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Midwestern Farmers Invited to Answer this Question: What Do YOU Want in the New Farm Bill? 

Farmers in Minnesota, Iowa & Wisconsin Asked to Participate in New Survey

February 24, 2022

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — As discussions around the 2023 Farm Bill get off the ground, a key group of people are being asked to share their views on the future of agricultural policy: farmers. During the next several weeks, the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is circulating the National Young Farmer Survey in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin in partnership with Midwest Farmers of Color Collective and National Young Farmers Coalition. The results from these Midwestern states will be combined with survey data from across the country and serve as the basis for advocacy efforts that will develop a Farm Bill that benefits farmers, the land and rural communities. LSP is encouraging farmers to take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/lspyoungfarmers.

The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation reauthorized  every five years that dictates everything from which crops are produced to how they are grown and who makes money from them. It also has a big influence on what conservation practices are used on farmland and how corporate consolidation is regulated. Although agricultural policy is supposed to benefit all farmers, over the years the Farm Bill has had significant negative impacts on rural communities, according to LSP organizer Jessica Kochick. Farmland consolidation, eroded soil, shuttered Main Streets and lack of opportunities for beginning farmers are just some of the results of a policy that is tilted in favor of major agricultural corporations, she said. The goal of the National Young Farmer Survey is to get input from farmers who are often not represented in the development of agricultural policy and overlooked in USDA Census of Agriculture collection efforts.

“The Farm Bill has lasting  implications on  food accessibility, soil health, water quality, rural community growth, racial equity and climate resilience,” said Kochick. “To truly have a Farm Bill that represents more than the interests of big agribusiness, we need to hear from small and midsized farmers, as well as emerging and beginning farmers, farmers of color and immigrant farmers.”

The survey is also directed at people who are considering seeking farming as a career, as well as former farmers and landowners who may be renting out their acres. Questions center around what barriers may be getting in the way of helping small and midsized producers get established and be successful, such as lack of access to land and credit and a shortage of local meat processing facilities. Young farmers like Adam Griebie see the survey as a way to influence a piece of policy that is all too often drafted far away from the communities it most impacts.

“I  took  the  survey  to  bring  Washington,  D.C.,  closer  to  my  farm  and  community,” said Griebie, who raises corn and soybeans and utilizes award-winning conservation practices in central Minnesota’s McLeod County. He also serves on LSP’s Farm Bill Organizing Committee. “This is a way to promote forward movement in land stewardship and healthy farming practices for both the land and people.”

Zoe Hollomon, who serves on the coordinating team of the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective, said the Farm Bill has wide-ranging impacts on the food and farm system, making it imperative that people from various backgrounds send a message to policymakers that status quo agriculture policy is not acceptable.

“Every five years our country decides how to invest in food and agriculture in the Farm Bill,” said Hollomon. “With impacts on farm subsidies, market supports, insurance, school and emergency food, as well as community food planning grants, there’s none of us who won’t be affected. We’re taking a stand with under-resourced farmers across the country to demand the land, funding and technical support we deserve to farm. Let’s use our voice to make this Farm Bill invest in a different kind of food system, one that will leave our communities with more control over our food, labor and resources.”

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Farmers working on the SASA Organic Farms operation near Cambridge, Minn.
Category: News Releases
Tags: 2023 Farm Bill • agriculture policy • beginning farmers • Farm Beginnings • Farm Bill • farmers of color • land access • Midwest Farmers of Color Collective • National Young Farmers Coalition • USDA

Contact

Jessica Kochick, LSP,  e-mail, 612-400-6349

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July 2025

Friday July 11

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Big Community Carne Asada Cookout
Friday July 11
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Big Community Carne Asada Cookout
Todd Park, 2411 11th St NE, (Site #1), Austin MN 55912

You’re invited to our Big Community Carne Asada Cookout! Join COPAL and the Land Stewardship Project for an afternoon of delicious grilled food, music, and great company. Let’s come together to share stories, build stronger connections, and keep growing a united and supportive community. 👉 Limited spots available — register at the link!

 

🔥 ¡Está invitado a nuestra Gran Carne Asada Comunitaria! Acompáñe a COPAL y a Land Stewardship Project para disfrutar de una tarde con comida deliciosa a la parrilla, música y buena compañía. Unámonos para compartir historias, fortalecer lazos y seguir construyendo una comunidad unida y solidaria. 👉 Cupo limitado, regístrese en el enlace.

📆 JUL 11

⏰ 5PM

📍Todd Park, 2411 11th St NE, (Site #1), Austin MN 55912

🔗 Register / Regístrese: https://loom.ly/hZ0bS1U

Saturday July 12

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Saturday July 12
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek's Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Farmers Community Park, 23274 Arches Road Lewiston, MN 55952

During the Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters event, the Land Stewardship Project will mark the three-year anniversary of a major fish kill in southeastern Minnesota that spawned citizen action and led to new public policy around how such events are reported. Join Land Stewardship Project and our partners at Farmers Park, Saturday July 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Lewiston, Minnesota. Register here.

What to expect?

  • Fly fishing demonstration led by Minnesota Trout Unlimted and LSP member, Lee Stoe. Please bring your own fishing gear.

  • Minnesota Trout Unlimited & Izaak Walton League staff and members will be leading macroinvertebrate sampling of Garvin Brook and discussing what they tell us about the health of the stream.

  • Discussion on how regenerative farming systems can support healthy soil and clean water.

  • Opportunity to take action! Help prevent future fish kills by sharing how you think the Minnesot Feedlot Rule, which is open for comment through July 22, should be stronger. Postcards will be available to fill out and send with your comments.

  • Farmers Park is a great spot for birding. Please bring your binoculars!

  • You are welcome to bring your own snacks or picnic lunch; food will not be provided at this event.

LSP is partnering with several community groups for this event, including:

Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Izaak Walton League, Food & Water Watch, and Savanna Institute

Register HERE. For more information, contact LSP’s Kate Rowe at krowe@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday July 15

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
Tuesday July 15
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
1805 Dudley Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55113, USA

Join U of M researchers and Extension for updates on organic fruit and vegetable research and tour the Student Organic Farm and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in Saint Paul. Topics include: organic insect management, integrating livestock into vegetable farms, new crops for Minnesota, irrigation strategies, and more. Free to the public.
 
For details and to register, click here.

Wednesday July 16

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
Wednesday July 16
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Cottonwood County
27092 Co Rd 8, Comfrey, MN 56019, USA

Details here.

Thursday July 17

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
Thursday July 17
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Russell Hedrick Soil Health Event: Pipestone County
518 30th Ave, Jasper, MN 56182

Details are here.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters’ Event July 12 Near Lewiston July 8, 2025
  • Contributing to the Cause July 8, 2025
  • Contact the MPCA by July 22 About Revising its Feedlot Rules July 2, 2025
  • Tell Your Representatives: We Want a Farm Bill for All, Not a Tax Break for the Wealthiest July 2, 2025
  • U.S. Supreme Court’s Decline of Iowa Case Bolsters Local Control July 2, 2025

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