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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.

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July 2025

Friday July 11

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Big Community Carne Asada Cookout
Friday July 11
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Big Community Carne Asada Cookout
Todd Park, 2411 11th St NE, (Site #1), Austin MN 55912

You’re invited to our Big Community Carne Asada Cookout! Join COPAL and the Land Stewardship Project for an afternoon of delicious grilled food, music, and great company. Let’s come together to share stories, build stronger connections, and keep growing a united and supportive community. 👉 Limited spots available — register at the link!

 

🔥 ¡Está invitado a nuestra Gran Carne Asada Comunitaria! Acompáñe a COPAL y a Land Stewardship Project para disfrutar de una tarde con comida deliciosa a la parrilla, música y buena compañía. Unámonos para compartir historias, fortalecer lazos y seguir construyendo una comunidad unida y solidaria. 👉 Cupo limitado, regístrese en el enlace.

📆 JUL 11

⏰ 5PM

📍Todd Park, 2411 11th St NE, (Site #1), Austin MN 55912

🔗 Register / Regístrese: https://loom.ly/hZ0bS1U

Saturday July 12

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Saturday July 12
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Farmers Community Park, 23274 Arches Road Lewiston, MN 55952

During the Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters event, the Land Stewardship Project will mark the three-year anniversary of a major fish kill in southeastern Minnesota that spawned citizen action and led to new public policy around how such events are reported. Join Land Stewardship Project and our partners at Farmers Park, Saturday July 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Lewiston, Minnesota. Register here.

What to expect?

  • Fly fishing demonstration led by Minnesota Trout Unlimted and LSP member, Lee Stoe. Please bring your own fishing gear.

  • Minnesota Trout Unlimited & Izaak Walton League staff and members will be leading macroinvertebrate sampling of Garvin Brook and discussing what they tell us about the health of the stream.

  • Discussion on how regenerative farming systems can support healthy soil and clean water.

  • Opportunity to take action! Help prevent future fish kills by sharing how you think the Minnesot Feedlot Rule, which is open for comment through July 22, should be stronger. Postcards will be available to fill out and send with your comments.

  • Farmers Park is a great spot for birding. Please bring your binoculars!

  • You are welcome to bring your own snacks or picnic lunch; food will not be provided at this event.

LSP is partnering with several community groups for this event, including:

Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Izaak Walton League, Food & Water Watch, and Savanna Institute

Register HERE. For more information, contact LSP’s Kate Rowe at krowe@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday July 15

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
Tuesday July 15
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
1805 Dudley Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55113, USA

Join U of M researchers and Extension for updates on organic fruit and vegetable research and tour the Student Organic Farm and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in Saint Paul. Topics include: organic insect management, integrating livestock into vegetable farms, new crops for Minnesota, irrigation strategies, and more. Free to the public.
 
For details and to register, click here.

Wednesday July 16

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
Wednesday July 16
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
27092 Co Rd 8, Comfrey, MN 56019, USA

Details here.

Thursday July 17

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
Thursday July 17
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
518 30th Ave, Jasper, MN 56182

Details are here.

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Recent Posts

  • Get Your Farm Photographed & Receive Free Images! July 10, 2025
  • ‘Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters’ Event July 12 Near Lewiston July 8, 2025
  • Contributing to the Cause July 8, 2025
  • Contact the MPCA by July 22 About Revising its Feedlot Rules July 2, 2025
  • Tell Your Representatives: We Want a Farm Bill for All, Not a Tax Break for the Wealthiest July 2, 2025

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