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 →
Minn. Farmers are National Leaders in Utilizing the Conservation Stewardship Program MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Minnesota would lose the most amount of federal working lands conservation dollars of any state if the Farm Bill being proposed by the U.S. House is passed, according to a new report published yesterday by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).… Read More →
Ryan is seeking 60 acres of ideally certified organic pasture to rent in Minnesota. Ryan is a young farmer trained in Holistic Land Management through the Savory Institute, and has a complete business plan built around Holistic Planned Grazing, using cattle as the primary tool to restore soil health and rebuild pasture over time. Currently… Read More →
ROLLINGSTONE, Minn. — Ways farmers can build soil health will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) field day Wednesday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Rory, Richard and Sharon Beyer farm near Rollingstone (18622 Dixie Drive). Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. and a noon barbecue lunch will follow the… Read More →
A few years ago, a travel writer penned an opinion piece in the Minneapolis Star Tribune lambasting the “local foods movement.” One thing that really galled him was seeing all those Volvos, Saabs and Hondas that consumers parked at the farmers’ market while they shopped for vegetables that had been transported into town by numerous,… Read More →
The local frac sand industry is part of Big Oil’s continued efforts to monopolize the profits from natural resources that belong to everyone. Who really owns the earth, the oil, air and water? Big Oil’s frac-sand process uses huge amounts of water from our limited-supply aquifers. We can live without oil, but we can’t live… 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 →
In case you haven’t noticed, the humble oat is having a bit of a moment. After decades of declines in oat plantings in Minnesota, acreage increased this year. Market demand for the small grain is up, a group of farmers are attempting to pull together funding for a major processing plant in southern Minnesota, and… Read More →
This massive, multi-county frac sand proposal, backed by investors hiding their identities, threatens to give the industry a major foothold throughout southeastern Minnesota. Minnesota Sands LLC is renewing its push to develop a large-scale frac sand operation in southeastern Minnesota. The proposers now say they want to establish a mining, processing and transportation network spanning… Read More →
The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) faces a decision May 21 that could have far-reaching repercussions for the health of the land and people in southeastern Minnesota, as well as the integrity of the environmental review process. At issue are proposed changes to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Minnesota Sands was ordered to undergo on… Read More →
