The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) believes that Tony Lourey’s departure as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) represents a serious loss for rural people, farmers, and all of Minnesota. As a farmer himself, former Commissioner Lourey brought an essential perspective and personal experience to his role in the administration of Governor Tim… Read More →
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A “Finding Farmland” workshop will be held Saturday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester (1503 2nd Ave. NE). This event, which is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) and National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC), is free, but participants are asked to… Read More →
Recent revelations that at least 2,300 migrant children have been separated from their parents under U.S. President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy highlights an ugly fact: this country’s immigration policies are inhumane, divisive and unsustainable, and they have been for a very long time. The atrocity of tearing young children from their parents is a… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn.—Oral arguments in Minnesota Sands, LLC’s, appeal of its lawsuit attempting to overturn Winona County’s frac sand ban will be heard at the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Thursday, May 10, at 10:05 a.m. in Room #200 of the Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul. The Land… Read More →
HUTCHINSON, Minn. — How can we get more beginning farmers established on the land and in our communities? That will be the subject of a special Land Stewardship Project (LSP) meeting on Monday, July 24, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Zellas Restaurant (14 Main Street South) in Hutchinson. For more information, contact Nick… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project has been fighting a proposal making its way through the Minnesota Legislature this year that would double the size factory farms can be before environmental review is required. Proponents of the bill are pushing hard, and have been justifying this outrageous proposal by providing inaccurate information about the history of the… Read More →
Governor Mark Dayton announced on Aug. 4 that he would use his Executive Authority to create a Governors’ Citizens Committee to fill in for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens’ Board. Earlier this year, despite a huge outpouring of opposition from rural people, the Minnesota Legislature abolished the 48-year-old Citizens’ Board. “As regulators make… Read More →
In western Minnesota we live in what used to be a grassland habitat, where warm season perennials were king and the whole system depended on herds of buffalo and the occasional wildfire to break down the abundance of plant material. These days, it’s becoming clear leaving our remaining prairies untouched does not create a healthy… Read More →
When a business closes in a rural community, the following 24 months or so are key. Whether it be a farm, small town grocery or repair shop, if the real estate it occupied is still lacking a day-to-day human presence a year or two down the road, it sends a troubling message about the future… Read More →
While walking through a knee-high prairie planted on a central Iowa hillside Tuesday, I happened to look down. Trapped amongst all that vegetation was an impressive amount of rich, black glacial soil, the kind that produces record crop yields. And just a few feet away was the source of that soil: a soybean field planted… Read More →
