Minnesota Soil Health Story: Rhyan Schicker

**Rhyan Schicker planting trees for field windbreaks to decrease wind erosion while providing habitat.**

When I first moved to Minnesota eight years ago, my knowledge of soils and agricultural systems was purely textbook. I live and work in an amazing community that has taught me more than I ever expected to learn, and has pulled back the curtain on our current farming systems and the ways in which they work. I can say from personal experience that until you work within these systems, you really don’t understand the rules and limitations and it’s very easy to make assumptions on “what farmers should do.” I think something we can all agree on is that soil health makes up the building blocks of our food systems.

**Rhyan using custom equipment to plant long shelterbelt tree lines to prevent soil erosion.**

Our soil provides us so much more than we give it credit for. I wish there was a way we could go back in time, before corporate and commercial agriculture, to when we listened to what the land was telling us and responded accordingly, rather than in the quickest, most extractive ways. Nature gets it right, and my hope is that we can refocus to mimic her to the fullest extent possible. Both professionally and personally, I want to continue having conversations and sharing perspectives with farmers, landowners and managers, so that it’s not one or the other, farming versus conservation. Soil health isn’t just good for the environment — it’s an increase in our return on investment, it’s resiliency, and it’s a step towards cutting out unnecessary inputs to gain independence from corporations telling us what we need on the land they’ll never have a relationship with.

**Exploring the roots of Kernza, a perennial crop, via a soil pit.**

I feel honored to work in a soil health-focused field, in a state with some of the world’s best soils. I feel even more lucky to have my own small piece of land to raise healthy food on, while practicing what I preach: prioritizing soil healthy practices that also provide habitat for pollinators and wildlife. We need our state to support farmers’ ability to farm in a way that is both sustainable and economically secure, as we all benefit from clean water, healthy soil, and having small family-run farms on our landscape.

Rhyan Schicker is the district manager of the Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District in western Minnesota.

**Evaluating pollinator planting on unproductive ag land and finding sphinx moth caterpillars on butterfly milkweed.**

Support Minnesota Soil Health Legislation Today

Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities.

Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state and help farmers adopt practices that build soil health. Please sign the Land Stewardship Project’s petition to show your support for farmers, for soil health, and for clean water in Minnesota!

Two bills are being considered in the House regarding soil health (and two versions of the same bills in the Senate). One is to allocate grants for soil health-related equipment to individual farmers and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). The other supports a Southeast Regional Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Initiative in Minnesota. In this second bill, funding would go to SWCDs in the southeastern part of the state and would be spent on expanding the impact of the Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Program, which has become a model for encouraging farmers to adopt practices that produce results when it comes to improving soil health and protecting water quality.

Upcoming Events

August 2025

Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7

Farmfest 2025

Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7

Farmfest 2025

28366 County Hwy 13, Morgan, MN 56266, USA

Details are here.

Thursday August 7

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Unlocking Conservation Resources for Communities & Farms

Thursday August 7

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Unlocking Conservation Resources for Communities & Farms

Red Rock Center for the Arts, 222 E Blue Earth Ave, Fairmont, MN 56031, USA

Join Renewing the Countryside and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) this summer at one of their eight conservation events in a town near you, where you will:

Learn how conservation benefits Minnesota’s rural communities.
Hear from a panel of local speakers.
Discover available NRCS Farm Bill programs and the economics of on-farm practices.
Enjoy a complimentary lunch, plus a chance to win door prizes.
Network with local farmers, neighbors, and conservation professionals.
Receive helpful materials and personalized support on next steps after the event.

For more information, click here.

Locations & Dates:
Each event is free, open to all, and runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the venues listed. Space is limited, please register in advance.

Hallock (Kittson County) – Tues, July 22 @ Far North Spirits
Elbow Lake (Grant County) – Wed, July 23 @ Elbow Lake Community Building
Sleepy Eye (Brown County) – Thur, July 24 @ Sleepy Eye Brewing Company
Milaca (Mille Lacs County) – Tues, July 29 @ Gorecki Community Center
Mora (Kanabec County) – Thur, July 31 @ Sapsucker Farms Yellow Belly Cidery
Owatonna (Steele County) – Tues, August 5 @ Owatonna Public Utilities Building
Jordan (Scott County) – Wed, August 6 @ Ridges at Sand Creek
Fairmont (Martin County) – Thur, August 7 @ Red Rock Center for the Arts

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

CFFE Tariffs & Ag Webinar

Thursday August 7

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

CFFE Tariffs & Ag Webinar

Online Webinar

Join the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment online on Thursday, August 7, for an update on where things stand with tariffs and what that means for food and farm policy and the factory farm system. We’ll cover the basics of how trade policy impacts agriculture, what recent changes mean for the U.S. food system, and ways to get involved in the fight for fair trade and fair markets.

The Land Stewardship Project is a longtime coalition member of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. I hope you can join this informative session!

Speakers for this webinar include Patty Lovera from the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environnment and Ben Lilliston from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

When: Thursday, Aug 7, 2 p.m. Central/3 p.m. Eastern
Register in advance at this link

After registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar. For more information, contact LSP policy director Sean Carroll at scarroll@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday August 8

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
Friday August 8
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
10470 190th St, Park Rapids, MN 56470, USA
Roots and Rotation is a summer field day series happening across Minnesota. These field days will discuss the use of livestock for soil health goals in different agricultural systems.

Learn about the benefits of integrating livestock onto cropland and how to make it work on your operation. Hear from experienced farmers and Extension educators specializing in crops, livestock, and soil health. These events are for producers looking to elevate their cropland soil health and increase their forage resources.

For more information and to register, see the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association website.
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Sunflower Social Farmer Gathering
Friday August 8
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunflower Social Farmer Gathering
22955 570th Ave, Austin, MN 55912, USA
Members of the Land Stewardship Project’s Austin Area Soil Health Hub are hosting a sunflower social on Tom and Kim Finnegan’s farm Friday, Aug. 8, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This event will be open to all area farmers. Meet members of this peer-to-peer farmer group, see the beautiful sunflower fields, and learn about diversification.

Farming should include a trusted network that ensures we are all successful. How could having a network of farmers that provide support, resources, and comradery impact your farm?

On Aug. 8, gather with area farmers who are invested in soil health and sustainable practices, and are committed to learning from each other. Join us for an evening on the Finnegan farm for a hay ride around the sunflower fields and to learn more about their diversified farm. There will be a supper and lots of time to connect with farmers in the area.

RSVP here.

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