Farmers Focus on Local Markets

(1/31/26) The Tri-State Neighbor reports on a meeting in Rochester, Minn., where farmers and others gathered to discuss practical ways of diversifying the corn-soybean duo-culture that dominates Midwestern agriculture. Highlights:

• The “Beyond Exports” meeting, which was hosted by LSP, featured farmer-presenters who are in various stages of utilizing small grains, livestock, and specialty crops to add diversity to their farms in a way that builds soil health and provides financial stability.
• Iowa farmer Landon Plagge talked about how the local processing of crops like oats could help boost rural economic development. “That’s going to add value to each acre and make our rural communities successful,” he said.
•  Tom Finnegan, who raises a diversity of crops, along with direct-to-consumer beef, said he belongs to one of the Soil Health Hubs LSP has organized in the region in recent years. One thing he’s learned is that having diverse enterprises on the farm serves as a kind of insurance policy that reduces risk.

If you missed the chance to attend LSP’s “Beyond Exports” meeting, you can check out videos and podcasts featuring the presenters here.

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Environmental Groups Threaten Lawsuit Over EPA’s Impaired Water List in Iowa

(2/12/26) WHO-TV reports that the Iowa Environmental Council and Food & Water have filed a notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency. They argue that the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers in central Iowa should be placed back on the EPA’s impaired waters list because of persistently high nitrate levels. The EPA has 60 days to make a final decision on the waterways’ status, or else face a lawsuit. Highlights:

• Waterways can be removed from the EPA’s impaired list after pollution reduction plans are implemented and water quality improves. In July 2025, the EPA removed the Des Moines and Raccoon, along with other Iowa waterways, from its impaired list despite the fact that earlier that summer the watering of lawns had to be banned in the region when the Central Iowa Water Works’ nitrate removal system couldn’t keep up with pollution levels.
• Groups such as the Iowa Farm Bureau applauded the remove of the rivers from the impaired list, arguing that water quality in the region was improving. However, as recently as this month the Des Moines and the Raccoon measured nitrate levels at more than 11 milligrams per liter and 9 milligrams per liter, respectively. The EPA’s safe drinking water standard for nitrates is 10 milligrams per liter. Both rivers supply drinking water to Des Moines and other central Iowa communities. The Central Iowa Water Works nitrate removal system has been operating on and off since Jan. 6, an unusual occurrence during the winter months, when nitrate levels are typically lower.

• The main source of nitrate pollution in the region is commercial nitrogen fertilizer and manure that escapes farm fields.

LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast recently featured a two-part interview where three Iowa “poster boys” for farm conservation describe why it’s time for the ag industry, commodity groups, and government to step up and take responsibility for water quality, specifically nitrate pollution, in their state. You can listen to the podcasts here and here.

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Is Cost-Share Needed for Profitable Soil Health Practices?

(1/26/26) During a recent meeting in North Dakota, a research economist discussed the financial ramifications of adopting soil health practices like cover cropping, according to Ag Week. Highlights:

• Samuel Porter, a research economist with Minnesota Farmers Union, said when considering adopting a soil health practice, farmers shouldn’t just jump in because it seems like the thing to do. Rather, they should keep in mind what goals they may have, such as reducing erosion or compaction, as well as improving infiltration, soil structure, water holding capacity, pest management, organic matter levels, and weed suppression. Reducing input costs and providing more yield stability are also good goals.
• Not everyone who implements cover crops sees a reduction in fertilizer costs. A National Cover Crop Survey that Porter referenced showed that out of 272 respondents, the majority, 141, saw no change in costs. However, 58 saved more than $20 an acre.
• University of Illinois research showed that corn fields without cover crops averaged higher yields (215 bushels per acre) compared to those with cover crops (206). However, Porter pointed out that cover crops offered more yield stability in the long run.
•  One study showed there is a major profitability difference between those who recently adopted conservation practices and those who are experienced with these practices. Net annual return for the recent adopter was $266.72, but experienced adopters had annual returns of $362.60 per acre, according to Porter. That was higher than the returns from conventional tillage ($324.48). The experienced adopters had the lowest production costs.

In a recent LSP Ear to the Ground podcast, Minnesota farmer Alan Jostock talks about how he uses soil-building practices and diversity to reduce his financial risk. Want to connect with other farmers who are looking for ways to build soil health profitably? Sign up for LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network.

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The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Sets its Federal Policy Focus for 2026

(2/3/26) The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has identified “regional food procurement and distribution” as one policy area it will focus on during 2026. Highlights:

• NASDA says small- and medium-sized farmers, especially specialty crop producers, are eager to supply a variety of nutrient-dense foods to local and regional markets. However, gaps in federal support for food system infrastructure and supply chain resilience continue to limit their ability to reach dependable markets.
• NASDA says future federal funding should prioritize investments in transportation, aggregation, cold storage and processing to close gaps between farm production and distribution, ensuring farmers can reliably reach regional markets.
• NASDA supports permanent funding for flexible, state-led food purchasing programs to connect local and regional farmers with new markets, address regional nutritional insecurity and hunger, and advance national public health outcomes.

On Feb. 23, LSP will be putting on the 2026 edition of the Western Minnesota Food Forum in Morris, Minn. This event will bring together local food advocates to listen, learn, and coordinate around local food market opportunities in western Minnesota. Details are here. When the 2026 session of the Minnesota Legislature convenes on Feb. 17, LSP will be pushing for, among other things, support of Farm to School and Local Food Purchase Assistance initiatives. Check out our blog for details. During our Family Farm Breakfast and Lobby Day on March 11, you can have the opportunity to tell lawmakers how important support for local food systems is. For details and to register, click here. A calendar of LSP virtual lobby trainings is here.

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Former Farming Leaders Warn U.S. Agriculture Could Face ‘Widespread Collapse’

(2/3/26) Current economic conditions and Trump administration policies could lead to “a widespread collapse of American agriculture,” a bipartisan coalition of former Agriculture Department officials and leaders of farm groups warned in a letter, reports The New York Times. Highlights:

• The letter to the heads and ranking members of the House and Senate agricultural committees was signed by 27 influential figures in the farming sector, including former heads of powerful associations representing corn and soybean farmers and officials from the Bush and Reagan administrations. It expressed dismay at the “damage done to American farmers.”
•  “…it is clear that the current administration’s actions, along with congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research and staffing,” the letter warned.
• The signatories called on Congress to relax tariffs for the agriculture sector, expand international markets, pass a new Farm Bill, and restore funding for agriculture research and staffing.

LSP staff and farmer-members are in Washington, D.C., this week carrying a message to lawmakers that we need ag policy that benefits small and medium-sized farmers, the land, and rural economies. For details on LSP’s work to reform federal farm policy, click here. For help dealing with financial, weather-related, or emotional stress on the farm, see LSP’s Farm Crisis web page.

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Farmer Sentiment Drops Sharply at the Start of 2026 as Economic Concerns Increase

(2/3/26) The Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture reports that a regular survey it conducts shows that farmers’ views of the ag economy have soured significantly since December. Highlights:

• One-half of the producers surveyed reported that their farm operations were worse off than a year ago. Moreover, looking ahead 12 months, 30% expected worse financial performance, compared to 20% who expected better financial performance.
• This year, 31% of producers who expect their loan size to increase said it was because they were carrying over unpaid operating debt from the prior year, up from 23% in 2025, 17% in 2024, and only 5% in 2023.
• Farmers’ perspective on U.S. agricultural exports was more pessimistic in January. Responding to a question about the future of agricultural exports, 16% of the respondents looked for exports to decline over the next five years. In contrast, only 5% of the respondents in December expected exports to decline.
• The survey included a question related to the federal government’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program announced in late December. Over 50% of the respondents indicated that these payments would be used to pay down debt. Another 25% of respondents said that they would use these payments to improve working capital. The remainder noted that these payments would be used for family living (10% of respondents) or to invest in farm machinery (12% of respondents).

LSP board member and southwestern Minnesota farmer Laurie Driessen wrote a blog describing how current federal ag policy and the trade war are harming small and medium-sized farmers. Want to learn how to do the kind of farm financial planning that takes into account quality of life and land stewardship, as well as profitability? LSP is offering an online Holistic Financial Planning Workshop Feb. 21 and Feb. 23. Click here for details.

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Trump’s DHS is Pushing the Boundaries of Probable Cause and Due Process to Fuel a Farm Labor Crisis

(2/11/26) Since returning to office last year, the Trump administration has pursued mass deportations across the country, claiming its focus is on hardened criminals. But Investigate Midwest reports that a review of court records, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents, and interviews show the federal immigration effort has swept up many agricultural workers with no criminal record, often deploying tactics that advocates, lawyers, and judges say push the limits of probable cause and due process. Highlights:

• Roughly 75% of DHS detainees have, in the department’s own words, “no threat level.” In some cases, DHS officers have known individual farmworkers have no criminal history and still moved to deport them.
• The raids and deportations have not only separated families, many from Latin America, but also further strained farms and meatpacking plants.
• The deportation policy has left farmers without a well-trained, knowledgeable workforce. For example, in Wisconsin dairy farms often employ undocumented immigrants for several years at a time because they cannot use short-term visa labor. The continuity of employing such long-term workers leads to better production, said Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. “Cows are animals of habit,” he said. “If you’re replacing employees on a weekly or even daily basis, it impacts how they produce.”
•  Trump has heralded the H-2A visa program, which brings foreign workers to the U.S. temporarily, but many farmers, including dairy producers, are not eligible. Since Trump took office, lawmakers have not debated or passed legislation allowing more visa workers into the country.

LSP is a member of the the Immigrant Defense Network (IDN), a coalition of over 90 immigrant, labor, legal, faith, and community organizations dedicated to protecting and advancing the constitutional rights of immigrant communities across Minnesota. We are currently supporting IDN in its capital campaign to raise money in support of families impacted by the current ICE actions. To donate, click here. In a recent blog, LSP executive director Scott Elkins described why the organization is standing with our immigrant neighbors during these tumultuous times.

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‘Not the same town anymore:’ ICE Surge Hit Businesses in Worthington, where 1 in 3 are Immigrants

(2/13/26) Alex Baumhardt, writing in the Minnesota Reformer, provides a firsthand account of how stepped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities is impacting Worthington, a southwestern Minnesota community heavily dependent on agriculture-related businesses and where one in three residents is an immigrant. Highlights:

• Worthington is the seat of Nobles County, which has the highest proportion of foreign-born residents of any county in the state, according to U.S. Census data. One in five residents in the county of roughly 22,000 is an immigrant, and roughly 70% of those immigrants are Hispanic or Latino. Most newcomers arrived from Mexico, followed by Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, within the last decade-and-a-half. Many came to work on area farms and at the JBS meatpacking plant, the town’s largest employer with roughly 2,100 employees. From 2010 to 2020, the total immigrant population in the 23 counties of southwestern Minnesota grew 40%.
•  Although the influx of people has led to some racist backlash, the growth has revived towns like Worthington, where businesses that had shuttered in the ‘80s and ‘90s were reopened and renovated to support Mexican and Asian grocery stores and restaurants, churches and other places of worship.
• Foot traffic in downtown Worthington has quieted to a patter since the beginning of the year, and businesses are suffering economic losses some owners said they might not survive even now that ICE says it is winding down Operation Metro Surge. On a recent weekday afternoon, several Latino grocery stores and Mexican restaurants downtown were open, but with doors locked. Patrons had to be let in by an employee at the door, meant to ensure no one is a federal agent.
• Ana Cuadros, owner of downtown bakery Panaderia Mi Tierra, said business is down roughly 50% since the beginning of the year. Sales are down about 70% at RG Music store, owner Maria Agorra said. The high concentration of Latino bakeries, markets, and clothing stores typically brings customers — including many other immigrants — from St. James and surrounding communities to Worthington, Agorra said. “Now, no one is leaving the house or leaving their neighborhoods,” she said.

Check out LSP’s Community Care web page for links to information on how immigrants benefit local economies.

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