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Searched for: regional food system

The Loss of the Leopold Center is a Loss for All of Us

The State of Iowa is on the verge of eliminating one of the nation’s leading centers of sustainable agriculture research and innovation. The Iowa Legislature’s vote to defund and close the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture comes at a time when the work of the 30-year-old institution is, in many ways, just beginning. It was…  Read More

Building Connections Over Food Justice

My name is Maria Russo and I am a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in political science. This semester I was a part of HECUA’s Environmental Sustainability: Science, Public Policy and Community Action program. HECUA stands for Higher Education Consortium of Urban Affairs and is an off-campus study program. The program I’m in…  Read More

Farm Beginnings Profile: Anna Racer & Peter Skold

Answering Community's Call

If you are the sort who likes to be outdoors, self-reliant and working close to the land, what Anna Racer and Peter Skold did for five summers might sound ideal. They worked at a camp in northern Minnesota where they took teenagers into the wilderness for six weeks at a time. But there comes a…  Read More

LSP Applauds USDA’s Step to Promote Transparency & Address Exploitative Poultry Contracting System

New Rule a Needed Move Toward Reform of Abusive Livestock Processing & Marketing Infrastructure

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The USDA’s proposal Thursday to address the highly controversial “tournament system” in poultry production is a positive, yet overdue, step forward as the agency seeks to address unfair competition and trade practices under the Packers and Stockyards Act, according to members of the Minnesota-based Land Stewardship Project (LSP). “Corporate ag has monopolized…  Read More

A Physician’s View: We Must Have Legislators Supporting True Healthcare Reform

It is time to acknowledge that the private, profit-making “nonprofit” corporate model is failing nearly all of us. Healthcare is a crisis for most people across the U.S., particularly in our rural areas. People delay going to the doctor because of $7,000 to $13,000 deductibles. Local newspapers announce benefit events to finance a child’s expensive…  Read More

A Hub of Soil Health Activity

How Indiana is using cover cropping and early adopters as ‘gateways’ into a deeper understanding of sustainable soil management. It’s an overcast August morning in northeastern Indiana, and in a massive machine shed well stocked with the tools of a modern row crop operation, some 60 farmers are being reminded that growing corn and soybeans…  Read More

Nitrogen Pollution’s Farm Policy Roots

Talk about ignoring the elephant in the room. When Minnesota environmental officials announced the results of a new major nitrogen pollution study on Thursday, they were surprisingly frank about how bad the problem is, but just as surprisingly hesitant to name a major underlying cause: federal farm policy. First the problem: basically, the Minnesota Pollution…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 368: Big Ag-Big Problems

An extractive economic system is decimating and dividing our rural communities. Now, more than ever, we need solidarity, says Cristina Ortiz. More Information • LSP’s Community-Based Food System Web Page • LSP’s Justice & Stewardship Web Page • LSP’s Policy Campaign Page You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes,…  Read More

A Sense of Where You Are: 7 Years Later

Part 11 in a Series

Note: This is the 11th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series.  Be careful who you invite onto the farm, especially if it’s a return visit. Jon and Carin Stevens learned that lesson in late August when a nationally known soil health expert walked their fields and grubbed up some samples…  Read More