For residents of southeastern Minnesota, the past few months must seem like “The Season of the Nitrate.” It turns out nitrogen, that critical source of crop fertility, is quite adept at escaping our farm fields, and, in the form of nitrate, polluting groundwater. So much so that scientists, government officials, and physicians now recognize it… Read More →
What happens when you get out of the car and wade into a prairie? A scientist and a soil expert talk about this biome’s under-appreciated beauty, its outsized benefits, and how grazing can fuel its ecological energy. Other Ear to the Ground Podcasts on Prairies & Farming: • Episode 25: The farm as natural… Read More →
As the staff and member-leaders of the Land Stewardship Project conduct our organization’s work for stewardship and justice on the land, the central concept that keeps arising is “change comes from the ground up.” Whether the subject is farming practices, public policy or community vitality, thinking about positive change in this way is enormously helpful… Read More →
How Scott and Amanda Holthaus are transforming corn-soybean ground into perennial pasture utilizing soil biology and the rotational grazing of diverse cover crops. More Information: • LSP Video: What does Healthy Soil Look Like? Water Infiltration Test & Comparison • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing Web Page • LSP’s Soil Health & Cover Cropping Web… Read More →
Land Stewardship Project members believe that the kind of agricultural system and democracy we have is up to us. Our members are the experts when it comes to their communities and farms and, together, we can and must make regenerative agriculture the norm, rather than the exception. We believe our public institutions exist to serve the… Read More →
At the Land Stewardship Project, we know that we depend on each other to thrive and that our government, public institutions, and economy exist to serve each and every person, as well as our land, water. and air — no exceptions. That’s why hundreds of Land Stewardship Project members like you have been taking action… Read More →
Sign Up for E-mail Delivery of The Land Line U.S. Farmers Lost Conservation Experts in Trump’s Federal Cuts. Now They’re Hurting for Help (9/12/26) Harvest Public Media reports that cuts to the federal workforce have made it harder for farmers to get assistance in adopting conservation practices. Highlights: The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)… Read More →
CUMBERLAND, Iowa — Here in southwestern Iowa, it’s the season of the white torpedo. Once it seemed spring wasn’t fake news, pickup trucks began towing to winter-dormant fields tubular tanks of gaseous anhydrous ammonia fertilizer here and in the rest of the Corn Belt. These white cylinders are the harbingers of a new planting season… Read More →
How critical is nitrogen to raising corn in the Midwest? Well, consider the fact that farmers feel compelled to pay for it, even at a time when the war with Iran is sending prices to dizzying heights during the 2026 planting season. The agronomic value of nitrogen became clear during a special oversight hearing held… Read More →
Sign Up for Email Delivery of The Land Line Plan for Largest Dairy in Minnesota History Raises Water and Pollution Concerns (4/1/26) Sentient reports on Riverview’s expansion proposal that would crate the largest dairy CAFO in Minnesota. Highlights: The expansion would more than double the capacity of an existing Riverview LLP dairy facility near Morris,… Read More →
