consisting of a few farmers to a statewide organization with 12
chapters and approximately 1,000 members. The growth and development of one of
the countryÕs leading farmer-based sustainable agriculture organizations has
been documented in a new publication, A New Dawn of Farming: The Sustainable
Farming Association of MinnesotaÕs Formation and Growth.
This book, a joint project of the SFA and the Land Stewardship Project (LSP),
tracks the many accomplishments of the various SFA chapters since the first ones
were started by LSP in the late 1980s. It also describes the challenges these
chapters face as this grassroots organization begins its second decade of
existence. The book includes special sections on how the SFA Ñ it is now an
autonomous organization independent of LSP Ñ is structured, as well as member
survey results. It also includes a copy of the organizationÕs chapter charter.
ÒThis is a good resource for anyone who may be interested in starting up a
grassroots sustainable agriculture organization of their own,Ó said George
Boody, LSPÕs executive director.
DeEtta Bilek, an Aldrich, Minn., farmer who serves as state coordinator of the
SFA, said this publication provides a good description of how farmers can
network with other producers and consumers who are interested in sustainable
agriculture.
ÒAt a time when a lot of the news about agriculture is bad, a publication about
the SFAÕs ability to bring people together to find creative and fun solutions is
well-timed,Ó she said. ÒWeÕre offering hope for the future right in our own back
yards.Ó
For a copy of the 24-page book, send $4 to cover postage and handling (Minn.
residents add 26 cents for tax; make checks payable to Land Stewardship Project)
to the attention of: Louise Arbuckle, LSP, 2200 4th St., White Bear Lake, MN
55110; phone: (651) 653-0618.
The Land Stewardship Project is a 16-year-old private, nonprofit organization
dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland and to promoting
sustainable agriculture. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of
Lewiston, Montevideo and White Bear Lake.
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