Ear to the Ground 395: The Lobe Rangers - Land Stewardship Project

Water quality in the Corn Belt is worse than ever, and these poster boys for conservation farming say it’s time for the ag industry, commodity groups, and government to step up and take responsibility. (1 of 2 parts)

More Information

• LSP Soil Health Web Page
• LSP Myth Buster No. 68: “When Nitrogen is Gone, it Can be Forgotten”
• SARE Fact Sheet: “Cover Crops at Work: Keeping Nutrients Out of Waterways”
• Researcher’s Analysis of Nov. 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Statement on Water Quality
• LSP Blog: The Crop Insurance Conundrum
• PNAS Paper: “The Extent of Soil Loss Across the US Corn Belt”
• ISU CARD Analysis: “Cover Crop Adoption Decelerates and No-till Area Stagnates in the I-States”

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

**Iowa farmers** (*left to righ*t) **Zack Smith, James Hepp, and Matthew Bormann.**

Upcoming Events

February 2026

Saturday February 7

All Day: Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference
Saturday February 7
Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference
College of Saint Benedict, 37 South College Ave S, St Joseph, MN 56374, USA
For details, click here.

Monday February 9

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Organic Apple Orchard Academy
Monday February 9
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Organic Apple Orchard Academy
Zoom online
The Organic Apple Orchard Academy is a virtual event hosted by the IPM Institute of North America and the Organic Fruit Growers Association. The Academy series — February 9, 11, 16, and 18 — will teach proven methods with insights on everything from site selection and disease-resistant varieties to bio-intensive pest management, efficient harvest strategies and savvy marketing for fresh and value-added products.

You can secure your spot today for just $300, or only $275 for Organic Fruit Growers Association members.

Schedule:

Day 1: Startup and orchard design focus on variety and rootstock, site prep, irrigation, and trellis/tree support considerations.

Day 2: Pest Management presentation on scouting, pesticide safety, pests of concern in organic orchards, cost and other factors including additional resources.

Day 3: Horticultural practices, harvest and labor instruction on planting trees, orchard floor management and thinning; harvest and post-harvest management and grower experiences with hired labor.

Day 4: Marketing and overall summary teaches many aspects of marketing fresh and value-added products with final thoughts from experienced growers and additional resources.

Three experienced farmer-presenters will lead the class and will share detailed, practical, real-world knowledge that’s not readily available from internet and print resources. This course requires some basic understanding of growing apples; pre-course reading, homework and handouts included with the course.

For details and to register, click here.

Tuesday February 10

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

LSP Farm Transition Planning Course

Tuesday February 10

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

LSP Farm Transition Planning Course

Zoom Online

The Land Stewardship Project’s long-running course for farmers and other landowners looking to transition their agricultural operations to the next generation is expanding into South Dakota in 2026. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) Winter Farm Transition Planning Course, which enters its 10^th session in 2026, provides a holistic opportunity to dig into important topics and learn from experienced farmers and professionals about the options that farmers and landowners have when looking to pass their farm on.

The standard Zoom online LSP course will be held on seven Tuesday evenings starting on January 27 and running through March 10. The sessions build on one another, so attendance at all sessions ensures the greatest understanding and planning opportunities. The course fee is $250 per family, and registration is open through Jan. 9 at https://landstewardshipproject.org/transition2026.

New this year is an expanded course offering for South Dakota attendees as part of a partnership LSP has formed with Dakota Rural Action and Rural Revival.

The South Dakota course, led by Dakota Rural Action and Rural Revival and using the LSP curriculum, includes seven weekly in-person sessions, with a full-day Saturday kick-off session, and another full-day session to close the training. Sessions two through six will take place on Tuesday evenings for two-and-a-half hours. The dates are: Jan. 31, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, March 3 and March 14. As with the fully online course, the course fee is $250 per family, and the registration deadline is Jan. 9. To register for the South Dakota course, visit https://qrco.de/farmtransitions2026.

Presenters at both workshops will include other area farmers who are implementing farm transition plans, as well as professionals representing the legal and financial fields as they relate to agricultural businesses. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to begin engaging in the planning process as well as to learn about resources for continuing the process after the workshop has ended.

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

South Dakota Farm Transition Planning Course

Tuesday February 10

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

South Dakota Farm Transition Planning Course

South Dakota

Are you a farm family or landowner thinking about the future or next steps for your farm?
Are you interested in planning for the next generation of farmers on your land?
Do you have a spouse/partner helping to make these decisions? Are you both on the same page?
Are you ready to begin the planning process but don’t know where to start?

For the first time, Rural Revival is hosting a holistic Farm Transition Planning Course in collaboration with The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) and Dakota Rural Action (DRA). This opportunity is coordinated alongside the land transition course that LSP has provided for Minnesota farmers over the past 9 years. The course includes seven weekly sessions, with a full day Saturday to kick off, and again to close the training. Sessions 2-6 will take place on Tuesday evenings for 2 1/2 hours. Sessions will bring professionals, farmers and LSP/DRA staff together to dig into values and goals, communications, generational, financial, legal, and long-term care considerations. The sessions build on each other and it is important to plan on attending all of them. The sessions will include participatory activities and there will be work families are encouraged to complete outside of the gathered course time.

The topics, dates, and times for the course are:

Saturday, Jan 31st: Goal Setting for LIfe & Land, 10:00am-4:00pm
Tues. Feb 3: Values and Why Farm Transition Planning is Needed, 5:30pm-8:00pm
Tues. Feb 10: Financial Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
Tues. Feb 17: Legal Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
Tues. Feb 24: Working with the Next Generation Farmers, 5:30-8:00pm
Tues. March 3: Long Term Care Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
Saturday, March 14: Resources and Planning Next Steps, 10:00am-4:00pm

The course fee is $250 per family. The registration deadline is January 9. For more information and to register, click here.

For more farm transition resources, click here. For more course information, contact:

DRA’s Megan EisenVos at megan@dakotarural.org, 605-277-3790
LSP’s Karen Stettler at stettler@landstewardshipproject.org, 507-458-0349
Rural Revival Treasurer, Roy Kaufman at lorokauf@gwtc.net

Wednesday February 11

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Organic Apple Ochard Academy
Wednesday February 11
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Organic Apple Ochard Academy
Zoom online

The Organic Apple Orchard Academy is a virtual event hosted by the IPM Institute of North America and the Organic Fruit Growers Association. The Academy series — February 9, 11, 16, and 18 — will teach proven methods with insights on everything from site selection and disease-resistant varieties to bio-intensive pest management, efficient harvest strategies and savvy marketing for fresh and value-added products.

You can secure your spot today for just $300, or only $275 for Organic Fruit Growers Association members.

Schedule:

Day 1: Startup and orchard design focus on variety and rootstock, site prep, irrigation, and trellis/tree support considerations.

Day 2: Pest Management presentation on scouting, pesticide safety, pests of concern in organic orchards, cost and other factors including additional resources.

Day 3: Horticultural practices, harvest and labor instruction on planting trees, orchard floor management and thinning; harvest and post-harvest management and grower experiences with hired labor.

Day 4: Marketing and overall summary teaches many aspects of marketing fresh and value-added products with final thoughts from experienced growers and additional resources.

Three experienced farmer-presenters will lead the class and will share detailed, practical, real-world knowledge that’s not readily available from internet and print resources. This course requires some basic understanding of growing apples; pre-course reading, homework and handouts included with the course.

For details and to register, click here.

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