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Land Line: Bird Flu, Egg Prices, Immigration, Funding Freeze, Conservation $$

Feb. 17: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities

By Brian DeVore
February 17, 2025

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The Unnatural History of Bird Flu

(2/12/25) Science journalist Brandon Keim, writing in Nautilus, provides an in-depth overview of the causes of the current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, which has resulted in the death of 150 million chickens and turkeys, either by the virus itself or due to euthanasia as officials attempt to curb its spread. Despite claims by the poultry industry that small open-air flocks and wild bird populations are spreading the virus, the science indicates that the main culprit is the industry itself: concentrating thousands of birds in large-scale, industrialized operations has provided the perfect petri dish for the flu to fester, increase in virulency, and spread. Highlights:

  • A century ago, the average American chicken flock contained 70 birds. Today, the nine billion chickens slaughtered for meat each year in the U.S. are raised in buildings containing, on average, 20,000 or more birds, with roughly one square foot of space apiece. Eighty-five percent of all eggs come from operations containing between 50,000 and six million hens.
  • One scientist says that this type of production system makes poultry not only food for humans, but “food for flu.” Promoters of industrial agriculture, operating on a “myth” that CAFOs are self-contained and their pathogens controllable, have claimed that migrating birds and small-scale, pasture-based poultry producers are the source of the spread of H5N1. However several studies have shown how the flu, even when introduced by wild swans for example, doesn’t become deadly until it has an opportunity to incubate and spread in large scale  commercial operations.
  • Evolutionary ecologist Rob Wallace calls for industrial livestock to be replaced by agroecological systems in which meat comes from networks of small, locally owned farms whose practices are less likely to intensify disease.

Check out LSP’s Soil Health web page for resources on raising livestock utilizing regenerative methods. For details on our work to create a food system based on supporting regenerative production methods, see the Community-Based Food Systems page. For more in LSP’s work related to fighting factory farms, click here.

With Egg Prices Soaring, How to Find Affordable Cartons of Alternatives

(2/10/25) One major impact of the avian flu outbreak is that eggs are hard to come by, resulting in near record prices. The Star Tribune offers up some guidelines for procuring eggs. Highlights:

  • The article recommends buying from local farmers who don’t produce eggs utilizing large-scale confinement systems.
  • Such connections can be made via Community Supported Agriculture, at food co-ops, and through direct marketing.

LSP is working to create community food webs that better connect farmers and eaters. Check out this Ear to the Ground podcast for details. The Minnesota Grown Directory lists farmers who have eggs and other locally raised food available for direct purchase.

‘We Are Each Other’s Business’: Minnesota Advocates Rally Statewide to Show Support for Immigrants

(2/14/25) On Valentine’s Day, members of the Immigrant Defense Network turned out across Minnesota to spread a “Love Your Immigrant Neighbor” message and to inform people of their rights when confronted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who are enforcing mass deportation orders from the White House, according to the Sahan Journal. Highlights:

  • In November, more than 90 Minnesota groups formed the Immigrant Defense Network to protect the rights of immigrants and to make sure accurate information was being circulated to those communities. The Land Stewardship Project is a member of that coalition.
  • Organizers planned a day of action across Minnesota on Friday, including events in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Mankato, and Monticello.
  • The groups distributed thousands of Valentine’s Day cards that provided information about the rights that immigrants have.
  • Beth Slocum, the chair of LSP’s board, spoke at a Capitol press conference about the important role immigrants play in creating a regenerative, economically vibrant farm and food system.

You can view the Feb. 14 press conference and Beth Slocum’s comments here. On our website, LSP has created a Community Care resource page for immigrants and allies. LSP’s new long range plan describes how, among other things, the organization is committed to working with groups led by people of color to provide fair opportunities for all people to participate in a sustainable farm and food system.

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Farmers Are Out Millions After Trump Freezes USDA Funds

(2/11/25) The Washington Post writes that farmers are reporting missing millions of dollars of funding they were promised by the USDA, despite promises from the Trump administration that a federal funding freeze would not apply to projects directly benefiting individuals. Highlights:

  • The White House’s order to freeze funding impacts the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Rural Energy for America Program, both of which help farmers adopt practices that improve and protect the environment. EQIP, in particular, has proved invaluable for farmers adopting managed rotational grazing systems and cover cropping, for example.
  • Farmers who signed contracts with the USDA under those programs paid up front to build fencing, plant new crops, and install renewable energy systems with guarantees that the federal government would cover at least part of their costs. Funding for certain types of agricultural research was also frozen.
  • The administration rescinded the funding pause after a federal judge temporarily halted its implementation. But farmers were reporting that their funding remained frozen, even as USDA field offices were being forced to lay off staffers.

LSP’s government relations director, Laura Schreiber, was in Washington, D. C., last week, where she met with several members of Congress and shared stories of farmer-members who are being impacted by the funding uncertainty. For details on sharing your story and how to get a message to lawmakers about the importance of these programs, see LSP’s action alert.

The Financial Implications of Conservation Agriculture

(2024) A report created with the support of the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education initiative gathers information from numerous studies to show the profitability that can result from adopting various farm conservation practices in the Upper Midwest. Highlights:

  • Cover crops add direct costs in the short term but can be profitable over time.
  • Midwestern farms achieve higher returns and lower costs when using methods that reduce tillage.
  • Studies have shown that using managed grazing systems can help producers achieve their income goals,
    lower income variability, and produce returns on investment. Pasture-based livestock production can also open up new marketing opportunities.

Information on building soil health profitably is available on LSP’s Soil Health web page. A recent LSP blog series describes how 11 farms are utilizing various regenerative production methods to become economically and environmentally sustainable.

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Category: Blog
Tags: bird flu • funding freeze

LSP Land Line

LSP Land Line is a regular round-up of local, regional, and national news that touches on the work of the Land Stewardship Project. We can’t include everything, but if you have a news item to submit, e-mail LSP’s Brian DeVore.

Quotes of the Day

 “If we were to get our drafting table up here, and we wanted to design how to make great virulence, this would be how.”

— evolutionary ecologist Rob Wallace

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“It scares me for the future of farming. Not just that funding won’t be available for new farmers that need it, but that farmers won’t trust the government going forward.”

— Maryland farmer Laura Beth Resnick

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“We believe that if Minnesota is to have a truly sustainable food and farming system it must be sustainable for everyone involved in that system, no matter their economic background, race, ethnicity, or country of origin.”

— LSP board chair & farmer, Beth Slocum

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LSP in the News

Check out recent media stories featuring LSP’s work here.

Upcoming Events

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May 2025

Thursday May 15

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
MN Women in Conservation
Thursday May 15
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
MN Women in Conservation
42652 County Rd 7, Belview, MN 56214, USA

NOTE: REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT
 
Come out and play with MNWiC and Renville County Soil and Water Conservation District. Tour Iverson Tree Farm, learn from other women land stewards, and meet local Master Gardeners and conservation professionals who can help with your own land dreams.
 
For details and to register, click here.
 
 

Saturday May 17

11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Community Plant & Seed Swap
Saturday May 17
11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Community Plant & Seed Swap
Lift Bridge Brewing, 1900 Tower Dr W, Stillwater, MN 55082, USA

Lift Bridge Brewing Co. and Sustainable Farming Association are partnering to host a free seed and plant swap and fundraiser at Lift Bridge’s taproom in Stillwater. Vendor opportunities available. 
 
Details here.

Tuesday May 20

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Webinar on Agrivoltaics: Sheep Solar Grazing Producer Panel
Tuesday May 20
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Webinar on Agrivoltaics: Sheep Solar Grazing Producer Panel
Zoom Virtual

Participants will hear from sheep producers about their experiences, along with the benefits and challenges of grazing sheep under solar panels. This webinar is part of a series about cattle and sheep solar grazing and growing forages or grain crops under solar panels.
 
For details and to register, click here.

Thursday May 29

9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Thursday May 29
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Zoom Online

Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing Best Practices to Get Your Farm’s Next Customer is designed to help farmers grow their customer base by sharpening their storytelling and digital marketing skills—whether they’re selling through farmers’ markets, CSAs, or direct-to-retail. This Greener Pastures and Meet the Minnesota Makers workshop will cover how websites and social media can actually convert viewers into buyers to creating content that builds community loyalty.

This workshop is also designed for ag educators, professionals, and partner organizational staff who support farmers directly and want to be well-versed on the marketing best practices to support direct-to-consumer farms. 

For details and to register, click here.

Saturday May 31

10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Multi-species Pasture Walk
Saturday May 31
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Multi-species Pasture Walk
872 320th Ave, Frederic, WI 54837, USA

The NW Wisconsin Graziers Network, River Country RC&Dand UW-Madison Extension invite you to a multi-species pasture walk hosted by JohnsonFamily Pastures LLC. The farm is located five miles east of Frederic in PolkCounty. This educational event willemphasize direct marketing, multi-species grazing, part-time family agricultureand silvopasture development. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

TheJohnson Family Pastures farm is home to Chris and Tamara Johnson and their twochildren. They raise grass-fed beef, silvopastured goats, and recently raised anumber of other species. The farm consists of about 160 acres of gently rollingpastures, silvopasture, and forest. Use of both temporary polybraid fencing andhigh tensile permanent fences allow for rotational grazing of small ruminants andout-wintering of beef cattle. Use of long-term farm transition strategies, cost-shareprograms, silvopasture development with goats, regenerative grazing, cattlehandling facility and bale grazing will be discussed along with answering anyand all questions from pasture walk participants.

An extensive and diversified direct marketing programhas been developed by Tamara and Chris that has included farmer markets, e-maillists, newsletters, website ordering, on-farm freezer storage, and other strategiesand tools to support direct sales and services for their customers.  Come and learn all about their successfulapproach.

For more information,contact Chris Johnson at 920-960-4475 or Lynn Johnson 715-225-9882 at NW Graziers.

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