Field days demonstrate soil benefits of livestock and cover crops
Tom Portner says his legs feel several degrees cooler than the rest of his body when he’s standing on a hot day in his field of tall grasses and other plants known as “cover crops.” The cover crops are keeping the soil cooler, too, which Liz Stahl and Gabi Bolwerk, Extension educators, say is good for soil health.
Tom and his brother John Portner opened their Sleepy Eye family farm to Extension’s Roots and Rotation program participants and partners in July 2025.
After witnessing a soil-water demonstration under a tent, the group walked into the field to experience the effect for themselves and learn about the different cover crop plants and management practices. Then they caravaned to another family plot where beef cattle are brought in from another farm to graze on the forage-filled landscape and contribute manure back to the soil.
“We are making a better environment for our species, for animals, for the world,” said Portner.
Highlights
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, an LED lighting upgrade will improve energy efficiency in the Comfrey Municipal Building, which houses the Fire Hall, police department, community center and City Clerk’s Office.
- Extension’s agricultural business management team conducts an Ag Marketing Group in Sleepy Eye.
- Loren Brey is in Class 13 of the Minnesota Agricultural & Rural Leadership (MARL) program. Brey is a turkey breeder of 32 years near Sleepy Eye.
- 4-H Northern Lights Award: Crystal and Jason Frederickson have demonstrated unwavering dedication, perseverance, exceptional leadership and hard work in re-establishing the 4-H shooting sports and wildlife projects in Brown County.
- Natalia F., a Brown County 4-H’er, is a Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador. She enjoys working with dairy goats and a variety of animal science projects.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Fischer family
- SuperShelf: Springfield Area Food Shelf
- The Climate Adaptation Partnership is helping characterize future flood and drought extremes in the Cottonwood River watershed, equipping natural resource managers, farmers and communities with education and resources to inform resilience strategies.
Brown County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Brown County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.