When you look at the bills being pushed at our State Capitol this year it appears many legislators think that what people living in rural and small town Minnesota want are more factory farms and less of a say in what happens in our community. Nothing is further from reality. But reality at the Capitol… Read More →
When you look at the bills being pushed at our State Capitol this year it appears many legislators think that what people living in rural and small town Minnesota want are more factory farms and less of a say in what happens in our community. Nothing is further from reality. But reality at the Capitol… Read More →
There was a flurry of activity this week related to reform proposals for federally subsidized crop insurance. Following the Land Stewardship Project’s November/December release of our three white papers on crop insurance (“How a Safety Net Became a Farm Policy Disaster”), 2015 has seen continued attention to the need for major reform of this largest… Read More →
On Monday, HF 5, the bill to establish a strong, people-first health insurance exchange in Minnesota, passed the final vote on its way to Governor Mark Dayton’s desk. Thank you for all your calls, e-mails and letters to support a people-centered exchange—your actions made a difference! For the past year, LSP and our allies have… Read More →
Extension of Farm Policy a Raw Deal — Backward Not Forward for Agriculture MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Farm policy takes a dramatic step backwards in the fiscal cliff deal brokered in Congress and soon to be signed into law by President Barack Obama. Rather than moving forward with much-needed financial and policy reform Congress and the… Read More →
The Minnesota State Legislature only has 13 days left to take advantage of our historic state surplus — $9.25 billion — and invest in our farmers and communities at the scale that is needed to create vibrant resiliency on the land. There are big differences between what the House and Senate are willing to invest… Read More →
This Gateway into Farming Hinges on Small Grains, Livestock & Soil Health With its pool table topography and coffee-colored soils, southern Minnesota’s Nicollet County perennially ranks as one of the top producers of corn and soybeans in the state, and land prices reflect it — in 2019 the average annual non-irrigated cropland rental rate in… Read More →
Many small and medium-size farms are trying to survive by selling meats directly to retail customers and restaurants. The idea shows promise as a way to revitalize an economy otherwise in the shadow of huge farming enterprises. We need slaughterhouses; several good, new up-to-date buildings should be placed throughout the state to serve the growing… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — Two farmer-to-farmer Land Stewardship Project (LSP) discussion workshops focusing on soil building topics will be held in southeastern Minnesota Jan. 25 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Jan. 25, the discussion workshop will be held at Recreation Café, 20 E. Main St., in Lewiston. On Jan. 30, farmers will… Read More →
Steve O’Neil, the Land Stewardship Project’s first community organizer who went on to serve as a mentor and adviser to the organization for most of its history, lost a battle with cancer on Monday. He was 63. Steve was hired in 1982 by Ron Kroese shortly after Kroese and Victor Ray founded LSP. O’Neil’s first… Read More →
