Ear to the Ground 272: Micro Milk Mentorship

Government regulators may be befuddled by Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher’s tiny dairy, but these Farm Beginnings/Journeyperson grads know exactly where it fits into their business.

More information:

• Land Stewardship Letter Oxheart Farm profile
• Oxheart Farm
• LSP’s Farm Beginnings
• LSP’s Journeyperson
• MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program

You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast platforms.

Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher, with their son Otis, in the cooling room of their on-farm milk processing plant.

Upcoming Events

August 2022

Saturday August 13

9:30 am – 3:30 pm: Growing Peaches in Cold Climates

Growing Peaches in Cold Climates

Saturday August 13

9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Whoever thought peaches could be grown in Minnesota? Not only can we grow them here, but you will learn how to do it in a commercially viable way organically and they will be the best tasting peaches you have ever picked off your own tree. WEI presents Dan Sheild, our local expert on growing peaches in Minnesota. Learn about his innovative and effective techniques for getting the best peaches around, and how you can too!

To register, click here.
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk: Cattle, Grass & Streams

LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk: Cattle, Grass & Streams

Saturday August 13

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Nick and Tesla Prigge of Sugarloaf Creek Farm are hosting an LSP pasture walk for area graziers. They will show their cattle grazing system, share their farm story (including current and future plans), and look forward to conversations on various pasture and herd
management styles. There will be a discussion on including cattle grazing in riparian corridor management. Larry Gates, retired DNR Watershed Coordinator, will be a guest speaker during the riparian management section of the pasture walk.

Ralph Lentz began rotationally grazing the land in 1980. Ralph demonstrated it is possible to mix cattle with creeks when you are operating your farm as an ecosystem. After Ralph passed away in the fall of 2017, his grandson Nicholas Prigge and family began operating and maintaining the farm. The beef herd consists of 35 cow-calf Pinzgauer Black Angus animals grazing on 80 acres.

Potluck: bring a side to share. Hamburgers will be provided by hosts featuring Sugarloaf Creek Farm beef. Bring your own utensils (plate, silverware) to help
reduce waste. Open to all graziers; do not need to be a member of LSP.

To register for this field day by Aug. 12, click here.

Tuesday August 16

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: LSP Farm Bill Platform Launch

LSP Farm Bill Platform Launch

Tuesday August 16

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

We are confronting many challenges on our farms and in our rural communities: from extreme weather to land access challenges for beginning farmers, as well as corporate interests influencing so much of our food and farming system. But we have an enormous opportunity to address these challenges through the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill!

Join us for the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Bill Platform Launch Aug. 16, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., at the Legvold Farm in Northfield, Minn.

For details and to register, click here.

Wednesday August 17

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

LSP Regenerative Farming & Grazing Field Day with Allen Williams (Dakota, MN)

Wednesday August 17

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

TOPICS: No-till, 60-inch corn interseeded with highly diverse cover crop mix, diversifying crop rotations, converting marginal ground to pasture, cutting applied nitrogen rates, profitability
DIRECTIONS: From I-90, take exit 258 onto MN-76. Turn North, head towards County Road 12. Take a right and drive about 3 miles.
LUNCH: Prepared by Steak Shop Catering feat. Bergler’s farm-raised meat with a menu of burgers, baked beans, sweet corn, garden salad, and chips.
MORE INFORMATION: Check out this flier.

To register, click here.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

LSP Food Systems Listening Session

Wednesday August 17

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

With the rising cost of food and continued supply chain issues, our communities are facing ever increasing uncertainty. Many are left asking: Where will our food come from? A more secure and sustainable food system is within our reach. If we increased direct sales of food in Minnesota to 1% of all agricultural sales, we’d have an additional $76.25 million going directly to farmers.

We need you with us to make sure we can make this a reality! Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., in Appleton, Minn.

Come and share your ideas about how we can connect farmers, consumers, and food businesses to coordinate markets and support economic development through local foods. We’ll also talk about how the next Farm Bill can help direct federal resources toward community food security, health, and economic vitality.

To register, click here.

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