Blog

Legislature Takes Important Step Toward Creating People-Centered Health Care

On Monday, HF 5, the bill to establish a strong, people-first health insurance exchange in Minnesota, passed the final vote on its way to Governor Mark Dayton’s desk. Thank you for all your calls, e-mails and letters to support a people-centered exchange—your actions made a difference! For the past year, LSP and our allies have…  Read More

What CapX2020 (& Bad Public Policy) Could Destroy

As LSP’s latest action alert makes clear, the companies behind the CapX2020 high voltage line are trying to get away with not paying for the true value of the Minnesota farm operations they will be destroying. Unfortunately, the attitude that land which isn’t sprouting industrial infrastructure or subdivisions is nothing more than cheap”wasted space” is…  Read More

Is That a Trophy Hunter Knockin’ on the Door?

What with farmland changing hands at price levels that would make a Beverly Hills realtor blanch, one could be forgiven for jumping to an obvious conclusion: Farm Country is flush with cash these days. Indeed, based on pure numbers, the statistics are impressive. Midwestern farmland values increased 16 percent in 2012, the third largest gain…  Read More

Health Exchange Should Keep the Fox Out of the Hen House

Now is the time for all of us concerned about the future of health care in Minnesota to keep the fox out of the hen house by calling our Minnesota state senators and representatives and urging them to vote for the health insurance exchange bill put forward by Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, and Rep. Joe…  Read More

Great Minds Think Alike on Mines: Comments Call for an EIS on Frac Sand

Public comments submitted as part of the environmental review process for two proposed frac sand mines in Winona County overwhelmingly call for officials there to follow the law and order an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Land Stewardship Project members, other local citizens, state agencies and scientific experts submitted a total of about 75 comments on…  Read More

Comment Period on Winona County Frac Sand Review Extended to Feb. 6

The process of environmental review for frac sand mine proposals in Winona County has been seriously flawed from the start. But there’s still time for citizens to get involved and push for an in-depth, comprehensive review—otherwise known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)—that would show the full impacts these proposed developments would have on our…  Read More

The (Growing) High Price of an Unreformed Crop Insurance Program

Just when you think the facts and figures around federal subsidized crop insurance can’t get any more outlandish, new numbers emerge exposing the out-of-control spending and lack of accountability for this area of farm policy. Earlier this month, USDA released the most recent data on crop insurance costs. It’s ugly: the federal government anticipates doling…  Read More

Putting People & the Land First

Below is a picture from the close of a thought-provoking, challenging and energizing two-day meeting the Land Stewardship Project hosted this week at our Minneapolis office. Leaders and staff from state-based rural membership organizations representing 10 Midwest and Western states came together in Minnesota and shared our experiences and our analyses related to organizing for…  Read More

What’s Your Farming Legacy?

What will be your farm’s legacy? We often think of our legacy as related to our farm’s financial success. Our legacy will show how we were able to weather hard times — floods, droughts, hot weather, cool weather, low prices, pests, weeds, the farming crisis of the ’80s, changes in production methods and other enormous…  Read More

Progress Toward People-Centered Health Care System

For the past year the Land Stewardship Project and our allies have been organizing to make sure Minnesota moves forward, not backward, under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). It’s clear that our current health care system is failing working people across the state—including urban people, rural people and farmers. In fact, lack of access to…  Read More