MFU was proud to be a sponsor for Minnesota Soil Health Coalition’s annual Premier Soil Health Conference on December 2nd and 3rd 2025 in Mankato. The event featured keynote talks from agriculture insurance agent Amy Kramer and seasoned farmers and soil health experts Dr. Kris Nichols, Blake Vince, and Joe Ailts. In her talk, Dr. Kris Nichols stressed the importance of focusing on soil carbon rather than yields, reducing off-farm and synthetic inputs, and understanding how bacteria and fungi work together to break down organic matter and cycle important nutrients back to growing plants. Amy Kramer’s keynote talk focused on the written agreement process for obtaining insurance coverage for specialty crops, cover crops, and crops planted using non-conventional practices such as 60” corn.
In addition to the keynote speakers, attendees chose from beginner and advanced soil health afternoon sessions that covered topics such as no-till, cover crops, integrating Haney soil test results, weed management, and more. In his session, Jon Jovaag documented how he manages his rye cover crop by roller crimping before planting organic soybeans. Videos and charts showed how the roller crimping practice is executed, which equipment is needed, and the benefits he’s seen from the practice, which included better weed management, better soil water retention, and less time spent in the field.
Photo courtesy of MN Soil Health Coalition. Caption: Farmers and ag professionals attended the Premier Soil Health event on December 2nd and 3rd in Mankato.
During the two-day event, time was allocated between sessions and speakers for attendees to visit the exhibitor booths and network with fellow farmers, ag experts, and the farmer mentors from Minnesota Soil Health Coalition. Farmer mentors in attendance included MFU members Mike Seifert, Ben Dwire, and Grant and Dawn Breitkreutz, who were available to talk to farmers about regenerative ag topics such as grazing, composting, and cover crops.
For the second year in a row, the Premier Soil Health Event hosted the Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award ceremony, and this year’s winner was Tom Cotter. Cotter raises livestock and grows a variety of row crops using regenerative practices on his family farm in Austin, Minnesota, where he also hosts field days and tours to educate about the benefits of his practices.
Photo courtesy of MN Soil Health Coalition. Caption: Dr. Kris Nichols (center) and Alex Udermann (left) were speakers at the MN Soil Health Coalition’s Premier Soil Health Event on December 2nd and 3rd in Mankato.