At the Land Stewardship Project, we value local control — the ability for smaller units of government to build upon laws set by larger units of government. While states like Iowa and Wisconsin have gutted or significantly weakened local control, Minnesota has stayed strong on this issue (because of organizing by LSP members and others)… Read More →
Last week, the “Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities (LASO) Act” was introduced in the U.S. Senate, championed by Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. If enacted, this innovative bill, via the 2023 Farm Bill, would fund powerful, community-led solutions to the land access crisis faced by the new generation of young and Black farmers, Indigenous farmers, and… Read More →
There’s a bit of a disagreement over how many enterprises were originally on a certain wish list when Hannah Frank and Justin Thomas were considering launching a farm. “Didn’t we have, like, 40 different enterprises on our goal sheet?” Thomas asks Frank on an overcast day in July while the couple stands next to a… Read More →
Scott Elkins joined LSP as executive director in 2023. The son and grandson of Texas cattle ranchers, Scott moved to Minnesota more than 30 years ago and lives in the Twin Cities. Starting with his earliest work as a grassroots organizer, he has focused on movement building through a career that spans state and national… Read More →
Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson taught Melissa Driscoll that true sustainability starts not only with the soil, but with the person who’s stewarding it. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • LSP’s Journeyperson Course • Minnesota Farm Business Management Faculty • Seven Songs Organic Farm You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes… Read More →
These beginning farmers are accessing land without owning it — one megawatt at a time. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Farm Beginnings in other Regions: the Farm Beginnings Collaborative • Land Stewardship Letter article on Josie Trople & Arlo Hark • Fresh Voices: the Ear to the Ground podcast series on beginning farmers You can find… Read More →
David Johnson and Hui-Chun Su Johnson’s approach to composting may help farming reach the ultimate regenerative ag pinnacle: self-sufficient soil. More Information • LSP’s Microbiology web page • Managing a Johnson-Su Composting Bioreactor • Ear to the Ground podcast episode 271: Focusing on Fungi • Ear to the Ground podcast episode 266: Activating Soil Life • Land… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — Innovative grazing techniques, custom grazing and marketing of grass-fed livestock products will be the focus of two Land Stewardship Project (LSP) pasture walks in the southeastern Minnesota communities of Altura and Zumbrota in mid-October. These events are free and open to the public. On Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 4 p.m. to 6:30… Read More →
From Kris Shelstad’s point of view, an empty building on Main Street is packed full of opportunities for revitalizing her hometown’s economic and cultural life, one conversation at a time. More Information: • Madison Mercantile • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • Support Local Food During the Upper Minnesota River Meander Sept. 30-Oct. 2… Read More →
EYOTA, Minn. — Test plots, interseeding and grazing cover crops, fencing around crop fields, pollinator plantings and transitioning to organic will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) field day Friday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Lawler farm near Eyota (930 70th Ave. NE). Although much of the Lawlers’… Read More →
