Ross Cooper and his family raise canning and grain crops on their Century Farm in Spring Valley in southeastern Minnesota. Shortly after his son was born, Ross converted to no-till to cut down on the amount of time he was spending in the tractor. More recently, he has begun integrating cover crops into the farming… Read More →
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Are you a farmer or landowner thinking about the next steps for your farm and the legacy you would like to leave on the land? The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Transition Planning Workshop Series provides an opportunity to reflect on the future as well as to do some active planning. The workshop… Read More →
Nov. 1 Deadline for Beginning Farmers to Enroll in Financial Education Programs & Receive Tax Credit MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — Details on how to apply for the newly launched Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit will be the focus of a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 11, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Montevideo Public Library… Read More →
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Farmers now have an online tool available for calculating the potential soil erosion impact of various crop rotations. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today launched a component of its popular Cropping Systems Calculator that provides insights into how decisions made on an individual farm will influence water-caused soil loss in the immediate… Read More →
Two years ago, the Land Stewardship Project released the Cropping Systems Calculator (CSC), a “what-if” tool to examine the costs and returns of two crop rotations. This tool includes scenarios that involve row crops and grazing, and provides important information for farmers as they consider integrating soil building practices into their rotations. The original Calculator… Read More →
Here are key policies the Land Stewardship Project has been working on at the Minnesota state Legislature this session, along with an action you can take: • Resources for farmers facing financial stress. Increased funding for Farm Advocates and Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) is needed. These groups stand up for farmers facing foreclosure and… Read More →
I am happy to report that frac sand corporation Minnesota Sands, LLC, failed in its latest attempt to circumvent comprehensive environmental review (see the action alert below). Thanks to Minnesotans speaking up for the land and the health of our communities, the requirement of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposed massive frac… Read More →
Last fall, the Land Stewardship Project’s organizing efforts won a major victory when the Winona County Board in southeastern Minnesota banned any new frac sand operations in the county’s jurisdiction. In recent years, outside interests have been seeking to strip-mine and haul away silica sand from beneath southeastern Minnesota hills, bluffs and farmland to use… Read More →
As you may have heard, the stormy weather of this past weekend inflicted heavy damage on numerous Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the Minnesota-western Wisconsin region. The timing of the hail and heavy winds couldn’t have been worse—in many cases entire plantings were wiped out in a matter of minutes, decimating months of preparation… Read More →
Despite citizens’ calls from across the state, the Minnesota Senate sided with corporate interests and passed the Senate Omnibus Environment Finance Bill with a provision that will double the size factory farms can be before environmental review is required. Sen. Jason Isaacson offered an amendment to remove this bad provision from the bill, but it… Read More →
