Ear to the Ground 207: Feed the Cow-Feed the Soil

How a visiting student’s critique set a farm on a path toward profitably integrating crops, pasture and livestock.

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Upcoming Events

April 2025

Friday April 4

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: To Be Reconciled Preview Screening & Fundraiser
Friday April 4
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
To Be Reconciled Preview Screening & Fundraiser
550 Vandalia St #170, St Paul, MN 55114, USA
This is a preview screening of Minnesota filmmaker James Christenson’s debut feature film, To Be Reconciled, followed by a Q & A with its creators and on-screen participants to support its mission.

Inspired by his great-grandmother Alicia Navarro’s decision nearly 100 years ago to send her children by themselves to the Upper Midwest after experiencing violence by Border Patrol in Texas, director Christenson began documenting this new story seven years ago.

A legal and spiritual journey, To Be Reconciled follows Minnesota resident Carlos Urrutia’s trials through the dizzying U.S. immigration justice system. As his hometown in Mexico becomes one of the country’s most violent amidst its democratization and the drug war, Carlos’ struggle inspires him to reconcile with his mother who sent him to El Norte 30 years ago, and to whom he may return.

Now, with four additional years of filming the still unresolved story, you have the opportunity to be the first to see and review an extended preview of the feature film in progress, helping make a difference at this critical time in our community and U.S.-Mexico relations. Your support will help complete a third and final production trip to central Mexico as well as begin collaborating with Veracruz-based film editor Luna Escoto, with your feedback informing crucial creative choices.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Saturday April 5

9:30 am – 5:00 pm: EcoFaith Summit 2025: Earth's Cries, Earth's Call
Saturday April 5
9:30 am – 5:00 pm
EcoFaith Summit 2025: Earth's Cries, Earth's Call
First Lutheran Church, 1100 E Superior St, Duluth, MN 55802, USA
The EcoFaith Summit will feature compelling speakers, enlivening worship, informative exhibits, opportunities for networking, and an array of engagement sessions for giving birth to strong, creative action in our congregations, camps, campuses, and communities. Morning refreshments, fresh local lunch and celebratory final reception are included in the day.

Keynote speaker Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, author, organizer, and theological ethicist, will lead participants in naming the powers that are destroying the Earth and introducing them to midwives of hope today.

Special presenter: Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, dynamic storyteller, poet, scholar, and the the first Native woman to earn a PhD in theology within the ELCA, will offer a groundbreaking blend of Indigenous spirituality and Christian teachings.

This event is presented by: The Northeastern Minnesota Synod EcoFaith Network, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, and Saint Paul Area Synod, along with partner organizations, synods, camps, colleges, and seminaries.

For details and to register, click here.

Monday April 7 – Wednesday April 9

Green Lands Blue Waters Conference

Monday April 7 – Wednesday April 9

Green Lands Blue Waters Conference

Madison, WI, USA

Green Lands Blue Waters is excited to bring our community of continuous living cover (CLC) agricultural enthusiasts together again! Join other ag practitioners in a peer-rich environment with timely educational opportunities, lively dialogue, and open networking time. The conference is intentionally designed to balance information delivery with engaged working time and peer connections across a diverse, multi-sector mix of researchers, technical service providers, students, farmers, and advocates committed to actualizing CLC on the Midwest landscape. Our intention is to gather to support one another in cooperation, possibility, and positivity.

Schedule:

Monday, April 7: optional courses and meetings, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. followed by an opening reception
Tuesday, April 8: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., breakfast and lunch provided
Wednesday, April 9: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., breakfast and lunch provided

AGENDA – We are building an agenda with sessions related to:

Coalitions and networks
Diverse ways of knowing
Markets and value chains
Next generation farmers, researchers and ag practitioners
Policy approaches
Research updates and future directions
Technical assistance
Transdisciplinarity, cross-sector approaches and systems thinking

For details and to register, click here.

Tuesday April 8

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Montevideo: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Tuesday April 8

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Montevideo: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Java River, 210 S 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

The goal of this free Land Stewardship Project program is to change the way we think about issues in our communities, our state, and our nation. We will identify the problems that are affecting us, connect over our common values, and identify existing groups that share our goals. The idea is to find common ground with your neighbors and places where we can come together to move forward in areas of shared values.

Format:
1) What are the areas of concern in your personal life and your community? Examples:

Food insecurity/inflation
Labor shortages/workforce challenges
Housing prices/unavailability
Lack of local control

2) How can I personally address those concerns in my community or with the help of my neighbors?Examples:

Expanding local options for food and food processing
Expanding workforce internships for area youth
Assisting local community in finding grant programs for new rural housing
Volunteering for get out to vote campaigns for local elections

3) What existing community groups can help achieve these goals? What groups can we build up? Examples:

Local food co-ops or farmers’ market associations
Local school programs or after-school activity groups
Local economic development or civic leadership groups
Local election boards

For more information, contact LSP organizer James Kanne at jkanne@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday April 9

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: LSP Lewiston Office Open House
Wednesday April 9
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Open House
180 E Main St, Lewiston, MN 55952, USA
The Land Stewardship Project will be hosting a potluck lunch for members and community at our newly renovated Lewiston office at 180 East Main Street. All are welcome and encouraged to bring a dish to share. We will have a local farmer spotlight and social gathering after the meal at noon. For more information, call 507-523-3366.

View Full Calendar

How a visiting student’s critique set a farm on a path toward profitably integrating crops, pasture and livestock.

This event is presented by: The Northeastern Minnesota Synod EcoFaith Network, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, and Saint Paul Area Synod, along with partner organizations, synods, camps, colleges, and seminaries.

For details and to register, click here.

Schedule:

AGENDA – We are building an agenda with sessions related to: