The government of Minnesota belongs to the people of Minnesota — not to outside corporate interests who write special laws for themselves that threaten our democracy. Land Stewardship Project members know why free speech is so important. Since the 1980s, members across the state have been leveraging our collective power to fight against farm foreclosures,… Read More →
With just a few days left in the Minnesota legislative session, we need another push to ensure the state fully funds its investment in the Forever Green Initiative. Members of the Legacy Finance conference committee will begin to meet this week and need to hear from Minnesotans across the state. This is the first time… Read More →
Minnesota’s state leaders have the power and responsibility to act in the best interest of all Minnesotans, as well as our water and land. We rely on our state to ensure we have safe water to drink, clean air to breathe, and healthy land to pass down to the next generation. But right now, Big… Read More →
Imagine opening your local newspaper on a Monday morning and discovering that a 5,000-head factory hog farm or an 6,000-head mega-dairy is being proposed in your township — and the public comment period ends that very weekend! We deserve the right to have a voice when major decisions that could impact the health of our… Read More →
Good news! State legislation that reinstates the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens’ Board is moving forward, but legislators are going to need to hear from constituents for it to pass (HF 973—Persell, SF 627—Marty). You may recall that during the last hours of the 2015 Minnesota legislative session, language was inserted into a massive… Read More →
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The crisis facing family farmers and how our state leaders can take meaningful action will be the focus of a special hearing of the Minnesota House of Representatives’ Agriculture and Food Policy and Finance Division on Thursday, Jan. 31, beginning at 9:45 a.m., in Room 200 of the State Office Building… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project’s State Policy Steering Committee convened last week to start setting LSP’s state policy priorities for the 2019 Minnesota Legislative Session, which begins Jan. 8. The committee, made up of LSP members who are farmers and leaders in their communities, directs what LSP supports and champions on the state level. Below are… Read More →
I am not seeing any solid program that addresses access to land for new farmers. I do see networking and apprentice efforts (such as the one we have at our Earth Wisdom Farm) but I am not seen a comprehensive program that actually provides a viable path to ownership, or resident stewardship. With so much… Read More →
The 2017 Minnesota state legislative session is complete, including a four-day special session that was needed for the Legislature to finish passing a budget. Land Stewardship Project members and staff were active throughout the session fighting for healthcare policies that put people before corporate profits. On a positive note for healthcare, the Legislature provided short-term… Read More →
The State of Iowa is on the verge of eliminating one of the nation’s leading centers of sustainable agriculture research and innovation. The Iowa Legislature’s vote to defund and close the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture comes at a time when the work of the 30-year-old institution is, in many ways, just beginning. It was… Read More →
