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Myth Busters

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The Land Stewardship Project has developed a series of deeply researched “Myth Busters” to address some of the misrepresentations circulated by supporters of corporate-controlled industrial agriculture:

• Myth #66: More Hogs on Fewer Farms = More Money in Local Piggy Banks

• Myth #65: ‘Climate-Smart’ NRCS Practices are all ‘Climate-Smart’

• Myth #64: Nitrogen Fertilizer & High Yields are Inextricably Linked

• Myth #63: Lawsuits Are Always About Winning

• Myth #62: Commodity Ag is Rural America’s Cash Cow

• Myth #61: Carbon Trading is Ag’s Climate Change Silver Bullet

• Myth #60: CAFO Digesters are a Good Public Investment

• Myth #59: Deep Soils Are Always Healthy Soils

• Myth #58: Fake Meat Will Save the Planet’s Climate

• Myth #57: Abusive Work Conditions are ‘Essential’ to Heading off a Meat Famine

• Myth #56: Mega-Dairies = Mega-Benefits for Rural Communities

• Myth #55: Every Acre is a Potential Nitrogen-Fueled Superstar

• Myth #54: ‘Farm the Best-Preserve the Rest’ Will Prevent Ecological Collapse

• Myth #53: Food Nutrition Programs Mostly Benefit Lazy Welfare Cheats

• Myth #52: Working Lands Conservation Programs Don’t Pay

• Myth #51: The Land Will Quickly Become Carbon Saturated

• Myth #50: Conservation Compliance is Saving Soil

• Myth #49: We Don’t Need Publicly Supported Research

• Myth #48: Commodity Checkoff Programs are Accountable

• Myth #47: Cattle are a Climate Change Catastrophe

• Myth #46: Neonics in Soybeans Make Economic Sense

• Myth #45: Less Wildlife Habitat Makes for Safer Food

• Myth #44: Tallgrass Prairies & Livestock Don’t Mix

• Myth #43: ‘New’ Farmland is From Already Tilled Acres

• Myth #42: Free Trade is a Windfall for U.S. Ag

• Myth #41: Corn residue is a waste product

• Myth #40: Cattle & water should never mix

• Myth #39: By 2050 we will need to nearly double crop production to feed 9 billion people.

• Myth #38: Genetic engineering can replace diversity.

• Myth #37: A new class of pesticides is harmless to the environment.

• Myth #36: Diverse crop rotations may be a boon to the land, but are a bust when it comes to farmers’ bank accounts.

• Myth #35: High land prices benefit the economies of rural communities.

• Myth #34: Townships don’t have the resources to control development.

• Myth #33: Artificial drainage of agricultural land is a boon to the environment.

• Myth #32: Using crops to produce biofuels does not raise food prices

• Myth #31: Soil erosion is at sustainable levels.

• Myth #30: Banning subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production will be an economic disaster for farmers.

• Myth #29: Producing clean water in rural areas will require taking the majority of our farmland out of production.

• Myth #28: Roundup is not a long-term environmental threat.

• Myth #27: Local and regional food systems don’t help the economy.

• Myth #26: Genetically modified crops have reduced pesticide use.

• Myth #25: Undocumented immigrants drain the U.S. economy by not paying taxes and by being a tremendous burden on the health care system.

• Myth #24: Country of Origin Labeling will make it impossible for farmers to market their products through local stores and restaurants.

• Myth #23: Organic and sustainable farming systems are a luxury only well-fed countries like the U.S. can afford.

• Myth #22: Buying locally produced food will automatically reduce your ecological footprint.

• Myth #21: Sustainable farming methods cannot feed the world.

• Myth #20: Because of petroleum-based fertilizers, we do not need to build soil using plant residue and other natural sources of organic matter.

• Myth #19: Genetically-engineered products like Roundup Ready crops will reduce the presence of dangerous pesticides in the environment.

• Myth #18: Federal law makes it illegal to favor local farmers when purchasing food for public schools.

• Myth #17: Conservation tillage reduces global warming by trapping much more carbon in the soil when compared to conventional tillage.

• Myth #16: Large-scale factory livestock farms succeed because of the efficiencies of the free market.

• Myth #15: Organic vegetable production spawns outbreaks of deadly bacteria.

• Myth #14: Meat that’s labeled “all natural” is produced in a significantly different manner than meat produced in a “conventional” system.

• Myth #13: Industrial agriculture is efficient.

• Myth #12: Global climate change will benefit agriculture.

• Myth #11: Large-scale factory hog farming creates strong local economies.

• Myth #10: It will be prohibitively expensive to tell consumers what country their food comes from.

• Myth #9: All certified organic milk comes from cows that spend most of the year grazing on pastures.

• Myth #8: Insecticide sprays eliminate pest problems in farm fields.

• Myth #7: We no longer have a soil erosion problem in this country.

• Myth #6: Genetic engineering is the only viable method available for improving food crops.

• Myth #5: The only way for family farmers to survive in the livestock market is to sign an exclusive contract with a packer or sell specialty products through niche markets.

• Myth #4: The only way to get started in dairy farming is by investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-cost, full confinement systems.

• Myth #3: There are so few small- and medium-sized farms left that it is not worth saving them.

• Myth #2: Strict “Right to Farm” laws help alleviate land use conflicts in rural and suburban areas.

• Myth #1: Anti-corporate farm laws stifle rural economic development.

Contact

Brian DeVore, managing editor, 612-816-9342, e-mail

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Upcoming Events

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June 2025

Tuesday June 17

9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Tuesday June 17
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge 16797 289th Ave NW Zimmerman, MN 55398

The Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a field day designed for landowners and managers who find themselves struggling to manage invasive woodland brush. The day will include both indoor presentations and outdoor site tours of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, including a working goat herd. To register for this free event, click here.

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.

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