Opportunity Knocks for Oats in Minnesota

(1/28/26) Morning Ag Clips reports that interest in returning oats to Minnesota crop rotations is increasing as a result of a new processing facility being built and research related to the soil health benefits of planting the small grain. Highlights:

• A new, $68 million food-grade oat mill is expected to start accepting its first loads in August. Farmer-owned Green Acres Milling, based in Albert Lea, Minn., expects to process up to four million bushels of gluten-free oats annually. Over 90% of oats processed in the Midwest currently come primarily from Canada.
• University of Minnesota Extension educator Mary Nesberg said a three-year, three-crop rotation of corn-soybean-oats works well because oats can be planted easily in the spring after soybeans, which leave minimal residue. If oats are interseeded or underseeded with nitrogen-fixing clover, farmers can potentially reduce nitrogen fertilizer applications on the subsequent corn crop.
• Nesberg said research shows that fields planted with small grains can reduce nitrate concentration in drainage water by up to 50% compared with traditional two-crop systems. Furthermore, farmers who are also underseeding their oats with medium red clover are taking nitrogen credits of around 75 pounds per acre for the following year’s corn crop.
• U of M oat breeder Kevin Smith said researchers are working on oat varieties that are easier to harvest and well-suited for food-grade oat milling.

During LSP’s recent “Beyond Exports” meeting in Rochester, Minn., farmers discussed the agronomic and economic issues related to diversifying cropping systems with small grains like oats. For videos and podcasts related to the meeting, click here.

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Why Nitrate Moves Faster in Southeast Minnesota

(1/29/26) Noah Fish at Ag Week writes about a recent presentation by farmer and water quality expert Martin Larsen in which he describes how nitrogen-based fertilizer contaminates groundwater in southeastern Minnesota and how diversified cropping systems can cut such pollution. Highlights:

• Larsen said southeastern Minnesota sits atop a karst geological landscape formed when water dissolves limestone bedrock, creating sinkholes, fractures, and underground channels. In many areas, soil layers are thin and bedrock lies close to the surface, Larsen explained, allowing water and pollutants to move quickly into groundwater.
• Historically, southeastern Minnesota farms included small grains, hay and pasture. Over time, those systems largely gave way to corn and soybean rotations, reducing the amount of living roots in fields outside the growing season.
• Research using lysimeters, which are instruments that collect water below the root zone, shows nitrate concentrations consistently exceed drinking water standards under corn and soybean systems. In years that included small grains such as oats, Larsen said that nitrate levels dropped sharply. Cover crops can reduce nitrate losses by 30% to 60%, depending on growth and management, he said.

Check out LSP’s blog, Nitrate’s Season of Reckoning.

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A Science Historian Tackles Ghostwriting In Scientific Papers

(1/29/26) On a recent episode of National Public Radio‘s Science Friday, science historian Naomi Oreskes described how a paper fraudulently ghostwritten by Monsanto scientists became highly influential in the debate over whether the main active ingredient in Roundup herbicide poses health risks to humans. Highlights:

• In 2000, a major paper was published that claimed to be an objective, independent, and comprehensive review of all the scientific date related to the safety of glyphosate, the linchpin ingredient in Roundup. Roundup is one of the most heavily used herbicides in the world. The paper concluded the chemical did not pose a health risk to humans.
• A 2017 lawsuit unearthed documents showing the paper was substantially written by Monsanto employees, who did not appear as authors on the publication. “This is fraud,” said Oreskes, who has long studied public trust in science. “It’s a form of lying.”
• An analysis conducted by Oreskes and another researcher showed the paper has had a “massive impact” on academia, the regulatory environment, and even public opinion. In fact, it was one of the most cited papers ever written on glyphosate safety. As a result of Oreskes’s research, in December 2025 the ghostwritten paper was retracted by the journal that originally published it.
• “This is why public funding of science is so crucial,” Oreskes told Science Friday. “If we want to protect the integrity and objectivity of science, the most important thing we can do…is protect public funding.”

Through our policy work, LSP has long fought for public funding of agricultural research and opposed the takeover of land grant science by corporations. This is not a new issue — check out articles we published in the Land Stewardship Letter over a quarter-century ago here and here. For a more recent take on the importance of publicly-funded research, check out this LSP blog: “Don Wyse’s Land Grant Legacy.”

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Food Businesses and Farm Groups Call on Congress to Rein in ICE

(1/29/26) Civil Eats reports on how food businesses and farmworker groups are pushing Congress to place restrictions on the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as agents continue to execute widespread enforcement activities across the country. Highlights:

• Nationally renowned chef Sean Sherman, who owns the restaurant Owamni in downtown Minneapolis, is circulating a letter that includes 10 demands, including the immediate withdrawal of federal immigration agents from the Twin Cities and an end to the detention of individuals with no criminal background. President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has sent around 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota since the start of “Operation Metro Surge” in early December. Agents have arrested more than 3,000 individuals DHS claims are “criminal illegal aliens” and killed two American citizens during protests against the surge. A federal judge recently said ICE has violated close to 100 court orders in a month.
• Farmers who sell direct to restaurants in the Twin Cities region say their business is being significantly disrupted by ICE enforcement actions. Some restaurants have been forced to close completely as a result of Operation Metro Surge.
• The United Farm Workers asked its supporters to call their Senators to urge them to vote against additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol. The Coalition on Human Needs, which works on hunger and nutrition, sent out a similar appeal.
• These actions follow a press conference hosted by Minnesota’s state lawmakers, where the head of the Minnesota Farmers Union and a top agriculture official warned ICE’s surge in the state would disrupt food supply chains.

In a recent blog, LSP executive director Scott Elkins described why the organization is standing with our immigrant neighbors during these tumultuous times.

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Armstrong Rolls Out Statewide Program to Improve North Dakota’s Soil Health and Wildlife Habitat

(1/29/26) The State of North Dakota has announced a “Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program,” a cooperative effort to improve soil health and wildlife habitat on marginally productive cropland across North Dakota’s rural landscape. Highlights:

• The goal of the voluntary working lands program is to help North Dakota farmers strengthen cropland productivity and resilience with perennial grass cover, while improving soil health and water retention and creating wildlife habitat and access for hunters.
• The pilot program will cover approximately 10,000 acres, with the goal of eventually seeking dedicated funding to execute the program on a larger scale. All types of cropland are eligible for the program, which offers annual payments on five-year agreements for producers to establish perennial grasses. Farmers are also eligible to receive a crop insurance premium reduction on acres seeded to perennial grasses.
• The Association of Soil Conservation Districts will administer the program, with local delivery through soil conservation districts and partners.

Check out this Land Stewardship Letter article and podcast on the Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Program, which was set up to help farmers diversify their cropping systems to include more perennial forages, small grains, and cover crops.

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22-State Study Shows Ineffectiveness of Biostimulant Seed Treatments on Soybeans

(1/20/26) Ag Week reports that a two-year study involving 22 states and 103 site locations found that soybean biostimulant seed treatments provided virtually no increase in yield. Highlights:

• Suppliers of biostimulants — in this case, seed-applied biological products — claim to improve early vigor, stress tolerance, and yield. The study indicates that the global biostimulant market grew to about $13.6 billion in 2024. “The goal of the biostimulants is to try to use natural processes to provide nutrients more or less indirectly,” said U of M Extension soil scientist Carl Rosen. “It’s a very noble goal, and it’s one we all hope would work. But…it’s a complicated system.”
• “The biggest surprise of anything is that nothing worked anywhere,” said Seth Naeve, a U of M soybean agronomist. “Even among cynical people like me, that was really shocking.”
• The multi-state study, which included North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa among the 22 states, was led by Science for Success, a group of land-grant university soybean agronomists. The study concludes that farmers interested in trying these products should do so on a small scale before attempting a full-farm adoption. And they should carefully consider costs versus rewards.

LSP recently coordinated on-farm research looking at whether innovative composting systems can be used to activate biological activity in soil. Details are here.

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USDA’s Vaden Accuses Nutrien, Mosaic of Fertilizer Price Collusion

(1/26/26) Successful Farming cites reports that U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden has accused Nutrien and Mosaic of illegally working to “collude” to limit U.S. fertilizer supply and control prices. Highlights:

• Canada’s Nutrien and Florida-based Mosaic were responsible for more than 90% of North American phosphate fertilizer and potash production in 2024, according to Farm Action — an ag industry accountability group. On the distribution side, Farm Action notes that just seven companies control 70% of crop input sales, including Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail business of Nutrien. During a recent webinar, Vaden described Nutrien’s and Mosaic’s grip on the market as a “duopoly” that is driving “up the cost that farmers are paying” for fertilizer.
• Vaden pledged to protect “any other new market participant that wants to come in, provide new fertilizer supply, and break up the cute little game that Mosaic and Nutrien have been playing for the last several years.”
• Vaden has also expressed concerns around how giant implement companies such as John Deere are restricting the rights of farmers to repair their own equipment.

LSP members have been working with the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to help identify antitrust behavior and other unfair marketing practices related to agriculture. For more on this issue, including an Ear to the Ground podcast featuring Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Odette, click here. On that web page, you will also find information on reporting such violations. Want an insight into the international fertilizer industry? Check out LSP’s blog on the book The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance.

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