McLEOD, N.D. — A delegation from multiple European countries recently took turns digging into the soil at Sandhills Family Farm, taking a close look at it as they held the dirt in their hands.
The visitors from France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland made the journey on June 6 to the McLeod ranch, the first stop on their nearly 10-day adventure across the upper Midwest, learning about American agriculture.
Frederic Thomas helped put the tour together and thought that the Sandhills Family Farm would be a good stop on their tour, as the operation has been focused on regenerative agriculture and helping the soil they farm. Thomas is a farmer from central France, where he grows corn, winter barley and winter canola. Thomas was also the former editor of a French agriculture magazine and is a farm advisor to farming groups in France. He is also known as an expert in conservation agriculture.
Frederic Thomas is a French farmer who helped plan a European delegation’s trip to the U.S. Photo taken June 6, 2026, in McLeod, North Dakota.
Emily Beal / Agweek
“I was impressed with what they’re doing, which is a very advanced kind of thing, but they tend to make it very simple as well, and very economical. So, you know, when I start thinking about the organization of this tour, it was one of the kind of landmarks I wanted to start with,” Thomas said.
The Sagvold family owns and operates Sandhills Family Farm, where they plant 60-inch twin-row corn. Through this management practice, they are able to interseed cover crops into the corn and utilize it for future grazing opportunities. They also utilize no-till on their acres, greatly helping their soil’s health. Sandhills run about 300 head of cow-calf pairs and run about 500 head of yearling cattle in the summer.
“We’re right here in the middle of the Cheyenne National Grassland, so we get to utilize some of the Forest Service ground for grazing cattle in the summer. Then we try to graze, ideally grazing the cows as long as we possibly can without having to feed them with the tractor. It’s a big cost saving, having them out on the field, distributing nutrients on the field, and utilizing things that way,” Daniel Sagvold said.
It truly is a family affair, as Daniel and his father, Daran Sagvold, both run the day-to-day on the farm. Deb Sagvold, Daniel’s mother, oversees
business, where they sell their beef and other homemade products directly to consumers. The business has grown to be very popular in recent years as more customers want to know exactly where their food comes from. Many from the delegation were eager to learn more about the business model.
Daniel Sagvold, holding his son Wyatt, runs Sandhills Family Farm with his parents. Photo taken June 6, 2026, in McLeod, North Dakota.
Emily Beal / Agweek
The Sagvolds enjoy spreading their agriculture knowledge and experiences on the farm that have worked for their family.
Thomas is no stranger to the region, he worked in Minnesota in the 1980s in agriculture. He said though many in the delegation speak different languages than English, agriculture is a universal language.
“There is something very, very special when you meet the farmer, you know straight away he’s a farmer … because we talk the same language, we understand the same thing, whatever size of the farm, whatever size of the tractor,” Thomas said. “ We have the same patience, the same language.”
Emily grew up on a corn, soybean and wheat farm in southern Ohio where her family also raises goats. After graduating from The Ohio State University, she moved to Fargo, North Dakota to pursue a career in ag journalism with Agweek. She enjoys reporting on livestock and local agricultural businesses.