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Land Line: Erosion Wake-up, Agrivoltaics, Farm to School, Deep USDA Cuts, Factory Dairy Fight, Farm Aid, New Meat Plant

By Brian DeVore (editor)
June 9, 2025

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Soil Health Specialists Sound the Alarm on Continuing Soil Erosion

(5/9/25) Despite a “Wake-up Call” warning issued a decade ago, wind erosion has continued to significantly damage soil health in North Dakota, according to Agweek. Highlights:

  • Ten years after NDSU soil health expert Dave Franzen issued a report called “Wake-up Call” that highlighted high levels of wind erosion he was seeing in the state, a follow-up study —“Wake-up Call 2″ — found that soil health is still under serious threat. “Suspended soil is the real soil loss, estimated at about 10 times what you see in the ditch. It lands in the Atlantic Ocean or Ohio or Pennsylvania, or New York, or London. It is lost forever,” Franzen wrote.
  • Both of the “Wake-up Calls” referred to a 2014 study in which researchers visited the exact locations of several soils characterized by the Soil Conservation Service — now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service — in 1960. One soil in Walsh County had 35 inches above the “C” horizon in 1960 and 15 inches in 2014, a loss of 19 inches in slightly more than 50 years.
  • To reduce erosion levels and build soil health, conservation experts recommend greater adaption of no-till and cover cropping, as well as a diversified production system based on integrating livestock into grazing systems.

Check out LSP’s Soil Builder’s web page for information on building healthy soil profitably and keeping it in place. On June 25, LSP will be co-hosting a “Returning Cattle to the Land” field day in southeastern Minnesota. Details are here.

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Xcel Lets Loose a Small Army of Hungry Sheep to Keep its Solar Farm in Order

(5/31/25) The Minnesota Star Tribune describes how Excel Energy is utilizing sheep to maintain vegetation at the Sherco solar array in Clear Lake, Minn. Highlights:

  • Xcel expects to use as many as 2,500 sheep to graze pollinator and wildlife friendly plants at the Sherco site. The sheep are provided by MNL, a company based in Otsego, Minn., focused on ecological restoration.
  • Sherco solar will be one of the largest restored prairies in the Upper Midwest once fully built. The solar array will stretch over about 5,000 acres and will be able to generate enough power for roughly 150,000 homes when the sun is shining. Restored prairie systems must be maintained via regular disturbance such as grazing.
  • Some rural communities have expressed concerns that solar arrays are taking agricultural land out of production. Grazing beneath solar panels is part of a trend called “agrivoltaics,” which combines farming and energy production.  “It doesn’t solve everyone’s problems … but it absolutely mitigates some of the concerns and people get interested in it,” said Brian Ross, vice president of renewable energy at the Great Plains Institute.

Check out LSP’s profile of a pair of Farmer Beginnings graduates who are grazing sheep beneath solar arrays.

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Impact of Farm to School Programs in Minnesota

(6/5/25) A new analysis from University of Minnesota Extension and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy outlines the impact farm to school initiatives have had in the state the past few years, reports Morning Ag Clips. Highlights:

  • For every dollar spent on farm to school in Minnesota, an additional 94 cents is generated in economic activity.
  • Schools purchased 63% of Minnesota farm products directly from producers, with the remainder from food hubs and traditional wholesalers.
  • Despite being often associated with specialty crops, farm to school sourcing in Minnesota tilted heavily to proteins, which accounted for 48% of all spending by grantees. Ground beef was by far the most commonly sourced farm product.

During the 2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature, LSP worked with its allies to garner support for the state’s Farm to School Program. See our legislative wrap-up blog for details.

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Farmer-Focused USDA Agencies Face Deep Cuts in Trump’s 2026 Budget Plan

(6/4/25) In recently released budget documents, the Trump administration has proposed a nearly $7 billion reduction in USDA funding for 2026. Almost $1.2 billion of those cuts would come from the department’s primary farmer-facing agencies, reports Successful Farming. Highlights:

  • Funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would drop $784 million — from $896 million to $112 million. Conservation operations funds within NRCS would decrease the most, with savings coming mainly from eliminating discretionary funds for conservation technical assistance, which refers to USDA employees who help farmers do things like plant cover crops and install fencing, according to Civil Eats.
  • The budget request would decrease discretionary programs within the Farm Service Agency by $372 million, from $1,606 million to $1,234 million.
  • The funding request for the Risk Management Agency for 2026 is $67 million, down from the 2025 enacted amount of $73 million.

To get a sense of how critical NRCS programs are to supporting farm conservation practices, check out our “A Sense of Where You Are” blog series. LSP supports passage of the federal Agriculture Resilience Act — a farmer-centered policy that incentivizes and supports the work family farmers are doing to build soil health, improve water quality, build robust and resilient businesses, and feed our communities. Check out the action alert on this legislation here. For more on LSP’s federal policy work, click here.

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‘We Take Last Place’: North Dakota Residents Fight Industrial Dairy Threat to Land and Legacy

(6/2/25) The Daily Yonder describes how farmers and other rural residents in southeastern North Dakota’s Richland County are concerned that a 12,500-head operation being built by Riverview Dairy will drive small farmers out of business and harm the environment. Highlights:

  • In 2023, North Dakota enacted House Bill 1371, which significantly alters the state’s longstanding corporate farming restrictions. This legislation permits corporations and limited liability companies to own or lease farmland specifically for livestock operations.
  • North Dakota’s agricultural laws offer little protection for rural residents when it comes to massive CAFOs. There are no requirements to monitor private wells, no guarantees to replace contaminated water, and no contingency plans if local aquifers run dry.
  • Local residents are working with the Dakota Resource Council to organize, attend ag task force meetings, and demand stronger water protections.

Riverview is based out of western Minnesota’s Stevens County, and operates several large dairy CAFOs in the area. In August 2014 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens’ Board voted to require an Environmental Impact Statement for an 8,850-cow dairy Riverview was proposing at the time. A year later, Riverview officials were successful in pressuring the Minnesota Legislature to eliminate the 48-year-old Citizens’ Board. You can read more about that action and its repercussions in LSP’s blog.

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Minnesota Honored to Host 40th Anniversary Farm Aid

(6/2/25) Agweek reports the the 40th Farm Aid concert will be held in Minneapolis on Sept. 20. Highlights:

  • Over 39 years, Farm Aid has raised more than $85 million to help family farmers through its benefit concerts.
  • The 2025 concert will feature Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Margo Price, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Waxahatchee, Trampled by Turtles, Jesse Welles, and others. In addition to the music, Farm Aid will have its signature Homegrown Village, where festivalgoers can explore interactive exhibits and activities related to farming, soil health, and community-based food.
  • Farm Aid is partnering with ag organizations in the state to put on the 2025 concert, which will be held at the University of Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium.

The Land Stewardship Project is among the organizations that are partnering with Farm Aid for the September event. Watch our website for details as they are developed. More information on Farm Aid is available here.

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MFU Launches New Meat Packing Plant

(6/6/25) Minnesota Farmers Union has officially broken ground on a state-of-the-art, USDA-compliant meat processing facility in Staples, Minn. Highlights:

  • The more than 8,000-square-foot facility will process primarily beef and pork, employ up to 15 people when fully operational, and partner with Central Lakes College and Ridgewater College to provide training and internship opportunities for students studying meat processing and butchery.
  • A tentative opening date is January 2026.

LSP has been working with the Minnesota Farmers Union and other allies to expand the local meat processing infrastructure in Minnesota in a way that it supports the reintegrating of livestock onto the land. An LSP blog describes how Tom Nuessmeier and Paul Sobocinski, farmers and former LSP organizers, are working on an initiative to “break the meat processing bottleneck.”

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Category: Blog
Tags: ag consolidation • agrivoltaics • factory farms • Farm Aid • farm conservation programs • farm-to-school • federal farm policy • Riverview Dairy • soil conservation • soil erosion • soil health • solar grazing

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 Brian DeVore.

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To read past issues of Land Land, see LSP’s blog page.

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Quotes of the Day

“How can we grow an economy rooted in prairie principles that regenerates the soil and leads to robust rural communities? Do we want a system that regularly grows algae blooms and food deserts?”

— Joshua Anderson, a soil conservation district manager in North Dakota

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“You don’t have to pay a sheep to go out and eat the grass.” 

— Luke Molus, operations manager for Xcel Energy

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 “There are 22 small dairies left in the state. We talked to a couple of them. They said, flat out, this will wipe us out.”

— Mary Sahl, a North Dakota rural resident

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“Family farmers aren’t backing down, and neither are we.”

— Willie Nelson, musician & Farm Aid board member

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Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Thursday October 23

8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Farm to School & Early Care Grants Deadline
Thursday October 23
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Farm to School & Early Care Grants Deadline
Online

School is back in session and this week’s cool temps definitely remind us all that fall is just around the corner. This time of the year also means that the application period is open for Minnesota’s Farm to School and Early Care grants.

Earlier this year, the Land Stewardship Project and our partners were successful in expanding funding for the AGRI Farm to School and Early Care program. The application window for the next round of funding is now open and will close at 4 p.m. Central Time (CT) on Thursday, October 23.

APPLY FOR FUNDING HERE

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is serving up two funding opportunities to help schools and early childhood education (ECE) centers buy Minnesota-grown and -raised foods. 

1.    First Bite Grants: Up to $5,000 (no match required) to kickstart local food purchasing through intentional, high-impact activities. 
2.    Full Tray Grants: Up to $35,000 (1:1 match required) to help experienced schools and ECE centers increase or expand their local food purchases. 

Equipment funding: First Bite and Full Tray applicants can also request up to $25,000 (1:1 match required) to support the purchase of kitchen equipment that will enhance their capacity to buy, prepare, and serve local foods.  

 These grants are open to: 
•    Public or private K-12 schools or school districts in Minnesota that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
•    Early childhood education (ECE) centers that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in Minnesota

MDA encourages schools, districts, and ECE centers serving sovereign tribal nations to apply. 

 Local Tots Cost-Share Program
There are also funds available to reimburse family child care providers for buying Minnesota-grown and -raised foods used for meals and snacks as part of the the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP):

Interested providers must submit a Local Tots Cost-Share program Letter of Intent to participate. Award amounts will be up to $1,000 and there is a 1:1 cash match required for providers who received a Local Tots Cost-Share award in 2025. There is no cash match required if you are new to the program. 

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Central Time (CT) on Thursday, October 23, 2025. 

 Program details and online applications are available at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/farm-school-early-care-programs or by contacting the Grants Team at MDA.AGRIgrants@state.mn.us. 

 Want to learn more about eligibility, allowable expenses, and how to apply?

 Join the MDA for a virtual info session: 
First Bite and Full Tray Grant Info Session 
September 15, 2025, 2-3 p.m.
Register here

 Local Tots Cost-Share Info Session – for family child care providers
September 18, 2025, 1-2 p.m.
Register here

Farmers: Are you Interested in selling to a school near you? 
Send this opportunity along to the food service director at schools near you or connect with a Regional Local Food Coordinator to help you make connections with schools, childcare settings, and other opportunities to sell locally. These positions are supported by the Department of Education and Renewing the Countryside.

Saturday October 25

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Saturday October 25
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Madison Public Library - Central, 201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

During the Wisconsin Book Festival, Curt Meine will talk about the book in a discussion with author Sonja Trom Eayrs (Dodge County, Incorporated), in a session on “The Fight for Rural America.” 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Tuesday October 28

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Tuesday October 28
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Zoom online

Are you interested in applying for a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)? On Tuesday, Oct. 28, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Land Stewardship Project will be holding an online webinar on four grants that will be available this fall. MDA staffers will go over the details of these grants and how to apply for them.

 To sign-up, click here.  

 This webinar will feature information on four grants:

– AGRI Livestock Investment Grant

– AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant 

– Preparing for Extreme Weather (Prepare) Grant

– AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant 

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday October 29

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Wednesday October 29
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, 2800 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Thursday October 30

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Thursday October 30
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

View Full Calendar

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