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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

♦ ♦ ♦

“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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July 2025

Friday July 18

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Lac qui Parle County
Friday July 18
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Lac qui Parle County
1174 295th Ave, Dawson, MN 56232

Details are here.

Tuesday July 22

9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Ray Archuleta Soil Health Series: Sartell
Tuesday July 22
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Ray Archuleta Soil Health Series: Sartell
2611 17th St N, Sartell, MN 56377, USA

Details are here.

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Unlocking Conservation Resources for Communities & Farms
Tuesday July 22
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Unlocking Conservation Resources for Communities & Farms
Far North Spirits, 2045 220th Avenue, Hallock, MN 56728, USA

Join Renewing the Countryside and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) this summer at one of their eight conservation events in a town near you, where you will:

  • Learn how conservation benefits Minnesota’s rural communities.
  • Hear from a panel of local speakers.
  • Discover available NRCS Farm Bill programs and the economics of on-farm practices.
  • Enjoy a complimentary lunch, plus a chance to win door prizes.
  • Network with local farmers, neighbors, and conservation professionals.
  • Receive helpful materials and personalized support on next steps after the event.  

For more information, click here. 

Locations & Dates:
Each event is free, open to all, and runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the venues listed. Space is limited, please register in advance.

  • Hallock (Kittson County) – Tues, July 22 @ Far North Spirits
  • Elbow Lake (Grant County) – Wed, July 23 @ Elbow Lake Community Building
  • Sleepy Eye (Brown County) – Thur, July 24 @ Sleepy Eye Brewing Company
  • Milaca (Mille Lacs County) – Tues, July 29 @ Gorecki Community Center
  • Mora (Kanabec County) – Thur, July 31 @ Sapsucker Farms Yellow Belly Cidery
  • Owatonna (Steele County) – Tues, August 5 @ Owatonna Public Utilities Building
  • Jordan (Scott County) – Wed, August 6 @ Ridges at Sand Creek
  • Fairmont (Martin County) – Thur, August 7 @ Red Rock Center for the Arts
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Agrivoltaics: Growing Forages & grain Crops
Tuesday July 22
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Agrivoltaics: Growing Forages & grain Crops
Online Webinar

This free webinar series is about cattle and sheep solar grazing and growing forages or grain crops under solar panels.

The practice of grazing livestock under solar panels has become increasingly popular. It is often referred to as agrivoltaics or solar grazing. This system involves the use of land for both solar energy production and livestock grazing or crop production. In this session, Sabrina Florentino will talk about forage production research and the Rauenhorst Farm Agrivoltaics Project on growing row crops under solar panels.

To register, click here. 

Wednesday July 23

9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Ray Archuleta Soil Health Series: Villard
Wednesday July 23
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Ray Archuleta Soil Health Series: Villard
15290 127th St, Villard, MN 56385, USA

Details are here.

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  • ‘Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota’ Meeting Aug. 2 in Madison  July 14, 2025
  • 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

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