On Tuesday, Jan. 16, frac sand corporation Minnesota Sands, LLC, filed a notice of appeal declaring its intent to challenge a district court ruling upholding the Winona County, Minn., frac sand ban. Pro-frac sand interests’ attempt to overturn the ordinance in Winona County District Court was dismissed with prejudice in November 2017 by Minnesota District… Read More →
An Innovative Farming System Requires Innovative Training One sign that you’re a solid employee is that the boss hates the idea of you walking out the door, never to return. So let’s consider the case of Ryan Heinen, who has worked on the west-central Minnesota dairy farm of Nate and Angie Walter for the past… Read More →
On an afternoon in late June, west-central Minnesota farmers Anne and Peter Schwagerl walk out of the bright sun into the deep shade of an old granary that has six separate storage areas for various kinds of harvested crops—a throwback to an era when most Midwestern farms produced more than corn and soybeans. On many… Read More →
On a fall day just south of West Union in northeastern Iowa, Loran and Brenda Steinlage’s harvested field borders two sides of the local USDA Natural Resources Conservation office. With the green foliage of cover crops peeking through a thick mat of corn residue, their field provides a beautiful example of soil conservation amidst a… Read More →
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Are you a farmer or landowner thinking about the next steps for your farm and the legacy you would like to leave on the land? The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Transition Planning Workshop Series provides an opportunity to reflect on the future as well as to do some active planning. The workshop… Read More →
On Nov. 17, Minnesota District Court Judge Mary Leahy dismissed with prejudice pro-frac sand interests’ claims in their attempt to undo the Winona County, Minn., frac sand ban. The judge ruled that the county acted fully within its authority in passing this ordinance to protect public health, safety and general welfare from industrial mining operations.… Read More →
I am happy to report that frac sand corporation Minnesota Sands, LLC, failed in its latest attempt to circumvent comprehensive environmental review (see the action alert below). Thanks to Minnesotans speaking up for the land and the health of our communities, the requirement of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposed massive frac… Read More →
A streak of creativity brightens the landscape when farmers join forces with scientists to investigate “the standard” of what we thought we already knew. Take, for example, the fresh look at how soil functions—collectively called soil health—that has been the talk of Land Stewardship Project workshops and field days the past five years or so.… Read More →
When we talk to our friends and neighbors who are on Medicare, they are happy with it and sure don’t want to give it up. The same is said by veterans who use Veteran’s Administration healthcare. Social Security is another popular government run program. We need to build on this success. During an “Addressing the… Read More →
As you may have heard, the stormy weather of this past weekend inflicted heavy damage on numerous Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the Minnesota-western Wisconsin region. The timing of the hail and heavy winds couldn’t have been worse—in many cases entire plantings were wiped out in a matter of minutes, decimating months of preparation… Read More →
