No. 3, 2020, Land Stewardship Letter

• An online version of the Land Stewardship Letter is here.

• Archived versions of Land Stewardship Letters are here.

• Paper copies are available by contacting Brian DeVore at 612-722-6377 or via e-mail.

Stewardship Roots…3
• Sustainable Vs. Regenerative

In Remembrance…4
• Dennis Johnson’s Deep-Rooted Legacy

Myth Buster…5
• Fake Meat’s False Promise

LSP News…6
• Staff Changes
• Driessen Joins LSP Board

Policy & Organizing…8
• Giving Voice to the Needs of Rural Communities
• 2021 Organizing & Social Change Cohort
• Farm Crisis Resources
• Farmers Taking Action on Climate
• Members Speak Out on Soil & Climate

Justice on the Land…12
• Cultural Competency
• LSP’s Vision for the Future
• Rural Voices for Racial Justice Video Series

Soil Health…14
• Letting Livestock do the Work
• Join the Soil Builders’ Network
• LSP Releases Reports on Soil Health Initiatives
• Summer 2020 Grazing Photo Contest
• Songs of the Soil
• Reaching Out to the Risk-Adverse
• Soil Stats: Good News & Bad News

Farm Beginnings…24
• An Enigma in Farm Country
• Workshops: Conservation on Rented Land
• Is Farming in Your Future?
• 2021-2022 Farm Beginnings Course

Farm Transitions…27
• Seeking Farmers-Seeking Land Clearinghouse
• Winter Farm Transition Workshops

Reviews…28
• Perilous Bounty
• Erosion

Membership Update…30
• Help Reinforce LSP’s Roots of Resilience
• Ways to Support LSP
• Support LSP in Your Workplace
• Membership Questions?
• T-shirts! Bumper Stickers! Calendars!
• In Memory & in Honor

Stewardship Calendar…32
• Meetings & Workshops

2021 CSA Directory…32
• Farmers: Sign-up for the 2021 Directory

Upcoming Events

November 2025

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.

Friday November 14

9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Scaling Up Soil Health Strategies Bus Tour
Friday November 14
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Scaling Up Soil Health Strategies Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Visit three farms near Northfield, Minn., to explore soil health at a larger scale. Learn about mechanized cover cropping, reduced tillage, erosion control, and using perennials and pollinator strips.

This is the third tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Wednesday November 19

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm: We Can Do Better Book Discussion at Iowa Nature Summit
Wednesday November 19
12:15 pm – 1:45 pm
We Can Do Better Book Discussion at Iowa Nature Summit
Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311, USA
The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings — is set for release on Oct. 2. The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Curt Meine will speak about the book during the 12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m. luncheon at the Iowa Nature Summit on Nov 19.

Saturday November 22

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Farm Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Open House
Saturday November 22
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Open House
Tintah Beach Farm, Thief River Falls, MN
Please join Marcus Langevin from Tintah Beach Farm and the University of Minnesota at an open house and ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of the farm scale deep winter greenhouse prototype on Nov. 22, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

This new deep winter greenhouse design allows farmers in cold climates to grow crops for sale to their customers throughout the winter months. The heavily insulated greenhouse utilizes a steeply sloped south-facing glazing wall to capture solar heat which is stored in an underground soil thermal mass where it is available to heat the greenhouse at night when the outside temperatures drop.

The new energy efficient greenhouse was designed to suit the needs of small and medium scale vegetable farmers. It is larger, cheaper per square foot to construct than previous designs, and is simple enough that farmers with minimal construction experience can build it themselves. Deep winter greenhouses like these allow farmers the ability to grow market crops year-round, thereby increasing their yearly revenues and allowing Minnesotans year-round access to healthy, fresh, locally grown produce.

Registration: This event is free to attend, but registration is required at z.umn.edu/TintahBeachOpenHouse. Please register by November 15.

Download farm scale deep winter greenhouse building documents. This farm scale deep winter greenhouse design is available for free download from the UMN Extension RSDP’s deep winter greenhouse website.

This work is made possible by University of Minnesota Extension; College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS); College of Design Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR); and the Agriculture Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transfer Program (AGREETT).

View Full Calendar

Land Stewardship Project

Table of Contents

Contact