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Fly-in Participants Call for Fair, Resilient Farm Policy

LSP Members Advocate for Climate Smart Ag Policy Proposals

By Jessica Kochick
April 28, 2021

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During the Biden Administration’s first 100 days in office, the Land Stewardship Project was busy on the federal policy front. The role of agriculture in mitigating the climate crisis has been one focus of both the Administration and the new Congress. Over 500 LSP members and supporters signed on to our public comment on climate policy that was submitted to USDA, and LSP organized a series of virtual fly-ins to advocate for our priorities with members of Congress.

Federal Virtual Fly-in

For two weeks in April, 19 Land Stewardship Project farmer-members participated in a series of virtual fly-ins with all five members of the Minnesota Congressional delegation who serve on Agriculture Committees: U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and U.S. Representatives Angie Craig, Michelle Fischbach, and Jim Hagedorn. LSP coordinated this effort with coalition partners across the Midwest and country, including the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment (CFFE) and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).

Given the federal focus on climate and infrastructure policy, LSP members advocated for our Agriculture Committee members to be champions in bringing climate funding to our farmers and rural communities. As the quotes highlighted on these two pages show, these farmers had a clear, consistent message: status quo agriculture policy isn’t working for small to mid-scale farmers or the climate, but we have an opportunity here to invest in what does work. It makes sense for public money to go toward the public good, investing in a farm and food system that builds soil health while strengthening local economies.

Consolidation in agriculture has led to disinvestment of rural communities, as well as supply chain breakdowns during a global pandemic. Climate policy must not continue that trend. We reject false solutions to the climate crisis that prop up a failing system, and instead advocate for local, resilient food systems that create more land access for beginning farmers, build local economies and food security, and protect air, water, and climate for future generations.

Climate Policy We Need

Small to mid-scale farmers employing regenerative practices can mitigate the worst climate change impacts through practices like no-till and cover cropping, and can sequester carbon via perennial crops and managed rotational grazing systems. In order to make this possible at landscape scale, we must improve and expand access to USDA conservation programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Currently, two-thirds of CSP and EQIP applicants in Minnesota are turned away each year due to lack of funds. Beginning farmers and farmers of color are at the forefront of employing regenerative farming practices, but may lack the capital to get started. Investing in regenerative food systems is smart policy.

That’s why LSP supports the Agriculture Resilience Act, a bill recently introduced by U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (Maine) and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (New Mexico). This bill:

Expands investment in conservation programs like CSP and EQIP.

  • Provides soil health grants to states.
  • Includes set-asides for beginning farmers and farmers and ranchers of color.
  • Promotes a transition to managed rotational grazing.
  • Expands local animal processing.
  • Invests in developing local markets to support products that improve soil health.

LSP members asked all five Agriculture Committee members from the Minnesota Congressional delegation to co-sponsor the Agriculture Resilience Act and to champion the bill’s inclusion in the American Jobs Plan. Healthy soil, local processing capacity, and local markets are crucial aspects of rural infrastructure.

Since then, Minnesota U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, who serves on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, has co-sponsored the Agriculture Resilience Act, and we thank her for her leadership.

Climate Policy We Do Not Need

Factory farms are a cause of climate change, and they should not be considered part of the solution. They require huge quantities of feed, water, and chemical inputs, as well as energy, and they manage manure in a way that increases greenhouse gas emissions. Methane digesters are an expensive, dangerous, and inefficient way to hang on to a failed system. Public initiatives like EQIP should not be used to prop up factory farms and make it harder for small to mid-scale farmers doing right by the environment and their communities to compete.

Private carbon markets have also created a buzz, yet they are just another way to suck money out of rural communities and put it into the hands of brokers and big business. The industrial food system will never be a carbon sink, and should not act as an offset market for fossil fuel polluters. Historically, carbon markets have failed to offer a stable price to farmers and can be difficult for smaller operations to access, creating more inequities. The climate crisis demands transformational action, and this is not it.

During the fly-ins, LSP members advocated for payment limits in federal programs to prevent further consolidation. They shared their opposition to investing in factory farms and made it clear carbon markets are the wrong direction for climate policy.

Since then, U.S. Senators Klobuchar and Smith have co-sponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a bill that creates a framework for USDA involvement in certifying third parties to verify carbon credits. LSP opposes this approach because it is bad for the climate, bad for small to mid-scale farmers, and bad for communities where concentrated pollution continues to harm public health. Government should regulate polluters, not provide a loophole for ongoing climate destruction.

Climate Policy & Infrastructure

The next major legislation to come out of Congress will be an infrastructure bill, currently being referred to as the American Jobs Plan. Given the breakdown in the food system resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial that this infrastructure bill addresses the needs of farm and food system supply chains. Components of the Agriculture Resilience Act referenced earlier address farm-to-table infrastructure, from building soil health to local processing and market development.

In addition, LSP supports the Strengthening Local Processing Act, introduced by Representative Pingree and U.S. Senator John Thune (South Dakota). This bill:

  • Helps small meat plants meet state and federal guidelines.
  • Creates a new grant program for small plants, including new plants, to expand processing capacity.
  • Creates animal processing training program grants.

Rural investment must be prioritized in the American Jobs Plan. Corporate control of wealth has created an untenable situation for farmers and other rural community members for too long. What is good for the climate and the environment is also good for local economies and community food security. It is time for our legislators to enact policy that benefits us, not corporate ag.

LSP members thanked Senator Smith and Representative Craig for co-sponsoring the Strengthening Local Processing Act. All other Agriculture Committee members from the Minnesota Congressional delegation were asked to join their colleagues in supporting this bill.

LSP members also advocated for the inclusion of both the Agriculture Resilience Act and the Strengthening Local Processing Act in any forthcoming infrastructure bill, such as the American Jobs Plan.

Contact me for updates on federal policy, details on action taken by our Agriculture Committee members, and more ways for you to get involved.

LSP federal policy organizer Jessica Kochick can be reached via e-mail or at 612-400-6349.

♦ ♦ ♦

Take Action

Let your members of Congress know that you want them to champion the Agriculture Resilience Act, the complementary Climate Stewardship Act, and the Strengthening Local Processing Act, and that we need to see these rural investments now in the American Jobs Plan.

After receiving hundreds of e-mails from Land Stewardship Project members and supporters, Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina Smith recently signed on to a letter circulated by colleagues in support of putting $200 billion of agriculture funding in the American Jobs Plan Act (AJPA), focused on conservation programs, local foods infrastructure, renewable energy, and more. This is a first step toward winning these key priorities.

Let’s keep the pressure on: contact your members of Congress at www.govtrack.us/congress/members. For more information, contact LSP federal policy organizer Jessica Kochick via e-mail or at 612-400-6349.

Category: Blog
Tags: Agriculture Resilience Act • American Jobs Plan • climate change • Conservation Stewardship Program • CSP • Environmental Quality Incentives Program • EQIP • federal farm policy • Growing Climate Solutions Act • Local Processing Act • meat processing • NSAC • soil health • Strengthening Local Processing Act • USDA

“We need to stop investing in systems that don’t work and start investing in the ones that do, if we want to make a difference in soil health, climate change, and improved rural economies.” — Jon Jovaag, livestock & crop farmer, Austin, Minn.

♦ ♦ ♦

“We need to pull back the curtain and see carbon markets for what they are: a false game that allows companies to continue to pollute. Instead, ag leaders should support and increase participation in the CSP program. This spring, we were told we cannot sign up for a contract for two years due to lack of funding. Expanding a proven program like CSP would benefit farmers and society.” — Bonnie Haugen, dairy farmer, Canton, Minn.

♦ ♦ ♦

“Farmers are caretakers and entrepreneurs who mitigate a staggering array of risks, choosing carefully where to invest our limited resources. Without processors nearby to take livestock from our farm on to consumers, right-sized operations like ours can’t provide healthy food  for our communities.” — Dana Seifert, livestock & crop farmer, Jordan, Minn.

 

 

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November 2025

Saturday November 1

6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
Saturday November 1
6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
W6275 Main St, Bay City, WI 54723, USA

Calling all folk dance lovers! The Land Stewardship Project is co-sponsoring a potluck and folk dance at the Town Hall in Bay City, Wis., on Saturday, Nov. 1. Can you attend or volunteer? LSP is looking for one or two more people to help represent our people-powered organization by tabling at this event. To volunteer, reply directly to this e-mail and let me know you’re available. 
 
For details, check out this flier. 

The potluck and dance are co-hosted by LSP members from Oxheart Farm and the Oak Center General Store. No RSVP required; please direct questions to Emmet at oxheartfarm@gmail.com.
 

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Tuesday November 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Tuesday November 4
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Tuesday November 4
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Lanesboro Community Center, 202 Parkway Ave S, Lanesboro, MN 55949, USA

 
The concentration of money and power in our food and farming system is a threat to our rural way of life, the land, and Main Street economies. According to research compiled by Farm Action, agricultural industries ranging from poultry processing to seed distribution are now dominated by four or fewer corporations, creating a system that for all intents and purposes no longer represents an open market situation. This makes it next to impossible for small and mid-sized farms to compete economically.  

Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest have seen these effects firsthand. As once vibrant agricultural economies diminish, so too do community resources: hospitals, public schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and more. Young people who see little opportunity in their hometowns move to cities and suburbs to start their careers and families. 
 
A consolidated, corporate-controlled agricultural system is also wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Runoff from large-scale factory farms and row cropping operations threatens our drinking water and spoils natural landscapes that people from all walks of life cherish. Without intervention, it won’t be long before all of us — urban or rural, farmers and non-farmers, rich or poor, young or old — will be impacted by the devastation of Big Ag. 

Join the Land Stewardship Project on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to hear from two people who think a lot about the power of Big Ag and its negative impacts — Austin Frerick and Sonja Trom Eayrs. They will lead a discussion about the forces threatening our rural communities and how we build the people power to take them on. 

This is an opportunity to take the first steps toward developing the kind of positive future for our communities that builds homegrown wealth, treats people fairly, and is resilient in the long term. If you love something and someone, you fight for it. Come fight with us! 
 
Austin Frerick Biography: Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. In 2024, he published his debut book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.
 
Sonja Trom Eayrs Biography: Sonja Trom Eayrs, author of Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney.

To register for this event, click here.

Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8

Emerging Farmers Conference
Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8
Emerging Farmers Conference
Brooklyn Center, MN, USA

Details on the 20th Annual Emerging Farmers Conference are available here.

Thursday November 13

8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Thursday November 13
8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Bigwood Event Center, 921 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537, USA

Join Minnesota Women in Conservation and Renewing the Countryside for a relaxed, creative, restorative, and interactive day of networking and learning with fellow women conservation professionals. Breakfast and lunch are included at the lovely Bigwood Event Center. Cost is $25. 
 
For more information and to register, click here. 
 
Please reach out to burke@rtcinfo.org for information on scholarships before registering.

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Recent Posts

  •  ‘Big Ag, Big Problems’ Panel to Feature 2 Experts on Consolidation Nov. 4 in Lanesboro October 27, 2025
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