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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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August 2025

Friday August 1

All Day
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class
Friday August 1
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if you are accepted into the class. Partial scholarships are available.

More details are at http://www.farmbeginnings.org or Annelie Livingston-Anderson at annelie@landstewardshipproject.org.

You can apply to the course here.

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
Friday August 1
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
22545 Co Rd 42, Richmond, MN 56368, 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.

Saturday August 2

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Saturday August 2
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Madison Mercantile, 601 1st St, Madison, MN 56256, USA

Building on the momentum and popularity of the Land Stewardship Project’s Small Grain Markets Workshop in Albert Lea, Minn., this past winter, we are offering a second free networking event in western Minnesota on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Madison, Minn. All those curious about small grains are welcome.

We will hear from two western Minnesota farmers who have found success in growing and marketing small grains: Noreen Thomas of Doubting Thomas Farms and Peter Haugen of Sandhill Mill. Additionally, Gilbert Williams, a longtime grain mill operator and small grains procurement expert, will walk us through the processing side of the business. Lunch will be provided.

You can reserve a spot here. 

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski 
at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Saturday August 2
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Lac qui Parle State Park, 14047 20th St NW, Watson, MN 56295, USA

 Join LSP for a book reading and Q & A with Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty, the authors of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redepmtion of Nature on the American Priaire, at Lac qui Parle State Park. Prior to the book reading, we will go on a guided prairie walk to learn firsthand about the great Minnesotan prairies. Through the event, we will gain an understanding of the history, present, and future of the land and ways to work towards building more sustainable and just food and farming systems that protect our natural ecosystems. You can read a review of Sea of Grass in the current Land Stewardship Letter.
 
To reserve a spot, click here.
 
Schedule: 

  • 3 p.m. – Guided prairie walk with prairie naturalist Amy Rager  
  • 4:30 p.m. – Sea of Grass book reading by authors Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty     
  • 5 p.m. – Q & A with Dave and Josephine   
  • 5:30 p.m. – Discussion and reflection  
  • 6 p.m. – Dinner 

Camping will be available at Lac qui Parle State Park. LSP has reserved a Group Camp Site which is in the lower area of the park and can accommodate up to 50 people. Only tents are allowed — participants will need to bring their own tents and supplies. There is no electrical hookup; water spigot and vault toilets available. Please let us know via the event registration form if you plan to camp at the Group Camp Site.

For more information, contact LSP’s Melody Arteaga at marteaga@landstewardshipproject.org.

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.

View Full Calendar

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