Ear to the Ground 189: A Farm Flourishes When the Soil Flourishes
Rick Bieber describes how building soil health saved his farm from financial ruin.
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Searched for: 2022 farm creatures of lsp calendar
Goodhue County Planning Commission Approves Factory Farm Based on Mystery Documents Kept from Public
Citizen Testimony Documents that Proposed Factory Hog Farm Violates Goodhue County Ordinance REDWING, Minn. — Neighbors to a controversial factory hog farm proposed in Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township were shocked when the Goodhue Planning Commission Monday night recommended approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the project based on documents produced at the hearing and… Read More →
Citizens Denied Access to Public Information from Goodhue County on Eve of Critical Hearing on Factory Hog Farm
RED WING, Minn. — Zumbrota Township residents were denied access twice this week to a copy of the Conditional Use Permit application for the Kohlnhofer factory hog farm being proposed in their community. They were denied access to the information despite the fact that a public hearing is scheduled for the Conditional Use Permit on… Read More →
MPCA: Listen to the People of Zumbrota Township
On Monday, Dec. 12, I attended the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) public informational meeting at Zumbrota City Hall. Fellow Zumbrota Township neighbors packed the conference room to show that we have serious concerns about a factory hog farm threatening to move into our neighborhood. We called on the MPCA to do a thorough and… Read More →
One Farmer’s Journey: No-till, Cover Crops, Improved Soil Health & Yields
My journey into conservation started as a teenager in the mid-1980s— I was tired of picking rocks every year and filling ditches from erosion on a regular basis. We had changed to mulch-till by then to reduce erosion. We had also started transitioning from a corn and hay rotation to a corn and soybean rotation.… Read More →
Stages of Learning in Farming: Stage 2 — Becoming Self Sufficient
Stage two typically lasts an additional three to five seasons. You are on your way to a successful farming enterprise. You have a firm direction, you are focused and you have, by trial and error, refined your course (see previous blogs here, and here). You are still doing much fine tuning and investing. If you… Read More →
Stages of Learning in Farming: Stage 1–Building on the Basics
Congratulations, you have laid the foundation for your agricultural enterprise (see previous blog) and formally stepped into the world of farming. You are starting into your first season or, like us, maybe you have been doing things on a small scale and want to step into the commercial marketplace. Stage 1 typically lasts about three… Read More →
DeBuhr to Legislators: Protect the Citizen’s Right to be Heard & Informed
Good afternoon. Thank you for allowing me to testify. Some of you may recognize me as I have been here to testify before. Each time as I request my time before your committee, and I am discouraged by staffers from testifying or my time allotted is minimalized, I am reinvigorated in my opposition to the… Read More →
Continuous Learning About Continuous Living Cover
When it comes to introducing and supporting innovative sustainable farming practices, nothing beats a field day. Such events provide an opportunity for farmers to see firsthand how profitable, environmentally sound production practices are performing on their neighbor’s land under climatic, agronomic and economic conditions they can relate to. Studies have shown that while sustainable farming… Read More →
MN Congressional Reaction to Beginning Farmer Funding
The USDA announced last week the availability of $19.2 million in funds for groups that assist beginning farmers through training and other support initiatives. This is the first grant cycle of the newly reauthorized Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which is part of the 2014 Farm Bill signed into law in February. In… Read More →