Uhren Grass Fed Beef Ranch Earns Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification

A multi-generation Black Angus operation near Vining has earned statewide recognition for its conservation practices, with Uhren Grass Fed Beef receiving official certification through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program on March 10, 2026.

Dave and Susan Uhren run the 482-acre ranch at 18547 County Highway 59 in Ottertail County, on land where Dave was born and where his family has farming records stretching back to 1895. The couple and their sons got their first cattle in 2007, began learning adaptive rotational grazing, and spent the years that followed methodically reworking how the land was used. In 2017, they started converting 142 tillable acres back to perennials, a shift that set the foundation for the water-quality certification they now hold.

The farm currently runs about 70 pairs of Black Angus cattle under a low-input management philosophy centered on bale grazing and out-wintering. Rather than hauling cattle indoors through the winter, the Uhrens leave their herd on pasture, strategically distributing bales across fields to let the animals work organic matter directly into the soil. The approach has improved both soil fertility and forage production on the rolling Ottertail County hills.

Dave Uhren has not marketed cattle through local stockyards in nearly eight years. Instead, the family processes its grass-fed beef locally and sells directly to customers who seek out the operation by name. The Uhrens founded Uhren Grassfed Beef as a formal enterprise in 2018 with the goal of providing their community with local, healthy, grass-fed beef.

The East Otter Tail Soil & Water office was referenced in connection with the March 10 certification, though the precise role of the local conservation district in administering or presenting the certification was not confirmed at press time.

The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota used the certified Uhren farm as the launch site for its 2026 pasture-walk series, planned for April 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. About 30 people walked across a portion of the 482-acre property, examining areas Dave bale grazed during the past winter alongside sections he bale grazed several years earlier. The comparison illustrated how the practice has changed soil structure and pasture productivity over time.

The SFA series continues on the fourth Thursday of each month through October, with the next walk scheduled for May 23 in Verndale. All walks are free; advance registration is appreciated but walk-ups are welcome, and some events will include a potluck. Details and registration are available at sfa-mn.org. Readers interested in the Uhrens' bale-grazing methods can also search Uhren Grass Fed Beef on Facebook.