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2023 Minnesota Legislative Session Wrap-Up 

Historic Wins for Sustainable & Regenerative Ag, Small & Mid-sized Farmers & Rural Communities 

By Laura Schreiber & Amanda Koehler 
May 25, 2023

During the recently concluded session of the Minnesota Legislature, Land Stewardship Project members and partners worked to win record investments in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, small and mid-sized farmers, and rural communities after decades of underfunding. We won a MinnesotaCare Public Option, as well as historic investments in the Emerging Farmers Office at the Minnesota…  Read More →

The Story Behind LSP’s Soil Health & Climate Campaign

From Inception to Winning $5.35 Million in State Soil Health Dollars & Beyond

By Amanda Koehler
June 24, 2021

Land Stewardship Project members believe that the kind of agricultural system and democracy we have is up to us. Our members are the experts when it comes to their communities and farms and, together, we can and must make regenerative agriculture the norm, rather than the exception. We believe our public institutions exist to serve the…  Read More →

LSP Announces 2020 Soil Health Farmer-to-Farmer Consultants

January 15, 2020

LEWISTON, Minn. — Eleven skilled southeastern Minnesota farmers devoted to soil health have been named as farmer-to-farmer consultants for 2020 by the Land Stewardship Project. With a growing number of Midwestern crop and livestock farmers interested in maximizing soil health, there is an important need for farmers to be able to connect with other farmers…  Read More →

Crop Insurance: A Safety Net Becomes a Threat

By Brian DeVore
April 12, 2012

When it comes to the crop insurance sweepstakes, southwest Minnesota farmer Darwyn Bach is a winner. But he concedes that his good fortune presents a quandary, since the way the program is implemented these days creates significant losers: the soil, beginning farmers and Main Street businesses that suffer when the number of families in a…  Read More →

LSP Land Line: Big Ag Gravy Train, Habitat Loss, Soil Health, Dairy Crisis, Nitrogen, Kernza

By Brian DeVore
September 25, 2020

Sept. 25: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities Very large farms collect one-fifth of USDA’s coronavirus payments (9/23/20) Chuck Abbott reports on Agriculture.com that the government’s COVID-19 payments to agriculture have been a gravy train for mega-operations. According to an analysis done by the Environmental Working Group, the largest 1% of…  Read More →

It’s a Wrap: The Largest Family Farm Breakfast & Lobby Day in LSP History

LSP Members Made their Voices Heard at the Capitol on April 13

By Amanda Koehler
April 24, 2023

On Thursday, April 13, over 300 Land Stewardship Project members, supporters, staff, and elected and appointed public officials gathered in Saint Paul for our 17th Family Farm Breakfast & Lobby Day – the largest Family Farm Breakfast in LSP history! This year, the event was co-hosted by: Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) ♦ Climate Land Leaders…  Read More →

Renting It Out Right: A Hilltop View of the Land’s Potential

Mark Erickson’s Relationship with Landowners is Rooted in Healthy Soil

By Brian DeVore
June 20, 2019

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 →

Quick Wits, Grit, Guns ‘N Roses

By Brian DeVore
April 20, 2018

Lou Anne Kling’s Legacy of Saved Farms & Saved Lives One day several years ago, western Minnesota farmer Lou Anne Kling was helping a financially-distressed chicken producer who was at risk of losing his operation. This was sometime in the 1980s or 1990s, and Kling had already spent countless hours on the telephone, in the…  Read More →

Farm Transitions Profile: Odd Acres of Opportunity

January 2, 2018

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 →

How We Can Help Beginning Farmers Overcome One of Their Biggest Barriers

By Hannah Bernhardt
March 28, 2017

Perhaps despite my better judgement, I made the decision several years ago to alter my career trajectory and become a farmer. As a former farm kid from the plains of southwestern Minnesota, it shouldn’t have been that crazy a notion, and I thought I’d have a leg-up getting my farm started. Despite rural connections and…  Read More →