To Olaf Haugen, microbes equal money. That’s because at the height of the growing season on his family’s farm in southeastern Minnesota’s Fillmore County, 70 percent of the dairy herd’s feed comes from grazing. He not only rotationally grazes permanent pastures, but runs his cows through plantings of annual cover crops, which he prefers to… Read More →
‘Our Farm Bill’ Campaign Concludes for Now The membership of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) launched the “Our Farm Bill” campaign in 2016 as an ambitious grassroots effort of family farmers, rural communities and urban allies to change the direction of federal policy. It was a campaign based on the vision that our public policy… Read More →
Public Outcry for Environmental Impact Statement Results in Permit Denial ST. PAUL, Minn. — After months of public pressure and in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Commissioner John Linc Stine announced on Dec. 18 that a controversial factory hog farm proposed by Catalpa Ag in Newburg Township in Fillmore… Read More →
Tyler Carlson farms near “Gopher Prairie,” the fictional setting for Sinclair Lewis’s 1920 novel, Main Street. In the book, Lewis, who grew up in the real Gopher Prairie, otherwise known as Sauk Centre, used biting satire to poke fun at small town life. On this summer day, Carlson is finding the havoc burrowing rodents are… Read More →
FARIBAULT, Minn. — Cover crops, no-till and soil health will be the focus of a field tour co-sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) and the Rice County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) on Friday, Aug. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The tour starts at Mike Ludwig’s farm (1355 90th St. E., Northfield)… Read More →
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… Read More →
From the beginning of the 2018 Minnesota Legislative session, it was clear that corporate interests and their legislative allies were pushing for special treatment at the expense of rural communities, family farmers and Minnesota values. As an example, six days into the session, Dr. Marin Bozic, a dairy economist at the University of Minnesota, testified… Read More →
With spring fully and finally here, things are busy on my farm, but I wanted to take a moment to write to you about an issue moving forward at the Minnesota Capitol that goes against some of the most important principles and values I have. And I want to ask you to take action with… Read More →
Bill Backs Corporate Interests Over Family Farmers, Rural Communities & the Environment A deeply flawed U.S. House Farm Bill represents corporate interests, particularly industrial livestock operations, at the expense of independent farm families and the environment, and should be swiftly rejected when it comes to a vote this month, the Land Stewardship Project, along with… Read More →
New Report Calls for Reforms to Nation’s Biggest Ag Safety Net RAMSEY, Minn. — The nation’s biggest farm “safety net” has evolved into a program that harms family farms, the land and rural communities, while bolstering profits for major insurance companies, including one headquartered in Minnesota, said farmers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients… Read More →
