In the less than a decade since Alex Udermann began transitioning his family’s dairy, poultry, beef and row crop operation from conventional to regenerative, he’s become more connected — to his local ecosystem and to his growing network of neighbor farmers.

The fifth-generation farmer and his family running Meadowbrook Dairy explained at the most recent National No-Tillage Conference how he incorporated a wide range of conservation practices across the operation, including no-till, cover crops, expanded buffer strips, wetland restoration and manure management.

Alex said the changes made his operation more resilient to extreme weather, improved the nutritional quality of their beef, dairy products, eggs and crops, and boosted the bottom line. The shift also created new relationships with farmers, conservation professionals and researchers who share a common goal of improving soil health.

He credits many of those relationships for helping guide the farm’s transition. Working closely with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition farmer network provided mentorship and technical support as he experimented with new management strategies.

The changes helped Meadowbrook Dairy become the first farm to receive all five endorsements (soil health, climate smart, integrated pest management, irrigation, wildlife) from the Minnesota Water…