When considering significant changes to the way one farms, there’s nothing like a couple acres of convincer, a template for the potential offered up by tapping into the land’s ability to build soil health in an economically viable manner utilizing livestock and perennial plants. Mark Erickson points out just such a personal proving ground on… Read More →
With the Minnesota state legislative session ending Monday, May 20, at midnight, it’s looking like a final budget will not be agreed upon before adjournment. This means the differences between the budgets and policies proposed by the House, the Senate, and Governor Tim Walz will likely be negotiated behind closed doors by just a few… Read More →
The government of Minnesota belongs to the people of Minnesota — not outside corporate interests who want to write special laws for themselves at the expense of the rest of us. Right now, these outside corporate interests are attempting to weaken our free speech rights in a way that disproportionately targets Indigenous Minnesotans and other… Read More →
For the first time in Minnesota state legislative history, full funding for the Forever Green Initiative, —$10 million for the biennium—has been included in an omnibus finance bill. This is something to celebrate — it would not have been possible without the efforts of Land Stewardship Project members, our allies, and legislative champions. This year… Read More →
Imagine opening your local newspaper on a Monday morning and discovering that a 5,000-head factory hog farm or an 6,000-head mega-dairy is being proposed in your township — and the public comment period ends that very weekend! We deserve the right to have a voice when major decisions that could impact the health of our… Read More →
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is under threat. This is an attack on our soil, our water and our work to build a healthier food and farming system for all. In their first draft of the 2018 Farm Bill, House Agriculture Committee leaders are talking about dramatic cuts to the program—or even eliminating it altogether.… Read More →
Sometimes a Farm Transition is Done at a Distance On a brilliantly bright October afternoon, Chris Mosel makes his way over a clear-running brook and through a stand of basswood, oak and maple on his central Minnesota farm. As he approaches the edge of the woodlot, he steps over a strand of temporarily erected electric… Read More →
On a fall day just south of West Union in northeastern Iowa, Loran and Brenda Steinlage’s harvested field borders two sides of the local USDA Natural Resources Conservation office. With the green foliage of cover crops peeking through a thick mat of corn residue, their field provides a beautiful example of soil conservation amidst a… Read More →
A streak of creativity brightens the landscape when farmers join forces with scientists to investigate “the standard” of what we thought we already knew. Take, for example, the fresh look at how soil functions—collectively called soil health—that has been the talk of Land Stewardship Project workshops and field days the past five years or so.… Read More →
Farmers and small businesses, people nearing retirement and parents wanting to stay home with kids — hundreds of Minnesotans have shared stories with the Land Stewardship Project about the need for affordable healthcare options that provide quality coverage. With news yesterday that federal changes to healthcare could knock 24 million Americans off health insurance, these… Read More →
