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LSP Platform Calls for Farm Bill that Supports Farmers, Rural Communities & the Land

Platform & Survey Results Released on Northfield Area Farm Today

August 16, 2022

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NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The new federal Farm Bill must benefit farmers, rural communities and the land, rather than corporate interests, said farmer-leaders of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today during the release of the organization’s priorities for the nation’s most comprehensive agricultural policy initiative. LSP’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, which was launched during an event at Legvold Farms near Northfield, is based on a three-state survey of farmers and food system workers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, as well as eight listening sessions LSP held in the region during the past several months. LSP’s Farm Bill Organizing Committee, which consists of farmers from across the region, helped developed the document.

“I constantly am told there is no interest from young people in farming, and that is simply not true,” said Claudia Lenz, a beginning farmer from Star Prairie in western Wisconsin and a member of the Farm Bill Organizing Committee. “I know many young people who would love to either start their own farm or continue to operate their families’ farms. But because of the steep prices of input costs, lack of land access and lack of viable markets for their products, they do not see this as an option. In this Farm Bill, I would like to see more support for small farmers, and I think that one of the best ways to do that is to put a stop to corporate consolidation in agriculture and food systems, across the board.”

Every five years, Congress drafts a new federal Farm Bill, which determines how tens of billions of dollars are spent on what’s grown on the landscape and who grows it, as well as the environmental impact of production systems, the safety of our food, and the economic health of rural communities. Congress has already begun debating the structure of the 2023 Farm Bill.

In the winter and spring of 2022, LSP, working with the National Young Farmers Coalition, Midwest Farmers of Color Collective, and others, undertook a farm bill survey which covered several topics, including: consolidation in agriculture, conservation and the effects of climate change, crop insurance reform, access to markets and regional food systems, and the barriers beginning and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) farmers face.

The survey (landstewardshipproject.org/farmbill2023), which had over 700 respondents — 52% of whom were from Minnesota — revealed that current agricultural policy imposes numerous barriers when it comes to many farmers who are instrumental in building strong, resilient and equitable food systems, according to Sarah Goldman, an LSP organizer, who, along with organizer Maura Curry, coordinated the study and analyzed the results. For example, federal policy has supported unprecedented consolidation in agricultural markets, with, for example, four packers controlling 85% of the beef market. Meanwhile, 50% of survey respondents had trouble maintaining access to viable markets or finding affordable farmland.

LSP farmer-member Dana Seifert said she knows these issues all too well.

“Rampant consolidation and vertical integration have let agribusinesses reap record profits to fork over to shareholders, while raising input costs for farmers and pushing a version of agriculture that is a major contributor to climate change,” said Seifert, who farms near Jordan in east-central Minnesota and is a member of LSP’s Farm Bill Organizing Committee. “Promoting policies that incentivize this type of agriculture limits the capability of well-run farms and ranches to keep local economies thriving and people healthy.”

Survey respondents also called for federal policy that stops making crop insurance a major engine of land consolidation and helps farmers deal with the onslaught of climate change. Ninety percent of the survey respondents said they’ve experienced more severe weather events in the past five years; 84% believe these effects are due to climate change.

“My farming operation consists of 950 acres in a corn-soybean rotation,” said LSP Farm Bill Organizing Committee member Adam Griebie, who farms near Hutchinson in central Minnesota. “All of the tillable ground is enrolled into CSP [Conservation Stewardship Program]. CSP gives me the opportunity to participate in conservation practices and become a better steward on my land. I wouldn’t be able to do to these activities without that funding.”

LSP has used these results to develop a Farm Bill Platform that addresses market consolidation, stops supporting the growth of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), supports beginning and BIPOC farmers, bolsters regenerative farming practices that build soil and helps make regional food systems economic engines in local communities, according to Goldman.

“The Land Stewardship Project works with thousands of farmers throughout the Midwest, and their message is clear — we want a Farm Bill that delivers for rural and urban communities, food system workers and the land,” she said. “We are in a time of unprecedented challenges, and it is time to enact a truly transformative Farm Bill.”

During today’s event at Legvold Farms, postcards calling for a Farm Bill that supports farmers, rural communities and stewardship of the land were collected by LSP and will be delivered to Minnesota U.S. Representative Angie Craig, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee.

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Category: News Releases
Tags: 2023 Farm Bill • ag consolidation • agriculture policy • beginning farmers • BIPOC farmers • climate change • crop insurance • Farm Bill Survey • local meat processing • LSP Farm Bill Platform • Midwest Farmers of Color Collective • National Young Farmers Coalition • regional food systems

Contact

Sarah Goldman, LSP organizer, e-mail, 612-400-6341

Report Available

LSP’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform is available at landstewardshipproject.org/farmbill2023

Photo Available

For a photo of the Farm Bill Platform release event, contact LSP’s Brian DeVore via e-mail

 

Upcoming Events

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February 2023

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.

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
Monday February 6
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

This Northeast Wisconsin Technical College course is for produce growers who want to navigate the best food safety practices for growing vegetable produce. It is for farmers who need to comply with this FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) requirement: 

“At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food and safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.”  

Upon completion of the course, you will receive an AFDO/PSA certificate verifying that you fulfilled the requirements of the training. The cost of the certification is covered by Wisconsin Farmers Union.  

For more information, click here.

Registration: Enroll in class #22701. Call or text NWTC at 1-888-385-6982 for help enrolling or go to this link: https://www.nwtc.edu/admissions-and-aid/contact-nwtc.

Tuesday February 7

9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Wholesale Readiness Training for Farmers
Wholesale Readiness Training for Farmers
Tuesday February 7
9:00 am – 12:30 pm

MISA, UMN Extension and Renewing the Countryside are offering training and one-to-one technical assistance for farmers who want to grow their operation into wholesale markets. Wholesale isn’t just for large-scale distributors. You can use this training and support team to prepare to sell to schools, restaurants, grocery stores and hospitals in your community. Participating farmers will be eligible for $500 mini-grants to cover expenses related to launching a wholesale enterprise. 

For details, click here.

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Tuesday February 7
10:00 am – 2:00 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 speakers for the Feb. 7 workshop are Dean Sponheim and Andy Linder. Sponheim is a 4th 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.

Linder farms with his dad near Easton, Minn. Their soil health journey unintentionally started in 2010 when they purchased a vertical tillage machine. In fall 2016 they put cover crops on every acre.They now no-till most of their corn aces and do some strip-till trials.

For more information and to register, click here.

Wednesday February 8

9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Crop, Livestock & Soil Health Conferences Workshop
Crop, Livestock & Soil Health Conferences Workshop
Wednesday February 8
9:00 am – 2:30 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 speakers for the Feb. 8 workshop are Dean Sponheim, Martin Larsen, and Andy Linder.

Sponheim is a fourth-generation farmer from Mitchell County, Iowa. He began strip-tilling in 1999 and began no-tilling his corn and soybean acres in 2019. Sponheim started aerial applying cover crops in 2012 and in 2014 started a cover crop seed business.

Martin Larsen farms 700 acres near Byron, Minn., producing corn, soybeans, cover crops and food-grade oats in a full no-till system. As an Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District staffer, he gives technical assistance to farmers and manages soil health test plots.

Andy Linder farms with his dad, Don, near Easton, Minn. Together, they raise corn, soybeans, oats, canning crops, and grass hay. Their journey to soil health unintentionally started in 2010 when they purchased a vertical tillage machine. In the fall of 2016, a cover crop was put on every acre and they continue using cover crops. He has transitioned to most corn being no-till.

For more information and to register for the Feb. 8 workshop, click here.

View Full Calendar

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