Farming With Integrity
Highland Family Farms operates with a “Three E” philosophy of being economically profitable, environmentally sustainable and engaged in supporting our community and partners. This approach means that while we’re open to new crops and farm practices, we only pursue them if they make sense financially and don’t compromise our integrity.
Over the years we’ve discovered that reducing tillage, planting cover crops, drainage, extensive soil and nutrient management and crop and biodiverse rotations make great economic and environmental sense for our farm. We’re careful to apply precise amounts of fertilizer and crop protection products to promote plant productivity to avoid runoff into waterways or drift. We’re also excited to lean into the carbon credit market, offering carbon offsets to companies seeking ways to achieve sustainability goals.
Learn more about the practices we use to farm with integrity.
Corn, soybeans, rye and pigs are staples for our farm. Each year we decide what to grow based on crop rotation and market demand. We select the seeds we plant based on which ones perform best in our independent test plots.
Corn
Corn makes up at least 50% of what we grow each season. It’s a mix of GMO and non GMO using organic and conventional practices. We sell our corn to local elevators to be processed into animal feed, ethanol fuel or shipped by rail to markets overseas.
Soybeans
Rye
Pigs
Grown & Raised
We grow soybeans for a variety of purposes using conventional and organic methods. On our farm you’ll find food-grade, high oleic, GMO, non GMO and even soybeans grown for seed. We love leaning into a variety of markets and sell our soybeans to local elevators for processing as well as Knewtson Soy Products.
We plant rye in the fall after we harvest corn and soybeans. It’s a great rotational crop that helps control weeds, replenish the soil and encourage better drainage. It’s a cover crop that protects our soil and is harvested mid-summer and solid to local distilleries like Ranch Road Spirits. It’s fun to grow and helps improve our soil for the future.
Minnesota is a great place to raise pork and we make sure ours are comfortable in well-ventilated, modern barns. From nurseries to finishers, each barn is managed independently to help pigs stay healthy with a diet customized to meet their nutritional needs. We are PQA and TQA certified through the National Pork Board, which signifies we follow the highest standards for animal welfare.
Taste our
sustainably-grown rye in Ranch Road whiskeys.
Cover Crop Consulting & Planting Services
Cover crops are a strategic and sustainable addition to our farm. For almost a decade we’ve experimented with cover crops to protect, enhance and enrich our soil. We’re excited to share what we’ve learned with others.
See how we can help you get started with local custom cover crop planting and consulting services.
What happens on the farm?
No matter the season there's always something to do on the farm.
Here's a glimpse of what we're up to throughout the year.
We clean and repair equipment, conduct business planning, renew certifications, meet with suppliers and attend conferences to stay on top of markets and policy updates.
Planting begins when the ground is ready. This typically happens in late April. Once we start, it’s all hands on deck. We measure our time in hours not days.
As the summer days unfold we watch the crops grow, constantly evaluating the need for weed, pest, disease and nutrient management.
This is our busiest and favorite time of year. Harvesting keeps us moving from morning to night. As soon as crops are out we fertilize the soil with manure from our pigs.