Fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities.
Welcome to the Land Stewardship Project Action Alerts page. The Land Stewardship Project periodically sends out Action Alerts that describe how citizens can make their voices heard on critical issues related to family farming, the environment and our rural communities.
LSP Members Shaped the Outcomes & Continue to Build Power to Make Transformational Vision a Reality
During the recently concluded session of the Minnesota Legislature, Land Stewardship Project members from across the state were deeply engaged in advancing our vision for a...
With the Minnesota state legislative session ending Monday, May 20, at midnight, it's looking like a final budget will not be agreed upon before adjournment. This means the differences between the budgets and policies proposed by the House, the Senate, and Governor Tim Walz will likely be negotiated behind closed doors by just a few top leaders. A special legislative session will be required...
With just a few days left in the Minnesota legislative session, we need another push to ensure the state fully funds its investment in the Forever Green Initiative. Members of the Legacy Finance conference committee will begin to meet this week and need to hear from Minnesotans across the state.
This is the first time that full funding for the ...
The government of Minnesota belongs to the people of Minnesota — not outside corporate interests who want to write special laws for themselves at the expense of the rest of us. Right now, these outside corporate interests are attempting to weaken our free speech rights in a way that disproportionately targets Indigenous Minnesotans and other water protectors. This provision is included...
Land Stewardship Project members have been active at the Minnesota Capitol because we believe our public institutions and government at all levels belong to us. These institutions must do what is best in service to people and the land. The decisions being made right now will shape the future of our state, which is why we’re working to strengthen the role of the public in...
Our state of Minnesota has the power and responsibility to create a transformational, regenerative food and farm system that is good for family farmers, rural communities, and the land. But so far this state legislative session, we have not seen our leaders take the bold action we need to advance our vision for rural Minnesota....
For the first time in Minnesota state legislative history, full funding for the Forever Green Initiative, —$10 million for the biennium—has been included in an omnibus finance bill. This is something to celebrate — it would not have been possible without the...
UPDATE (5/2/19): So far, the Senate has decided to punt on this issue by extending the current moratorium on HMO conversions from July 2019 to July 2023, instead of passing strong protections for our public money this year. During debate on the Senate floor, Senator Michelle Benson referred to Senator John Marty’s provision to protect nearly $7 billion of the...
• EQIP Deadline: April 19 in Minn.; May 17 in Wis.
• CSP Deadline: May 10
Contact Your Local NRCS Office Today
The Land Stewardship Project wants you to...
Imagine opening your local newspaper on a Monday morning and discovering that a 5,000-head factory hog farm or an 6,000-head mega-dairy is being proposed in your township — and the public comment period ends that very weekend!
We deserve the right to have a voice when major decisions that could impact the health of our communities are being made. It is the role of our public...
Good news! State legislation that reinstates the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens’ Board is moving forward, but legislators are going to need to hear from constituents for it to pass (HF 973—Persell, SF 627—Marty)....
In our democracy, it is up to us to make sure that our elected officials act in the best interests of our communities and the land and that our government wisely uses public resources to meet public needs. For decades, stable funding for public healthcare programs and public health initiatives in Minnesota has come from a small tax paid by healthcare providers in our state. But unless...
We at the Land Stewardship Project have a strong vision for rural Minnesota where our communities are vibrant, our soil and water healthy and our local economies are strong. Our vision for people and the land can't happen without bold policies and a real investment of our public dollars.
Our state leaders are not embracing our vision for a new agricultural economy. We need you to take...
Last night, after six hours of presentations by members of the public, the Winona County Board of Adjustment denied a request to exceed the county's animal unit cap by nearly four-fold. The Board of Adjustment found that the record clearly showed the variance request did not meet the legal requirement for a variance. (Full information on the variance issue ...
Join Us at the State Capitol Thursday, Dec. 20
Thanks to the hard work of Land Stewardship Project members and supporters, we gathered more than 3,200 signatures this fall on our petition calling for Minnesota's next Governor to take bold action to address the rural healthcare crisis.
Petition signers are invited to join us on Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Minnesota State...
Demand an Environmental Impact Statement on Proposed Fillmore County Factory Hog Farm
On Tuesday, Dec. 4, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is holding a public meeting on the proposed Catalpa, LLC factory hog farm. The meeting will be at the Mabel Community Center (201 South Main Street, Mabel, Minn.). MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine will...
UPDATE (11/1/18): On October 31, the Ramsey County District Court rejected the attempts by corporate ag to squelch public comment on an environmental review of the mega-dairy expansion proposal described below. District Court Judge Jennifer L. Frisch ruled yesterday against an injunction filed by several Minnesota corporate ag groups seeking to limit the public comment period...
Demand Bold Action from Our Next Governor on the Rural Healthcare Crisis
High premiums, closing rural clinics and few available insurance plans mean rural people are too often not getting quality healthcare. This is a matter of life and death. Sign and share the LSP petition calling on our next Governor to make this a priority.
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On Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) held a public information forum regarding Daley Farms of Lewiston, Minn., and the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) which is part of the operation's current permit application approval process. Daley Farms wants to more than double its dairy herd from 1,728 cows and calves to 4,628 total. This would make it the largest...
UPDATE (10/10/18): We have learned that Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner John Linc Stine is making a decision on this tomorrow, and we need calls into him by noon on Thursday, Oct. 11.
We need to take action to ensure that there is a process that provides for meaningful public participation and that fully evaluates the cost to our community resources and...
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is avoiding ordering an in-depth Environmental Impact Statement of the proposed Catalpa, LLC factory farm. The agency needs to hear from us (again)!
State law requires that if a project has “the potential for significant environmental impacts,”...
LSP Members are Standing Up Against a Massive Factory Hog Farm Proposed in their Community in Fillmore County
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MPCA Public Informational Meeting scheduled for June 19, 2018
Catalpa LLC out of Waukon, Iowa, is proposing a massive factory hog farm in Fillmore County. The proposal is undergoing an initial environmental review. Due to public pressure, the comment period was extended until Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at 4:30 p.m.
Here...
The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill on Wednesday, June 13. We expect a vote on the bill by the full Senate in coming weeks. This bill is an improvement on what was introduced and failed in the House of Representatives last month. In fact, because of the hard work of our...
We need Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to use his veto pen. The "Guilty by Association" legislation, Senate File 3463, was passed by the Minnesota Legislature Saturday and is on its way to the Governor's desk. This bill is being driven by corporate interests that want to chill dissent and prevent people from standing up to corporate power. In fact, the language for this bill comes directly...