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LSP Publications

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As part of its education-to-action strategy, the Land Stewardship Project periodically produces deeply researched publications on everything from soil health and local democracy to the need for policy reform.

 

Click on the Headings to Download pdfs of these LSP Publications

 

Soil Health, Water & Climate Change: A Pocket Guide to What You Need to Know

This 50-page pocket guide provides policymakers, educators, journalists, and the general public an introduction to the latest innovations in science and farming related to building soil health, and how implementing such practices on a wide scale basis can make agriculture a powerful force for creating a landscape that is good for our water and our climate. Download the app here; download the pdf here.

 

Our Minnesota Future: A Vision for Rural Minnesota

A Vision for Rural Minnesota was developed from input given by hundreds of Land Stewardship Project members during the fall of 2017. This publication is designed as a tool to use in conversations with neighbors, candidates for public office, and others about our values, challenges, and vision for the future of rural communities and our state.

Building the Bridge to Soil Health

In October 2020, a special LSP report was published: Building the Bridge to Soil Health: The Power of Organizing Farmer-to-Farmer Engagement. It describes the organization’s experience with launching the Bridge to Soil Health initiative in Minnesota. The report is available here.

Special Report: Soil Health, Profits & Resiliency

In 2012 the Land Stewardship Letter published a series of articles on the groundbreaking work being done by a team of farmers,
conservationists and scientists in North Dakota’s Burleigh County to combine soil health, profitability, and greater overall community sustainability. This special report combines those articles and information on additional resources.

The Money Pit: How Minnesota Property Taxpayers are Subsidizing Factory Farms 

This is an LSP report on how a little-known law exempting manure storage facilities from property taxes unfairly benefits large-scale livestock operations.

The Land Stewardship Letter 

This is the nationally-known publication of the Land Stewardship Project. Members of the Land Stewardship Project receive a hard copy of
this newsletter as a benefit. Annual membership dues are $35. Address all membership inquiries to Clara Sanders via e-mail or at 612-400-6340. Click here for detailed information on becoming a member of LSP today.

Protecting Your Township from Unwanted Development 

Produced by LSP’s Policy and Organizing Program, this booklet provides guidance to townships on using the Minnesota Interim Ordinance and other tools in the state’s Municipal Planning law. It also contains an extensive list of resources. This is the 3rd edition of this publication; it was originally written in 1997 and updated again in 2006. The 2018 version includes significant updates, including information on frac sand mining operations. 65 pages.

People’s EIS Scoping Report: Citizen Comments on the Necessary Scope and Depth of the Environmental Impact Statement on the Minnesota Sands Frac Sand Proposal

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 100 people attended a Land Stewardship Project meeting in Rushford, Minn., to state their serious concerns about the destructive impacts a frac sand mining proposal would have on their lives and communities and to raise the specific issues that must be included within the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being done on the proposal. Their comments are compiled in this report.

Creating a Bright Future for Livestock Farms in Minnesota: A Report by the Citizen Task Force on Livestock Farms & Rural Communities

In 2004, the Citizen Task Force on Livestock Farmers and Rural Communities studied the challenges and opportunities facing livestock farmers and rural communities, and assembled a list of priority recommendations to policy makers and community leaders on ways to increase the number and profitability of Minnesota livestock farmers in ways that benefit rural communities, recognizing that livestock farmers and vibrant rural communities are interrelated.

The Syngenta Corporation & Atrazine: The Cost to the Land, People & Democracy 

In January 2010 the Land Stewardship Project and Pesticide Action Network North America collaborated on a special report on atrazine, one of the most commonly detected pesticides in U.S. ground and surface water. This report offers a review of the many environmental and health concerns surrounding atrazine and describes how its inventor and primary manufacturer, Syngenta, has resisted attempts to conduct extensive research on the chemical and regulate its use. The report also highlights what farmers can do to end their reliance on atrazine.

Crop Insurance Reports

Farmer-members of the Land Stewardship Project have long called for reforms to the federally subsidized crop insurance program. Originally developed as a basic safety net that would prevent farmers from being wiped out by a weather disaster, the program has evolved into a system for subsidizing the growth and consolidation or mega-cropping operations. This has been bad news for small and medium-sized farmers as well as soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat. Over the years, LSP has worked with its members and various experts to develop numerous reports on what’s wrong with the crop insurance program and what reforms are needed to bring it back to its roots as a fair safety net.

 

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– White Paper #1: Crop Insurance — The Corporate Connection

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– White Paper #2: Crop Insurance Ensures the Big Get Bigger

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– White Paper #3: How Crop Insurance Hurts the Next Generation of Farmers

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– Principles of Reform

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– Why Investigate Crop Insurance?

Crop Insurance: How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster

– Fact Sheet: How Federally Subsidized Crop Insurance Works

Crop Insurance: A Torn Safety Net

– Why the Farm Bill’s Biggest Agricultural Program is a Boon to Corporations and a Bust for Family Farmers & the Land

Contact

Brian DeVore, managing editor, 612-816-9342, e-mail

  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • Past LSP Projects
    • LSP Publications
  • Join, Donate, or Renew
  • Building People Power

Upcoming Events

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May 2022

Wednesday May 18

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
LSP Food Systems Virtual Listening Session
LSP Food Systems Virtual Listening Session
Wednesday May 18
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

The Land Stewardship Project will hold a virtual listening session on regional food systems. Register here.

Thursday May 19

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk
LSP Grazing Group Pasture Walk
Thursday May 19
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

LSP will hold a Grazing Group Pasture Walk at Oak Creek Pastures in Ossian, Iowa. Sign-in for this free event begins at 4:45 p.m. Supper will be provided; suggested $3-$5 meal contribution.

Scott & Amanda Holthaus of Oak Creek Pastures are hosting a pasture walk for area graziers to show cattle grazing on crop-ground planted last fall to a diverse winter cover mix (rye, vetch, triticale, winter barley) and results of winter bale grazing on permanent pasture. There will be a discussion around fencing and watering considerations for maximizing grazing days.
 
Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/aYx1CibrAUaEu0XVPjqlIw2.

Friday May 20

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Farm Bill Listening Session for Retiring Farmers, Non-operating Landowners
Farm Bill Listening Session for Retiring Farmers, Non-operating Landowners
Friday May 20
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Join the Land Stewardship Project on Friday, May 20, from noon-1 p.m., for a virtual conversation with other retiring farmers and non-operating landowners to discuss how federal policy could better support your efforts to build a more just and resilient agricultural system. To register, click here.

Saturday May 21

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Farmer Fiesta at Whitewater State Park
Farmer Fiesta at Whitewater State Park
Saturday May 21
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Get to know other farmers and learn about conservation programs while enjoying a build-your-own taco bar with locally grown foods and ice cream served by the Winona County Dairy Princess. After supper, area farmer and soil conservationist Martin Larsen will share his experiences caving below the farm fields of southeastern Minnesota. Reserve a spot for this free Friends of Whitewater State Park event by e-mailing sara.holger@state.mn.us or calling 507-312-2308.

Tuesday May 24

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
LSP Food Systems In-Person Listening Session
LSP Food Systems In-Person Listening Session
Tuesday May 24
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

The Land Stewardship Project will be holding an in-person listening session on regional food systems in Montevideo, Minn. Register here.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • Let’s Get a Robust State Budget Across the Finish Line! May 17, 2022
  • Only 13 Days Left to Invest in Farmers May 10, 2022
  • Rural Voices Hold More Power Than You Think May 5, 2022
  • Legislative Session Heads into its Final Days May 4, 2022
  • LSP Pasture Walk to Feature Spring Grazing of Cover Crops May 19 near Ossian  April 25, 2022

Montevideo

117 South First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

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https://landstewardshipproject.org/publications