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Land Line: Grasslands & Carbon, Local Foods, AU Cap, Fertilizer Prices, Dry Wells, Methane Digesters, Forever Green

June 7: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities

By Brian DeVore
June 7, 2022

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Claim: Grazed Grasslands Trump Cover Crops on Long-term Carbon Sequestration

(6/5/22) The Food and Environment Reporting Network reports on research showing that rotationally grazed pastures sequester more carbon than annual cropping systems. An ongoing 29-year-old field experiment in Wisconsin shows that perennial pastures managed with rotational grazing accumulated 18% to 29% more soil organic carbon than annual cropping systems, even when cover crops and minimum tillage were used in the annual systems.

LSP’s grazing web page includes several resources for farmers looking to link livestock production, soil health, and economic viability. Check out LSP’s recent Myth Buster on carbon credits.

Land Stewardship Project Looking to Revitalize Local Foods Economy in the Upper Minnesota River Valley

(6/1/22) According to the West Central Tribune, the Land Stewardship Project is launching an effort in western Minnesota to map out the local food assets of the region while rebuilding and re-energizing a regional food systems network. Farm census data show that the number of farms that direct-market local foods in the region has been slowly growing, from 81 to 101 in the past few years, according to the Tribune. Local foods generated $612,000 in sales annually in the region, or just 0.5% of the $90 million that local residents spend on food for home preparation, according to an analysis by Ken Meter with the Crossroads Resources Center. Just boosting those sales by another percent or more could circulate an additional $1.2 million in the region, according to LSP’s Scott DeMuth.

For more on LSP’s regional foods work, see our web page.

County Board Sticks by Animal Unit Cap

(6/1/22) A push to reconsider Winona County’s limit on feedlot size was rejected by the County Board recently, according to the Winona Post. County Board members Steve Jacob and Marcia Ward proposed reconsidering the animal unit cap, which limits farms to no more than 1,500 animal units or 1,071 dairy cows. There has been a push to increase or even eliminate the cap in recent years as a result of pressure from Daley Farm, which wants to expand its operation to nearly 6,000 animal units despite widespread local opposition. Supporters of the cap, including LSP members who live in the county, say smaller farms and smaller quantities of manure reduce the risk of nitrate pollution in an area where groundwater is vulnerable and many rural wells are already contaminated. Mega-livestock CAFOs also threaten the economic viability of smaller farms.

In a new video, LSP members talk about why they are fighting to keep Winona County’s land, water, and communities from being harmed by a mega-dairy expansion. Check out more details on this fight at the Winona County Stewards web page.

Big Oil Wants New York’s Cow Manure

(5/25/22) Eight dairy farms in New York are producing pipeline-quality methane from manure, or soon will be, according to New York Focus. “Environmental experts worry this handful of farms are at the leading edge of a boom that subsidizes poor manure management practices and could promote the reckless expansion of large-scale factory farming,” reports Focus. And the state may be overcounting the climate benefits of manure biofuel as a mechanism to reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets — a miscount that will only grow as the industry expands.

In 2020, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved CenterPoint Energy’s proposal to create an infrastructure for supplying biogas generated from manure, among other waste products. A recent LSP Myth Buster tackles the claim that methane digesters on large CAFOs are a good public investment.

The Summer Minnesota’s Wells Dried Up

(5/21/22) The 2021 drought in Minnesota tool a toll on the aquifers that feed many of rural Minnesota’s wells. As a result, that summer the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fielded the most complaints over well interference in 40 years of record keeping, according to the Star Tribune. Many of those complaints were the result of large cropping operations using high capacity wells to supply irrigation water.

LSP members and staff successfully fought for drought relief during the recent session of the Minnesota Legislature. For details on drought relief support as well as assistance with this spring’s storms that’s now available, check out LSP’s latest action alert. A recent Land Stewardship Letter article describes the link between soil health and a field’s ability to store water efficiently. Another LSL article reports on what some vegetable producers are doing to make their farms more resilient when faced with the impacts of climate change.

Price of Fertilizer on the Steep Rise — Farmers Unsure Who, What’s to Blame

(5/4/22) By the end of April the price of fertilizer was $1,090 per ton, the highest it’s been since 2008, reports the Star Tribune. Industry officials say the costs are rooted in a “perfect storm” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in eastern Europe, supply-side logjams and inflation, according to the Star Tribune. However, farmers also suspect that fertilizer companies are taking advantage of the situation and exercising some good old-fashioned price gouging.”They’re charging two times what’s logical for the product,” Northfield, Minn., farmer Mike Peterson told the newspaper.

LSP is currently conducting research that could help farms generate their own fertility via the Johnson-Su Bioreactor system. For details, check out this Land Stewardship Letter article. LSP is also pushing for a 2023 Farm Bill that will, among other things, address consolidation in the farm input industry. See our Federal Policy page for details.

Growing a New Future for Farming

(5/2/22) As part of its “Visionaries” series, the New York Times profiled Donald Wyse, a University of Minnesota scientists who has helped launch the Forever Green Initiative. Forever Green is helping develop cover crops and other plants that can keep the soil protected year-round and add diversity to the corn-soybean dominated landscape.

During the past several legislative sessions, LSP has helped garner funding for Forever Green. For a complete wrap-up of the 2022 legislative session, click here. Various episodes of the Ear to the Ground podcast have described extensively how farmers in Minnesota are utilizing one product of Forever Green research: Kernza.

 

Category: Blog
Tags: animal unit cap • carbon sequestration • Daley Farm • drought • factory farms • fertilizer • Forever Green • grazing • local foods • methane digesters • regional foods

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

“Our best and maybe only opportunity to really help mitigate climate change in our soils is with grazed grasslands.” — University of Wisconsin researcher Randy Jackson, talking about the carbon sequestration potential of rotational grazing

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“Polluters benefit from that transaction, corporations benefit, but not the climate.” — Brent Newell, former attorney for Public Justice’s Food Project, talking about the push to produce methane from CAFO manure

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“(There’s) a feeling like not much is going on right now, not connected.” — LSP organizer Scott DeMuth, describing how some view activity around local and regional foods

 

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Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Saturday October 18

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pasture Walk: Real World Tools to Extend the Grazing Season
Saturday October 18
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pasture Walk: Real World Tools to Extend the Grazing Season
Nestingen Road, Nestingen Rd, Coon, WI 54667, USA

Valley Stewardship Network will host a pasture walk demonstrating various strategies for extending the grazing season. The event will be held on the Zinn Family Farm in rural Westby.

As input costs rise, livestock producers may want to consider extending the grazing season. Stockpile grazing and bale grazing are two proven methods to achieve this goal. 

The Zinn Family has been utilizing these practices for years on their rural Westby farm. Join us to see stockpiling, bale grazing, and winter water systems in a real-world setting.

For more information, or to RSVP, contact Evan Dvorsak at 608-632-6166 (call/text) or evan@valleystewardshipnetwork.org. Snacks will be provided. Details are also available in this flier.

Funding for this event is provided by the USDA’s Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).

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.

View Full Calendar

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