LEWISTON, Minn. — Are you a farmer or landowner thinking about the next steps for your farm and land? Or do you know someone who is? The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Transition Planning Course provides a holistic opportunity to dig into important topics and learn from experienced farmers and professionals. The online course will be held… Read More →
MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — The bankruptcy and subsequent shutdown of the Pure Prairie Poultry processing plant in St. Charles, Iowa, has once more laid bare the dangers and the inadequacies of our industrial farming structure. “Too big to fail” is no longer just a condition of the financial sector, it is now a concept that is reaching… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project’s steering committees and working groups are made up of farmers, as well as rural, urban and suburban people, who are directly impacted by the farm and food system issues LSP is working to change. These members, leaders and community partners work alongside LSP staff to develop and ground the strategies and…
Finance Committee Sara Morrison, chair Laurie Driessen Beth Slocum Aleta Borrud Timothy Kenney (staff liaison) The role of the committee is to provide short and long-term financial oversight for LSP, to include budgeting and financial planning, financial reporting and monitoring of internal controls and practices and to report back to the Board of Directors. The…
Laurie Driessen and her family raise crops and livestock near Canby in southwestern Minnesota and she has spent several decades advocating for providing quality services to individuals with disabilities and the elderly. During the past few years, she has been involved with LSP’s Affordable Healthcare for All work, during which she spoke to policymakers and the… Read More →
In July 2024, Alex joined LSP’s staff in the Montevideo, Minn., office to work on soil health and land access issues. Alex grew up part-time in rural Wisconsin, spawning an affinity for open space, vintage tractors, bird chatter, and frog croaks. After 20-some-odd years working in the nooks and crannies of the food industry, she… Read More →
Heather Benson joined LSP’s staff in July 2024 as a communications specialist. She brings with her over two decades of marketing, communications, and public relations experience within both the agricultural and nonprofit spheres, and most recently was the digital strategy manager for SDPB, South Dakota’s NPR and PBS member station. A recent transplant to Minnesota, she… Read More →
On Monday, June 24, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) opened a public comment period for Minnesotans to respond to proposed changes to two permits that regulate the state’s largest animal feedlots. The aim of these changes is to protect Minnesota water by reducing nitrate contamination from manure produced by feedlots that are 1,000 animal… Read More →
The USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are essential initiatives that give tens of thousands of farmers the tools they need to implement sustainable practices such as cover cropping and managed rotational grazing. Yet, a significant majority of farmers who apply to these programs are unable to access funding. In 2023, only… Read More →
Our farm and food system is more resilient and just with more farmers stewarding the land and growing food for their communities, but so many people who want to farm are facing significant barriers to getting established and sustaining their businesses. The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities (LASO) Act, championed by Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina… Read More →
