Public Policy Solutions to be Discussed

GREENWALD, Minn. — How can we work together to create a solution to the current crisis that is engulfing dairy farming in central Minnesota and beyond? That will be the focus of a special Land Stewardship Project (LSP) meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Greenwald Pub (310 1st Ave. North). Registration for this free meeting begins at 10 a.m., and dinner will be served at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact LSP’s Matthew Sheets at 320-766-4395 or msheets@landstewardshipproject.org.

This meeting will provide dairy farmers and neighbors an opportunity to come together to build a solution to a crisis that is decimating milk producers and the communities that rely on them. Staff from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office will be on-hand to listen to the concerns of farmers. In addition, Dr. Richard Levins, a U of M emeritus professor of applied economics and a dairy policy adviser for the National Farmers Organization, will speak on “A Plan to Take Action for Family Dairy Farmers.”

Meeting participants will also have an opportunity to review LSP’s bold farmer-driven statement on the farm crisis, which outlines specific steps policymakers must take to respond to this crisis. It is posted at https://landstewardshipproject.org/posts/blog/1239.

“Legislative leaders need to be made aware that the farm crisis is real and requires real solutions,” said Paul Sobocinski, a southwestern Minnesota farmer and LSP organizer. “The one way we can get their attention is to come together and make our voices heard.”

This event is co-sponsored by the Minnesota National Farmers Organization, Minnesota COACT, and the Sustainable Farming Association chapters of western and central Minnesota.

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