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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

♦

“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

♦

“(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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February 2023

Thursday February 2 – Saturday February 4

GrassWorks Grazing Conference
GrassWorks Grazing Conference
Thursday February 2 – Saturday February 4

See https://grassworks.org/events/grazing-conference for details.

Thursday February 2

1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Winona County Well Testing Screening
Winona County Well Testing Screening
Thursday February 2
1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Supporting farmers who are using sustainable practices keeps our drinking water clean. On Thursday, Feb. 2, the Minnesota Well Owners Association and the Minnesota Ground Water Association will be holding a free well water testing screening clinic in western Winona County.

To participate, collect a cup (8 ounces) of water from
your well in a clean plastic or glass container and bring it to the Saint Charles Community Center. Results will be provided to you within 20 minutes.

For more information, check out this flier.

MNWOO StCharlesClinic.pdf
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course: Session 2
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course: Session 2
Thursday February 2
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

…Are you a farm family or landowner thinking about the future or next steps for your farm?

…Are you interested in planning for the next generation of farmers on your land?

…Do you have a spouse/partner helping to make these decisions? Are you both on the same page?

…Are you ready to begin the planning process but don’t know where to start?

THE WORKSHOPS WILL FOCUS ON: 

  • Values and Vision;  
  • Financial,  tax, and legal considerations; 
  • Options for farm transitions; 
  • Resources to guide the planning process,
  • Communication tools. 

YOU WILL COME AWAY WITH:

  • Tools to use that will help gain clarity around your future planning
  • Next steps toward creating a farm transition plan
  • Ideas and advice from other farmers and professionals 
  • Networks and support to continue to share and learn
  • Individualized support

Session One: Thursday, Jan. 26: The focus will be on values and vision. In addition, we will be getting to know one another, discussing expectations for the course, and understanding where folks are in the transition planning process.

Session Two: Thursday, Feb. 2: The focus will be on financial planning. Presenter Joy Kirkpatrick, a Succession Outreach Specialist for the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Profitability, will share her 29 years of experience working with farm families as they assess their financial needs for retirement and how that impacts their farm transition.

Session Three: Thursday, Feb. 9: The focus will be on legal issues in planning a farm transition. Jason Wagner, an attorney with Wagner Oehler Ltd., will share his experience and knowledge regarding legal aspects that need to be considered when planning a farm transition.

Session Four: Thursday, Feb. 16: The focus will be on communications and intergenerational considerations which are critical to a successful farm transition and that are often overlooked.

Session Five: Thursday, Feb. 23: The focus will be on long -term care issues. Kate Graham, an attorney with an elder law focus, will share her knowledge and experience of what needs to be considered when planning long-term care and how a farm transition can be impacted.  

Session Six: Thursday, March 2: The focus will be on integrating all that has been discussed and sharing resources (people, organizations, and materials) that are available to help continue the farm transition planning process. The goal is for each family to create individual next steps to continue the farm transition planning process once the course is over.

To register, click here.

Friday February 3

9:00 am – 10:30 am
2023 Minnesota Legislative Priorities Overview
2023 Minnesota Legislative Priorities Overview
Friday February 3
9:00 am – 10:30 am

Join public officials, partners, and members of the Land Stewardship Project to hear about LSP and LSP partner organizations’ priorities for the 2023 Minnesota legislative session. 
 
Presentation at noon and an optional Q + A portion at 1 p.m. You can register here.
 
Questions? Contact LSP Policy Manager Amanda Koehler at akoehler@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-400-6355.

Monday February 6

8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Monday February 6
8:30 am – 1:30 pm

The Land Stewardship Project is a co-sponsor of the 2023 I-90 & Highway 14 Tour CLASIC. Network, learn, and get inspired with area farmers and regional farming innovators as we discuss current trends for improving productivity and profitability in crop and livestock operations utilizing soil-healthy practices. The Crop, Livestock, and Soil Innovation Conferences (CLASIC) is made up of two tours in Minnesota, traveling along Interstate 90 and Highway 14, consisting of several stops.

Click this link for more details and a complete listing of workshops. Each venue’s program is unique and varied — be sure to check them all out and register for multiple events.

The speaker for the Feb. 6 event will be Dean Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer from Mitchell County, Iowa. He began strip-tilling in 1999, aerial applying cover crops in the fall of 2012, and started a cover crop seed business in 2014 and no-tilling corn and soybeans in 2019.

To register for the Feb. 6 workshop, click here.

View Full Calendar

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  • ‘Exploring Conservation on Rented Farmland’ Online Workshop Jan. 24 January 3, 2023
  • Our Minnesota Food & Farm Campaign Platform December 22, 2022
  • Changes Ahead for LSP in 2023 December 18, 2022

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