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Searched for: MFU Support of Fair Repair February 2023

Area Farmers Share Land Access & Marketing Concerns with Legislators From 9 States

Pre Farm-Aid SIX Tour Highlights Environmental, Health Benefits Provided by Cannon Falls & Rochester Farmers 

CANNON FALLS, Minn. — Shea-Lynn Ramthun stood in a recently harvested oat field on her family’s farm near Cannon Falls last week and described to a couple dozen lawmakers a dilemma that’s all-too-common in the agriculture business: she had just successfully raised a bumper crop, only to run into the brick wall of not having…  Read More

Land Line: NOLOs, Dirty Music, Ag Secretary Battle, Salatin, Ag Concentration

Nov. 29: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities Why Non-operating Landowners Need to be Part of the Conservation Dialogue (11/22/20) Non-operating landowners, otherwise known as NOLOs, are generally in favor of conservation programs and practices, as are the farmers who operate on their land. But there is often a disconnect between…  Read More

Protecting the Water, Protecting the Land

This spring, a marketing firm hired by WEC Energy Group stopped by our farm a number of times. They wanted us to sign an agreement allowing an Environmental Impact Statement to be done so that a natural gas pipeline could be laid through our front field. We worried that all the work that we had…  Read More

The King of Cover Cropping

An Indiana initiative has made the state a national leader in getting continuous living cover established on crop acres. Can it change the way farmers view soil? Michael Werling is, literally, a card-carrying connoisseur of soil health. “I call it, ‘My ticket to a farm tour,’ ” says the northeastern Indiana crop producer, showing off…  Read More

Elizabeth Makarewicz

Elizabeth Makarewicz has been a member of LSP since participating in Farm Beginnings in 2013 and on staff as a membership support specialist since February 2018. In this role, Elizabeth helps to grow and maintain LSP’s membership, communicates with LSP members, organizes fundraising and community outreach events, and leads the gift acknowledgment process for the…  Read More

MN Congressional Reaction to Beginning Farmer Funding

The USDA announced last week the availability of $19.2 million in funds for groups that assist beginning farmers through training and other support initiatives. This is the first grant cycle of the newly reauthorized Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which is part of the 2014 Farm Bill signed into law in February. In…  Read More

Who Benefits When Emerging Farmers Can’t Succeed?

Emerging Farmers: What Do You Think of This Proposed Legislation?

Last year, the Land Stewardship Project celebrated the historic investments in emerging farmers that we won at the Minnesota Capitol. One of these wins included doubling the funding for and prioritizing emerging farmer applicants within the Minnesota Farmland Down Payment Assistance Program, which the Land Stewardship Project worked on with the Midwest Farmers of Color…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 325: Return of the Fence

Matt and Seth Tentis of White Barn Acres are creating a soil-smart farm using a mix of livestock, continuous living cover, and experimentation — with a healthy dose of community support tossed in for good measure. More Information • White Barn Acres • LSP’s Soil Health Web Page • LSP’s 2023 Field Day Special Report:…  Read More

Call on Senator Amy Klobuchar to Co-Sponsor Critical Land Access Legislation

LASO Act Would Create Equitable Transition of Farmland to the Next Generation

Land access is the top challenge emerging and beginning farmers face. At the same time, ownership of millions of acres of agricultural land is changing hands as farmers and ranchers across the country retire — presenting an important opportunity to shape the future of our farm and food system. This is the moment for Congress…  Read More

2022 Minnesota Legislative Session Wrap-up — Maybe?

More Undone than Done, but Some Key Wins LSP is Eager to Build on

The 2022 Minnesota legislative session held incredible promise in the form of a historic budget surplus that had the opportunity to deliver tangible progress on the biggest challenges we face. For example, the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus, chaired by Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL-Minnetonka), began the session with a bang, proposing a $1 billion investment…  Read More