Nick and Amelia Neaton, MN
Sweet Beet Farm is a small, 10-member CSA run by the husband-and-wife team of Nick and Amelia Neaton in Watertown, Minnesota (located 30 minutes west of Minneapolis). Nick and Amelia are in their first year as a full-fledged farm operation and despite no advertising budget and no fancy website, they’ve still managed to get the […]
Nick and Amelia Neaton, MN
Sweet Beet Farm is a small, 10-member CSA run by the husband-and-wife team of Nick and Amelia Neaton in Watertown, Minnesota (located 30 minutes west of Minneapolis). Nick and Amelia are in their first year as a full-fledged farm operation and despite no advertising budget and no fancy website, they’ve still managed to get the […]
Minnesota Young Farmers Organize to Pass Innovative Law

Eric Sannerud of Mighty Axe Hops and the Central Minnesota Young Farmers Coalition talks about the campaign to pass the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit in Minnesota. This new law gives a tax credit to landowners who rent or sell their land to a new farmer. This year, a million dollars have been allocated for this […]
An Ever-Changing Puzzle

By Andrew Barsness | The crops are thirsty. My farm is on the outer edge of the area affected by the severe drought in the Dakotas, and it’s been over a month without any significant rain.
CHAPTER RELEASE: Historic Win for Minnesota Young and Beginning Farmers
First-in-the-nation land access bill for young and beginning farmers signed by Governor Dayton – bipartisan and agricultural groups supporting.
SAINT PAUL, MN (May 30, 2017) – On Tuesday evening, Governor Mark Dayton signed ten budget bills that included a first-of-its-kind beginning farmer tax credit. Authored by Rep. Nels Pierson (R-Rochester) and Sen. Mike Goggin (R-Redwing), the bill supports the transition of land to young and beginning farmers through a tax credit incentive.
Heart and Grain: Big farms require big equipment. And lots of money.

By Andrew Barsness | Along with blood, sweat, and tears, farming requires a significant financial investment, and grain farming is one of the most capital-intensive types of farming.
Heart and Grain: Meet Andrew

By Andrew Barsness | My grandfather was still farming one 60-acre field when he died at the age of 87. Blind in one eye, partially deaf, and unsteady on his feet, he strung wire between the farm buildings to hang onto as he walked from one building to the next.
Free Finances and Management Worksheet for New Farms

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has put out a management and finances worksheet for organic farmers to test where they stand, entitled “Organic Farmers: Steps to Success.” The tool first takes you through a series of questions on management skills and personal qualities needed to run the business so that you can see what needs […]
Organic farming profits improve in Minnesota in 2010
The profitability of organic farms in Minnesota improved in 2010 after a tough year in 2009, according to a new report by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The median organic farmer received an income of $62,463 in 2010, which was more than six times the median income in 2009 and consistent with those in […]
Nick and Amelia Neaton, MN
Sweet Beet Farm is a small, 10-member CSA run by the husband-and-wife team of Nick and Amelia Neaton in Watertown, Minnesota (located 30 minutes west of Minneapolis). Nick and Amelia are in their first year as a full-fledged farm operation and despite no advertising budget and no fancy website, they’ve still managed to get the […]