Land Stewardship Project

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Community-Based Food Systems

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The U.S. agricultural system is good at churning out record harvests of commodities that are sent all over the world or turned into industrial products like fuel, but this extractive system often does not benefit farmers or the communities they live in, and has produced environmental and human health costs that we all pay for. When we build robust community-based food systems, we are creating strong, resilient, and interconnected communities. Community-based food systems, or “community food webs,” as food systems analyst Ken Meter calls them, are collective hubs of food production, processing, distribution, and consumption that strengthen regional environmental, economic, and social health.

Building community-based food systems extends beyond food procurement and processing; this work strives to build connection and community among all food system stakeholders — from food chain workers and consumers to farmers and our public officials who make decisions that dictate the contours of our region’s economy and landscape. The Land Stewardship Project is committed to helping rural communities build food systems that are by people and for people.

Want to Get Involved?

Want to stay connected with the latest community-based food systems work? Sign up for specialized updates!

Building Community Food Webs Learning Circles: March 2023

Building strong community food networks where we live can move us powerfully toward our vision for functioning local and regional systems that support regenerative farming and provide all people with the nourishing foods they want and need. To explore how communities around the country are making this happen, in March 2023 LSP is hosting three learning circles focused on the book Building Community Food Webs, by Ken Meter.

Join us for just one session, or all three! Each session we’ll gather on Zoom for two hours — beginning at 7 p.m. — to discuss major themes from the book and generate ideas for our own communities.

For details and to register, click here.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Directory

Want to participate in a community-based food model that connects you directly with farmers? For the past three
decades, LSP has published a directory of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms that serve eaters in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Check out the latest edition here.

Community-Based Food Systems Resources

• Grant Opportunity: The Minnesota Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program

• LSP Myth Buster #62: Commodity Ag is Rural America’s Cash Cow

• LSP Myth Buster #32: Using crops to produce biofuels does not raise food prices

• LSP Myth Buster #24: Country of Origin Labeling will make it impossible for farmers to market their products through local stores and restaurants.

• LSP Myth Buster #22: Buying locally produced food will automatically reduce your ecological footprint.

• LSP Myth Buster #18: Federal law makes it illegal to favor local farmers when purchasing food for public schools.

• LSP Myth Buster #10: It will be prohibitively expensive to tell consumers what country their food comes from.

• LSP Fact Sheet: How U.S. Cities are Using Zoning to Support Urban Ag

• LSP Fact Sheet: Buying Directly From a Farmer: Consumers can bypass the corporate bottleneck.

• LSP Fact Sheet: Rural Development & Local Foods: Rural communities are finding that production and consumption of local foods can feed main street economies.

Check Out LSP's Direct Marketing Videos

• Direct Marketing: How to Market to Your Ideal Customer & Manage Your Limited Time

• Grass Based Meat Marketing: Fostering Connection in a Digital World, with Leslie Svacina of Cylon Rolling Acres

• Grass Based Meat Marketing: Building Relationships and Running a Business, with Rachelle Meyer of Wholesome Family Farms

• Grass Based Meat Marketing: Raising and Selling an Exceptionally Good Product, with Mike Rupprecht of Earth-Be-Glad Farm

Community Food Asset Mapping

In 2022, the Land Stewardship Project held a series of meetings in western Minnesota where farmers, business owners, local government officials, and consumers shared their insights on what’s needed to create a community-based food system that’s good for the land, our communities, and local economies. During these meetings, “asset mapping” exercises were undertaken to determine where we are currently at in terms of accessibility to community-based foods. Check out the input that emerged from these listening sessions here.

LSP Community-Based Food Podcasts

• Ear to the Ground 362: Regenerative Return

• Ear to the Ground 361: Additive Vs. Extractive

• Ear to the Ground 360: Food Bank Booster

• Ear to the Ground 347: Bite-by-Bite

• Ear to the Ground 335: Bumping Elbows

• Ear to the Ground 332: Real Food, Real Impact

• Ear to Ground 331: Reality Check

• Ear to the Ground 282: Kitchen Table Economics

• Ear to the Ground 283: Ending the Extractive Economy

• Ear to the Ground 284: Hive of Healthy Activity

• Ear to the Ground 322: Lunchroom Stewardship

Related Posts

  • LSP Awarded $305,000 by USDA to Build Community-Led Local Food Systems in West Central Minnesota

    November 13, 2024

    MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) has been awarded a $305,000 Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant by the USDA to support building…

    News Releases
    direct maketing, farm-to-school, local food systems, rural economic development
    LSP Awarded $305,000 by USDA to Build Community-Led Local Food Systems in West Central Minnesota
  • MN Ag Bill Supports Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health 

    May 21, 2025

    SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Although the Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its 2025 session on May 19 with some unfinished business, the Agriculture Bill passed before…

    News Releases
    AGRI Farm to School and Early Care Programs, community based food systems, emerging farmers, farmland access, Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, Minnesota Legislature, nitrate pollution, Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Program, soil health, state policy
    MN Ag Bill Supports Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health 
  • Ear to the Ground 335: Bumping Elbows

    From raising produce and working in a restaurant to teaching food safety and managing a farmers’ market, Sara George has experienced “farm-to-fork” from just about…

    Ear to the Ground 335: Bumping Elbows

Contact

• Amy Bacigalupo, e-mail, 320-269-2105
• Scott DeMuth, e-mail, 612-767-9487

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      • Factory Farms
        • Anti-Competitiveness & Price Gouging
        • LSP Powerline Story Center
      • Federal Policy
        • A Farm Bill For Us
      • State Policy
        • MN Farm, Food & Climate Funding
      • Developing Leadership
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Join, Donate, or Renew
  • Building People Power

Upcoming Events

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June 2025

Tuesday June 17

9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Tuesday June 17
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge 16797 289th Ave NW Zimmerman, MN 55398

The Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a field day designed for landowners and managers who find themselves struggling to manage invasive woodland brush. The day will include both indoor presentations and outdoor site tours of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, including a working goat herd. To register for this free event, click here.

Saturday June 21

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Saturday June 21
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Owl Bluff Farm, 12314 County Road 4 Houston, MN 55943

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse. The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Friday June 27

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
Friday June 27
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 MN-329, Morris, MN 56267, USA

Join University of Minnesota Extension for presentations and solar site tours at the West Central Research and Outreach Center. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits, considerations and opportunities of farming using solar energy. Session topics include cattle and sheep solar grazing, solar site forages, grain crops under solar panels, and solar developer perspectives. Register here. Can’t attend the field day? Check out the July 22 agrivoltaics webinar on growing forages and grains.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.  

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • Land Line: Erosion Wake-up, Agrivoltaics, Farm to School, Deep USDA Cuts, Factory Dairy Fight, Farm Aid, New Meat Plant June 9, 2025
  • ‘Returning Cattle to the Land’ Field Day June 25 in Altura June 3, 2025
  • Make Your Voice Heard at Upcoming NRCS-SWCD Meetings June 3, 2025
  • Rolling Out the Welcome Mat for New Neighbors May 30, 2025
  • Land Line: Modern Dust Bowl, Corporate Indifference, Farmers’ Market Stores, Soybean Giant, SNAP & Local Foods, Carbon Markets, Farm Economy’s Twin Tale May 28, 2025

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