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Land Line: Food Systems, Funding Freeze, John Deere, Immigration, Regenerative Farm Family

March 3: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities

By Brian DeVore
March 3, 2025

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Surrounded by Crops in Minnesota
Farm Country, but with Little to Eat

(2/26/25) Star Tribune columnist Karen Tolkkinen writes about the paradox plaguing rural communities in western Minnesota: despite massive amounts of land being devoted to agricultural production, little fresh, affordable food is available for local residents. Highlights:

  • A recent study of the food system in five Minnesota counties — Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, and Traverse — found that residents drive 40 miles or more to Alexandria to buy groceries from Walmart, which opened in 1991, or Aldi, which opened in 2014. About half the grocery stores in those five counties have closed since 1990.
  • A recent food forum organized by the Land Stewardship Project at the University of Minnesota-Morris brought together farmers, retailers, students, and food system experts to talk about the role community-based food systems could play in supporting rural economies while feeding rural residents.

For more on LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems work, click here.

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Iowa Farmers are Relying on Now-Frozen Regional Food Infrastructure Grants

(2/26/25) Writing in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, farmers Wendy Johnson, Carmen and Maja Black, Jason and Hannah Grimm, and Emma and Marcus Johnson describe the community benefits that result from Regional Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grants. These farmers are all recipients of RFSI grants, which have been frozen by the federal government. Highlights:

  • These grants are for one-time purchases to acquire equipment and improve facilities for local food aggregation and distribution. Some of these purchases have already been made with the contractual understanding that farmers would be reimbursed.
  • In late 2024, Iowa funded 24 RFSI grants, a $3,018,154 investment in Iowa agriculture. These projects are projected to support over 300 local farmers growing their farm businesses, increasing market access through connections to the food hub network that exists in Iowa.
  • These dollars help kickstart new Main Street businesses and support and provide markets for more Iowa food producers.

On Feb. 17, the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee heard LSP farmer-member Hannah Bernhardt and others discuss the impacts of the federal funding freeze and how this relates to state agriculture programs. Highlights of the hearing are available here. 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.

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Amid Trump’s Threats to Deport Workers, Wisconsin & Minnesota Dairy Farmers Travel to Mexico

(2/25/25) The Wisconsin Examiner‘s Ruth Conniff reports on a trip to Mexico organized by Puentes/Bridges to connect Wisconsin dairy farmers with the families of their workers.  Highlights:

  • John Rosenow, who dairy farms near Waumandee, Wis., says 13 of his 18 employees are from Mexico.
  • Latin American workers, most of them from Mexico, perform an estimated 70% of the labor on Wisconsin dairy farms. Almost all of the immigrant workers who milk cows in the U.S. lack legal status. While the U.S. government provides visas for migrant workers who pick seasonal crops and for immigrants with specialized technical skills, there is no U.S. visa program for low-skilled labor in year-round industries like dairy.
  • Undocumented workers pay about $97 billion in total taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. About $26 billion of that goes to fund Social Security and $6 billion for Medicare — programs from which those workers are excluded.

LSP recently participated in a press conference organized by the Immigrant Defense Network; details are here. A Land Stewardship Letter review of Ruth Conniff’s book, Milked: How an American Crisis Brought Together Midwestern Dairy Farmers & Mexican Workers is available here.

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FTC Should Not Let John Deere Off the Hook

(2/19/25) Dave Dickey, a columnist for Investigate Midwest, writes about a recent lawsuit filed against John Deere by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state attorneys general in Minnesota and Illinois. The lawsuit asks for a permanent injunction of Deere’s current practices that restrict farmers and independent repair shops from working on Deere equipment. Highlights:

  • The lawsuit charges that: “…Deere has acquired and maintained monopoly power in a relevant market for the provision of repair services that require the use of a fully functional repair tool…As a consequence, Deere’s dealers are able to maintain a 100% market share and charge supracompetitive prices for restricted repairs, and Deere itself reaps additional profits through parts sales.”
  • Dickey writes that, “The FTC complaint was a long time coming…Ask any farmer if they believe John Deere has been dealing off the top of the deck when it comes to software repair tools and you’ll get an earful.”
  • However, the new chair of the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, voted against the lawsuit moving forward, and says he is currently in discussions with John Deere about the issue.

Consolidation in agriculture and restrictions on farmers’ rights when it comes to repairing their own equipment will be the focus of a LSP town hall meeting featuring Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Tuesday, March 4. Details are here.

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Growing Healthy Soil & Grass Regenerates
Minnesota Farm & Its Future

(2/25/25) The Bergler family is using managed rotational grazing and cover cropping to build soil health, which has resulted in healthier animals and a better quality of life for the family, reports Morning Ag Clips. Highlights:

  • Never applying more than 100 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer per acre, the Berglers harvest 230 bushel-per-acre corn behind a seven-way grain mix with peas and flax.
  • The Berglers no longer uses dewormer or other prophylactic vaccinations prescribed in conventional confined animal operations. The pregnancy rate of his herd is 99%.
  • “I used to feed 200 plus days a year,” said Luke Bergler. “Each day it would take about two hours of time. Now we feed less than 130-140 days a year and it only takes me 20-30 minutes. I used to haul 80-100 loads of manure each year and now I’m down to seven. All of those little things add up to an improved quality of life.”

The Berglers hosted an LSP soil health field day in 2022. Check out an LSP Ear to the Ground podcast interview with Luke Bergler here. 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: community based food systems • funding freeze • immigration • regenerative farming • right to repair

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.

Quotes of the Day

 “It’s good that other people know that we’re not all bad people — that people know and can value the work and sacrifices we are making.”

        — Celeste Tzanahua Hernández, who lives in the Mexican state of Veracruz &
whose family has worked on dairy farms in Wisconsin 

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“It doesn’t mean we don’t have setbacks, challenges or financial issues. After all, we are American farmers. But when you abide by the principles, believe in the system and pay attention, it’s remarkable what can happen. There are so many things working now that it just blows my mind.”

        — Southeastern Minnesota farmer Luke Bergler

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“When we signed these contracts, we committed to what they contained and expected the government to honor its word.”

— Farmers Wendy Johnson, Carmen & Maja Black, Jason & Hannah Grimm, & Emma & Marcus Johnson

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LSP in the News

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

Upcoming Events

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September 2025

Monday September 1

All Day
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course
Monday September 1
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if you are accepted into the class. Partial scholarships are available.

More details are at http://www.farmbeginnings.org or Annelie Livingston-Anderson at annelie@landstewardshipproject.org.

You can apply to the course here.

Wednesday September 3

10:00 am – 3:00 pm
LSP Montevideo Office Coffee & Conversation
Wednesday September 3
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
LSP Montevideo Office Coffee & Conversation
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

On the first Wednesday of each month, the Land Stewardship Project hosts coffee and conversation at our downtown Montevideo office (111 North First Street), and we hope you will have time to join us at the next one on Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The open house-style mornings feature a quick update on recent LSP work and then plenty of time to enjoy your coffee and build community the old-fashioned way, by talking face-to-face. This month we will give an update on our work to combat consolidation in animal agriculture and provide an overview of our recent town hall in Paynesville with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.  

 Come when you can and stay as long as you like! Don’t hesitate to bring along a friend or two — we always enjoy meeting someone new.

For more information, contact LSP’s Matthew Sheets at msheets@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday September 5

9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Field Day on the Cotter Farm: Austin
Friday September 5
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Field Day on the Cotter Farm: Austin
50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

 Sign up today for a get-together down on Tom Cotter’s Farm. This field day brings together food companies, local farmers and other professionals in agriculture — a perfect opportunity for networking and discussion.
Hear from soil health experts, then board the Topless Bus to take a tour of Tom’s farm. A FREE TACO BAR LUNCH will featureTom’s own grass-fed beef, along with authentic, homemade tortillas and rice. Featured speakers include soil scientist Kris Nichols and agronomist Joe Ailts.
 
You can check out the field day flier here. For more details and to register, click here.

Saturday September 6

9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
Saturday September 6
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

Details are here.

Monday September 8

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
Monday September 8
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, 207 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

Join Anne Biklé (co-author, What Your Food Ate: How to Restore Our Land and Reclaim Our Health) and NEIA RC & D Natural Resource Projects Director, Ross Evelsizer, for a conversation and Q & A session followed by a book signing. Everyone is invited to this free event sponsored by the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, with support from Pulpit Rock Brewing and Dragonfly Books.
 
Details on the Sept. 8 event are here.

View Full Calendar

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