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LSP Members Make Their Voices Heard on the Farm Bill

Take Action Today to Improve Accessibility to EQIP

By Amanda Koehler
November 29, 2023

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Earlier this month, Land Stewardship Project farmer-members James Kanne and Adam Griebie flew to Washington, D.C., with me for a few days to gather with farmers and organizers from across the Midwest who are a part of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment and to meet with members of Congress about our shared priorities for a more competitive farm and food system.

LSP’s meetings focused on the Minnesota Congressional delegation. We met with  Sen. Tina Smith, staff from Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office, staff from Rep. Angie Craig’s office, and staff from Rep. Betty McCollum’s office. We had productive conversations about a variety of topics, including mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), limiting public subsidies to large-scale feedlots, and the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act. James, a semi-retired dairy farmer from Renville County, shared powerful stories about the consolidation of the dairy industry and Adam, a corn and soybean farmer from McLeod County, shared about how challenging it is for many farmers to access conservation programs.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith meeting with LSP farmer-members James Kanne and Adam Griebie.

 

One of our top priorities during this trip was the EQIP Improvement Act. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is an essential initiative that gives thousands of farmers the tools they need to implement sustainable practices such as cover cropping and managed rotational grazing. Yet, a majority of farmers are unable to access EQIP funding. In 2022, only 26% of EQIP applicants in Minnesota were awarded contracts, which tracks the national average. Additionally, we spend hundreds of millions of dollars in EQIP funds on infrastructure practices that often support practices on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and mega-cropping operations that provide little environmental benefit.

The EQIP Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee (R-UT), would redirect support towards farmers and ranchers that need it the most by targeting funding to more producers and prioritizing conservation practices with significantly greater environmental and water quality benefits. The bill:

  1. Reduces the maximum EQIP grant from $450,000 to $150,000. EQIP can reach more farmers without increasing funding by providing smaller grants to many more farmers, rather than large grants to a smaller number of producers.
  2. Eliminates the requirement that 50% of EQIP funding flow to livestock operations. Many of these dollars are spent on CAFOs. Some of these CAFO-focused practices, such as waste facility covers and waste storage facilities, are among the most expensive EQIP practices.

The EQIP Improvement Act will reshape EQIP to be more equitable and effective. Could you take just two minutes to ask your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to co-sponsor the EQIP Improvement Act?

Take Action on the EQIP Improvement Act Here

 

The offices of Klobuchar, Smith, and Craig all committed to looking at the bill and are considering signing on. It is a timely moment to contact them in support of this legislation! 

We also hand-delivered a letter from over 125 Minnesota farmers to Sen. Smith, a staff member in Rep. Craig’s office, and a staff member in Sen. Klobuchar’s office about the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act, which would help the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program reach its potential by ensuring that farmers historically left out of crop insurance programs have an adequate safety net. Our letter thanked Sen. Smith for being an active co-sponsor of the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act and asked Sen. Klobuchar to sign on. Klobuchar’s staffer committed to looking at the bill and their office is considering signing on.

By the way, while we were in D.C., Congress voted to extend the 2018 Farm Bill through September 30, 2024. Although this means the next Farm Bill has yet to be drafted, this means we have more time to influence its content. Our advocacy is still timely and matters.

LSP policy manager Amanda Koehler can be reached at akoehler@landstewardshipproject.org. LSP’s Farm Bill Platform is available here.

Farmers and organizers from LSP, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Dakota Rural Action, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Institute for Ag and Trade Policy, and Food and Water Watch gathered during the Farm Bill fly-in.
Category: Blog
Tags: 2023 Farm Bill • Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment • EQIP • federal farm policy • Whole Farm Revenue Protection Improvement Act

Upcoming Events

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June 2025

Saturday June 21

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Saturday June 21
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Owl Bluff Farm, 12314 County Road 4 Houston, MN 55943

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse. The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Friday June 27

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
Friday June 27
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 MN-329, Morris, MN 56267, USA

Join University of Minnesota Extension for presentations and solar site tours at the West Central Research and Outreach Center. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits, considerations and opportunities of farming using solar energy. Session topics include cattle and sheep solar grazing, solar site forages, grain crops under solar panels, and solar developer perspectives. Register here. Can’t attend the field day? Check out the July 22 agrivoltaics webinar on growing forages and grains.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.  

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

July 2025

Wednesday July 9

8:00 am – 10:00 am
Risk to Resilience Climate Cohort
Wednesday July 9
8:00 am – 10:00 am
Risk to Resilience Climate Cohort
Online

Farming has always required adaptability, and today’s changing weather patterns are creating new challenges and opportunities. The Land Stewardship Project, in collaboration with University of Minnesota Extension, has created a resilience-focused program that gives commodity and small grain growers the opportunity to join a cohort with other like-minded farmers and learn how to prepare their operations for the future. At this Risk to Resilience cohort, you will learn:

  • How changing weather patterns in the Upper Midwest are likely to affect your farm. 
  • How you can prepare a plan that protects your farm from a changing climate.
  • How to improve your planning skills and meet with experts for opportunities to grow climate resilience  on your farm.
  • How to build community with fellow farmers interested in creating operations that are sustainable and resilient in the long term.

Program Details:

  •  Online format — join from your home or farm.
  •  Four sessions, 10-15 hours total investment — built for busy schedules, beginning July 2025. We’ll pause workshops for small grains harvest and resume in August 2025.
  • A $250 stipend will be provided to participants who attend the sessions and provide feedback on experience and content.

Dates of the Risk to Resilience Sessions:

  • Wednesday, July 9, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Wednesday, July 16, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Harvest Break
  • Wednesday, August 20, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
  • Wednesday, August 27, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. 

To register, click here. 

View Full Calendar

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  • ‘Returning Cattle to the Land’ Field Day June 25 in Altura June 3, 2025
  • Make Your Voice Heard at Upcoming NRCS-SWCD Meetings June 3, 2025
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