While walking through a knee-high prairie planted on a central Iowa hillside Tuesday, I happened to look down. Trapped amongst all that vegetation was an impressive amount of rich, black glacial soil, the kind that produces record crop yields. And just a few feet away was the source of that soil: a soybean field planted… Read More →
How changes to Minnesota’s Green Acres program threaten farmland stewardship.
2025-2026 Farm Beginnings Class LSP is now accepting applications for its 2025-2026 Farm Beginnings class session. For details, click here. Before jumping into agriculture, Kevin Keene worked as a data science consultant for 11 years. So it makes sense that he describes farming success in terms of a mathematical calculation. “The way I think about… Read More →
Sarah Wescott was raised on a commercial apple orchard outside of Elgin and Plainview, in southeastern Minnesota. From a young age, she gained an appreciation for rural community and agriculture. This guided her studies at Macalester College where she earned a degree in environmental studies, a food systems emphasis, a minor in Latin American studies,… Read More →
The AGRI Farm to School and Early Care Programs have been critical for expanding market access opportunities across the state, especially for beginning farmers and smaller operators, as well as for getting healthy, local food to our kids in both schools and childcare settings. This initiative reimburse schools and early childcare education centers for purchases… Read More →
In the early 2000s, I wrote a series of Land Stewardship Letter articles about a generic environmental impact statement study that was done on Minnesota’s livestock industry. The final report had an interesting finding related to phosphorus, a key source of crop fertility: small livestock farms had a medium phosphorus shortage of 17 pounds per… Read More →
Every three years, the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) publishes an updated Mandatory Category Report detailing project types that require environmental review in our state. Examples of Mandatory Categories included in this report include pipeline projects or feedlot expansions. Currently, the EQB is soliciting input from the public on the mandatory categories or their decision… Read More →
From raising produce and working in a restaurant to teaching food safety and managing a farmers’ market, Sara George has experienced “farm-to-fork” from just about every angle possible. This has given her invaluable insights into the barriers, and opportunities, involved with connecting farmers and institutional buyers. More Information • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page… Read More →
Earlier this month, Land Stewardship Project farmer-members James Kanne and Adam Griebie flew to Washington, D.C., with me for a few days to gather with farmers and organizers from across the Midwest who are a part of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment and to meet with members of Congress about our shared… Read More →
Matt and Seth Tentis of White Barn Acres are creating a soil-smart farm using a mix of livestock, continuous living cover, and experimentation — with a healthy dose of community support tossed in for good measure. More Information • White Barn Acres • LSP’s Soil Health Web Page • LSP’s 2023 Field Day Special Report:… Read More →
