Cover crops proved themselves foul weather friends during the Great Drought of 2012. A groundbreaking farmer survey conducted in the Upper Mississippi River watershed showed that during that year’s brutal growing season keeping the soil covered with small grains and other plants helped fields preserve enough precious moisture to provide a yield bump of, in… Read More →
A few years ago LSP organizer Doug Nopar was told of a southeast Minnesota farm operation that was withholding wages from a worker after he had accidentally damaged a door with a skid steer loader. Nopar called the farm owner and let him know this action was quite illegal. The farmer’s response? “You know, I… Read More →
You’ve probably never heard of the “Buy the Farm” law, but if you think corporations have too much power and that it’s time to put people before corporate profits, this is a law worth knowing about. The “Buy the Farm” law is a result of the hard fought negotiations between family farmers and utility companies… Read More →
Below is a picture from the close of a thought-provoking, challenging and energizing two-day meeting the Land Stewardship Project hosted this week at our Minneapolis office. Leaders and staff from state-based rural membership organizations representing 10 Midwest and Western states came together in Minnesota and shared our experiences and our analyses related to organizing for… Read More →
What do you do when a resource becomes increasingly scarce? One option is to use it more efficiently. That’s a key point livestock producer Greg Judy is going to make Sept. 9-10 in Alexandria during what promises to be a fascinating set of workshops. In this case, the resource that’s becoming harder to come by… Read More →
RSVP HERE MADISON, Minn. — Farmers, agricultural professionals and community members are invited to a “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” networking meeting on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Madison. This free Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is an opportunity to learn from regional growers and innovators about the benefits of… Read More →
Note: This is the 3rd installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. History is a critical piece of context. All too often, farming practices are carried out without taking into consideration past practices and their subsequent impact. Regenerative farmers often say they are “listening to the land” when making management decisions.… Read More →
Note: This is the 7th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Here’s some troubling context in the land of plenty: in 2023, 18 million U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year, according to the USDA. That figure is up from 17 million in 2022. Food insecurity… Read More →
Note: This is the 12th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. In case Allen and Kathleen Deutz need a reminder of one of the main reasons corn dominates the landscape in their part of southwestern Minnesota, they need to look no further than the massive Archer-Daniels-Midland ethanol plant that rises to… Read More →
ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Farmers, agricultural professionals, and community members are invited to a “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” workshop Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion in Albert Lea. This free, all-day Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is an opportunity to learn from industry leaders and… Read More →
