Saturday, June 18, 2022 | Country Acres South • Page 7
Camelina cover
PHOTOS BY JULIA MULLENBACH
Seth (left) and Matt Tentis stand in their camelina and soybean field June 13 near their farm in Kellogg. This field is part of the camelina pilot program by the University of Minnesota.
Tentis brothers experiment with regenerative farming, new crop BY GRACE JEURISSEN STAFF WRITER
This White Gambrel barn that sits atop a hill inspired the farm name ‘White Barn Acres, LLC.’. The brothers, Matt and Seth Tentis, wanted to make the barn a landmark of their farm.
grazing pasture over the years. Nearly all of their tillable acres are fenced to allow for grazing. All grazing is purposefully managed for efficiency and soil health improvement. This year the brothers, through the initiative, are participating in a camelina pilot program through the University. The program, and the new crop, allow them to get two cash crops off one field in the same year while maintaining living roots in the soil year-round, which benefits the soil and the bottom line. The camelina can be
planted and harvested with only minor adjustments to common farm equipment. When drilling the seed into the ground last September, the Tentises skipped a row every 30 inches. Then in May, they planted rows of soybeans into the gaps. To harvest, they will work with their usual custom harvester and adjust his combine to a slightly smaller seed size. The traditional bean
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KELLOGG– In the rolling landscape of Wabasha County nestled in a beautiful valley is a big white gambrel barn that marks the homestead of what is now White Barn Acres, LLC. While the farm was established in the 1930s, the brothers leading it are third generation farmers and focused on new practices most recently in collaboration with the University of Minnesota. Matt and Seth Tentis own and operate White Barn Acres, LLC., a 300-acre crop and beef operation that uses regenerative farming practices, selling farm fresh beef to customers and growing a variety of crops. The brothers raise 50 cow/calf pairs on their farm on top of both having full time jobs and young families. This year, they’re experimenting with planting a newer oil seed plant called camelina. It is part of the camelina pilot program led by the university’s Forever Green Initiative. The brothers describe new farming practices as integral to the farm’s existence. “We knew that we didn’t have the time to farm like our parents did, so something had to give,” Matt said. The Forever Green Initiative project is one of many practices implemented at White Barn Acres. They have been using cover crops in rotation since 2016. About 75 acres of tillable land was transitioned to
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