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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 #67: Bird Flu’s Deadly Variant is the Fault of Regenerative Ag & Nature

• 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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November 2025

Saturday November 1

6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
Saturday November 1
6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
W6275 Main St, Bay City, WI 54723, USA

Calling all folk dance lovers! The Land Stewardship Project is co-sponsoring a potluck and folk dance at the Town Hall in Bay City, Wis., on Saturday, Nov. 1. Can you attend or volunteer? LSP is looking for one or two more people to help represent our people-powered organization by tabling at this event. To volunteer, reply directly to this e-mail and let me know you’re available. 
 
For details, check out this flier. 

The potluck and dance are co-hosted by LSP members from Oxheart Farm and the Oak Center General Store. No RSVP required; please direct questions to Emmet at oxheartfarm@gmail.com.
 

Folk Dance Flyer 2025.jpg

Tuesday November 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Tuesday November 4
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Tuesday November 4
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Lanesboro Community Center, 202 Parkway Ave S, Lanesboro, MN 55949, USA

 
The concentration of money and power in our food and farming system is a threat to our rural way of life, the land, and Main Street economies. According to research compiled by Farm Action, agricultural industries ranging from poultry processing to seed distribution are now dominated by four or fewer corporations, creating a system that for all intents and purposes no longer represents an open market situation. This makes it next to impossible for small and mid-sized farms to compete economically.  

Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest have seen these effects firsthand. As once vibrant agricultural economies diminish, so too do community resources: hospitals, public schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and more. Young people who see little opportunity in their hometowns move to cities and suburbs to start their careers and families. 
 
A consolidated, corporate-controlled agricultural system is also wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Runoff from large-scale factory farms and row cropping operations threatens our drinking water and spoils natural landscapes that people from all walks of life cherish. Without intervention, it won’t be long before all of us — urban or rural, farmers and non-farmers, rich or poor, young or old — will be impacted by the devastation of Big Ag. 

Join the Land Stewardship Project on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to hear from two people who think a lot about the power of Big Ag and its negative impacts — Austin Frerick and Sonja Trom Eayrs. They will lead a discussion about the forces threatening our rural communities and how we build the people power to take them on. 

This is an opportunity to take the first steps toward developing the kind of positive future for our communities that builds homegrown wealth, treats people fairly, and is resilient in the long term. If you love something and someone, you fight for it. Come fight with us! 
 
Austin Frerick Biography: Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. In 2024, he published his debut book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.
 
Sonja Trom Eayrs Biography: Sonja Trom Eayrs, author of Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney.

To register for this event, click here.

Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8

Emerging Farmers Conference
Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8
Emerging Farmers Conference
Brooklyn Center, MN, USA

Details on the 20th Annual Emerging Farmers Conference are available here.

Thursday November 13

8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Thursday November 13
8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Women in Conservation Northern Network Gathering: Stories from the Field
Bigwood Event Center, 921 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537, USA

Join Minnesota Women in Conservation and Renewing the Countryside for a relaxed, creative, restorative, and interactive day of networking and learning with fellow women conservation professionals. Breakfast and lunch are included at the lovely Bigwood Event Center. Cost is $25. 
 
For more information and to register, click here. 
 
Please reach out to burke@rtcinfo.org for information on scholarships before registering.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  •  ‘Big Ag, Big Problems’ Panel to Feature 2 Experts on Consolidation Nov. 4 in Lanesboro October 27, 2025
  • Reflections from LSP’s 2025 Summer Events Season October 24, 2025
  • Another Farm Crisis Looms, but it’s Not too Late to Take Action October 23, 2025
  • Tell Congress: Support Market Access for Farmers by Funding Local Food Purchasing October 22, 2025
  • Tell Congress a Farm Bailout is Not the Solution: We Must Invest in America’s Small & Mid-Sized Farmers October 22, 2025

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